Customer Reviews

Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible (Perigee)

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This is a long review, but I hope you hang in there.

Just to put everything in context, I've bought the
following golf books in the last few months:

How to Break 90 (Tomasi, et al)
The 30-Second Golf Swing (Tomasi)
Five Fundamentals (Hogan)
Five Fundamentals (Elkington)

Plus I've flipped through dozens of books in the
store. And I've visited every golf site know to man.
Or woman.

We're talking minimal improvement after 2 months
of hard work -- and I'm a fairly gifted athlete, modesty
aside.

Minimal improvement and not much joy. And this is
a game I used to LOVE in my teens.

Minimal improvement.

And just in case you thought I was looking for instant
mastery, I'm not. There's no such thing anyway.

But I WAS looking for a ray of hope. A ray that says,
"If you stick to this general way, improvements and
a sense of accomplishment WILL come with time."

Enter "Extraordinary Golf."

Read it a couple of days ago with a growing sense
of excitement.

This morning I tried some of Shoemaker's
awareness/concentration exercises down in the
basement for 45 minutes. (Then started making up
some of my own!)

Was CONSISTENTLY making 30-foot chips to within
about 18 inches of the "hole". And sometimes IN THE
HOLE.

I'm talking about 95 out of 100 very very good shots,
(to within 2 or 3 feet) simply by PAYING ATTENTION
to what was going on, NOT trying to fix anything, and
simply having FUN.

I know you may think you're a technique player, but listen
to this:

I started playing shots leaning waaay forward, waaay backward,
on my left leg only, on my right leg only, holding the club miles
from my body, in too tight, up against the wall, with the left hand
only, with the right hand only, all sorts of crazy contortions --
AND WAS STILL KNOCKING THEM CLOSE TO THE HOLE!!!

Simply by paying FULL attention to what I was doing (primarily
the FULL arc of the clubhead) in an easy, free-spirited way.

Shoemaker is right. Most players DON'T concentrate for the full
2 seconds it takes to swing. Their minds are filled with all sorts of
distractions and FEARS. Especially the fear of looking bad.

But when you just step up with full awareness in a spirit of inquiry,
open to any possibility, not fixated on results, it is remarkable what happens.

This stuff actually works!

I discovered that I "lose" the clubhead near the top of my backswing.
I suddenly lose awareness of it. But when I calmly maintain focus on
where the clubhead is THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SWING and
FORGET ABOUT THE RESULTS amazing things happen.

I also found out I"lose" the clubhead when I putt.

So I decided to line up a 35-foot putt while MAINTAINING AWARENESS
in the clubhead.

The FIRST putt ended up ONE INCH from the hole.

The SECOND putt ended up TWO INCHES from the hole.

The "trick" if there is one, is to FORGET about FIXING and start
OBSERVING what you're DOING.

Even if you miss every putt and every chip while you practice, even
if your shots miss by a mile, THE MAIN THING IS YOU STAY AWARE
OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE ENTIRE 2 SECONDS.

That should be your only concern. "Can I track the cluubhead
throughout the entire swing?"

Even if you try hitting the ball backwards through your legs, if you
pay full attention to the clubhead you'll putt it or chip it pretty close.

The technique therefore is how you use your brain! How you pay
attention. And how you let go.

I demonstrated this morning that where you place your foot, where you
place your weight, where you grip the club, etc. is NOWHERE NEAR
AS IMPORTANT AS BEING AWARE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

Exercises:

1. Try Shoemakers mesmerizing "club-throwing" technique (you'll
discover your natural timing this way) ...

and also try:

2. Paying full attention to, say, the full arc of the clubhead
paying NO REGARD WHATSOEVER to where the ball goes.
Just observe your awareness with the clubhead.

Shoemaker is operating in a field of elite mind/body practitioners,
a field of geniuses who know true power lies in the STUDENT'S
HANDS. These coaches/artists include Lorin Roche (grab all his meditation books) and George Leonard (grab all his books) and others.

You won't regret it.

Fred Shoemaker gently and persuasively reminds us that golf is an experience, rather than a result. It's only by being aware and in the moment that we can really enjoy the experience - or play our best. Yet, as he clearly illustrates, the "Culture of Golfers" is to focus on the results and on what's wrong with our game... which robs us of both the enjoyment, and the potential to play to our full ability.

Why do I recommend this book so highly? Because golf is meant to be fun, not a chore or a test. If you love the game but find yourself constantly frustrated or disappointed - read this book! Or if you're intrigued by the game but intimidated by all the jargon and attitude you hear - read this book!

Oh, and does it deliver? Yes! Personal example: As a 14 handicapper I'm constantly obsessed with breaking 80. Typically I start every round with the best of intentions to just enjoy the walk... but after a couple of good holes, or a couple bad ones, I start the mental games of "Don't goof it up!" or "Fix it!", which continue through the rest of the round. So it was with my most recent round: a rough start and already I'm 5 over par, struggling to find my swing.

But this time there were two differences: (1) I'd begun re-reading Extraordinary Golf (first read it 2 years ago), and (2) my playing partner was having an even worse round, loudly expressing all the frustration and anguish that often entails. With Shoemaker's coaching in my mind, and such an obvious example before me, I was able to make a different choice about my day. I was able to follow his guidance to relax and just focus on being aware.

So did I break 80? Nope - shot an 81. But I played the back nine in 2 over, a personal best on that course. I was so focused and aware that I can still go back to each shot and replay just how it looked & felt. And most importantly, I played without fear and enjoyed it immensely.

After all, isn't that the point of playing a game?

I was originally given this book by a friend and told to approach it with a completely open mind. This book will help you explore your true inner self and how it relates to golf. I now have the ability to forget all my 32 years of golf mumbo-jumbo and "correct-swing" theories, and focus on experiencing and truly enjoying golf. I recently had the opportunity to take an all day seminar / golf experience from Fred and it changed my whole life and thoughts about the game. I am now re-reading the book again!!! Don't let this one pass you by...get the book and forget all the technical theories...the game and swing are in you, Fred simply helps you bring it out.

I was so impressed with this book that I searched out and attended Fred's School for Extraordinary Golf. I was amazed to see the wide range of golfers there (a beginer, high and low handicappers, several in their 60's+) all accept and dramatically benefit from the instruction provided (all of which was based on what's in the book).

As for me, Fred's approach to golf and wise instruction methods have transformed the game of golf. Not only am I shooting the best golf in my life, I'm having the most fun -- and the more fun actually happened before the better scores did! I'm also learning about myself, about golf and about my life at a much faster rate.

Perhaps you can guess that I recommend Extraordinary Golf highly. It's changed my life by giving me continuous, ongoing access to the game of golf that I had always wanted, hoped for, and glimpsed -- but was somehow never able to fully embrace. Thank you Fred, and those who work with you, for providing a future of golf that is full of possibilities.

If this book is ...not very exciting... or is ...not an instruction book... then the point indeed has been badly and completely missed.

True, if you want mechanics and club selection and all that other technical stuff... buy a different book. But you still won't know how to golf. Ever. That stuff is NOT the essence of golf and is only a tiny component of the game... yet almost all study, training, and instruction are on those aspects. So, the players are frustrated and unfulfilled and go nowhere with their game. How can one break this cycle?

Read this book and Tim Gallwey's The Inner Game of Golf if you actually want to learn how to play the game. But you must have an open mind and actually want to learn the game... not just stick to some prejudiced idea that you have about how you should approach the game. Very, very, very few ever really get this. If you open yourself to it you will be free of fear, genuinely enjoy the game in deeply meaningful ways, and will play like you never thought possible.

-JP

How many golf lessons have you taken where the (well intended) pro has filled your head with adjustments to your hands, feet, head, arms, back, chin, ball, brain, fingers and or grip? And, like a responsible adult, you respond to their instructions, strike the ball well while you're there only to revert back to your old ways a couple of days later? THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! Fred Shoemaker is the first golf instructor I've ever read that has the courage to NOT try to tell you everything you need to do to change your swing. Instead, he gives you a simple, easy to understand APPROACH to the game of golf that enables you to really understand what's right and what's wrong. As a result of reading Fred's book, I now know my swing well enough to KNOW what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong -- so I can make my own correction. Whether your an "8" or "28" you should read this book now!

This book has really helped me enjoy golf more AND at the same time improve my game and score. I don't want to say it's light hearted but it's not as "deep" as "The Inner Game of Golf". It teachs you that the way we look at the game of golf is counter productive. We are always striving to be just a little better and by doing that we are never happy. Once you become comfortable and start playing for fun you not only enjoy the game more BUT your scores go down.

For me that has happened.

It also debunks the swing thought theory. During the swing is not the time to load your head up with thoughts.

Extraordinary Golf is the best publication on self coaching that I have ever discovered.

I remember Tiger Woods crediting his success with his ability to 'get out of his own way'. Fred Shoemaker, and Extraordinary Golf provide each of us the path to letting go of the mechanics, and the expectations of performance in golf, and letting our inner passion for the fun and enjoyment of competition take over.

After years of struggling to recover the game of my youth as a scratch handicapper, Fred's wisdom helped me to understand that my own power came from having fun as a kid.. I am young again !

I learned from Fred that in golf, there is a ball, a target, and me. The only variable in the game.. is me.. and Extraordinary Golf provided me with the power.. to be me.

You have to read this book.. it will change your game, and your life.

After, perhaps the worst round of my life, I considered giving up the game. That round kept me up that night, reliving all the bad shot I made. It was then my wife asked why I was playing if it upset me so much? I did not have an answer, but it did make me consider that I was getting in the way of myself in my quest for a great score. I remembered reading "The Inner Game of Golf" and thought there might be other books with the same focus. When I stumbled across this book it seemed to hit right on the mark. I read the book in two days and it absolutely changed the way I played the game. The next week I went from my worst round of the year to my best; bettering my 9-hole score by 10 strokes. Since then my scores have been consistently low, but more importantly I've rediscovered what drew me to the game in the first place. I've stopped tinkering with my swing; I no longer concern myself with a running score; bad shots still happen, but I feel I can recover. I hope one day to attend an Extraordinary Golf clinic. Get this book, read it with an open mind and rediscover the joy you thought you lost.

A must read for those committed to mastering the game of golf. Pretty great for those interested in mastering the game of life, as well!

Fred gives the reader access to loving the game regardless of the score. The whole of the game of golf comes to life!