Customer Reviews

On the Sweet Spot: Stalking the Effortless Present

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't put the book down. Dr. Keefe does an incredible job of connecting insights from clinical neuroscience, modern fMRI, sports psychology, and years of his own experience into a book which is entertaining to read at the same time. Coming from someone who knows so much about how the brain works and who also has practical experience with teaching others how to find the effortless present, this book is a must read.

Dr. Richard Keefe is obviously a brilliant man who has written about a complex scientific topic and delivered its contents in an easy to read, and easy to absorb manner. The interjections of his personal experiences lends the reader the confidence necessary to just relax and enjoy the book. He will gain insight and wisdom from his findings. This book is the union of science and desire, and its quest to discover the ultimate joy, the sweet spot. This book is THE perfect gift for any golfer. Keep a few on hand, you will be surprised at how many people you know that deserve this book!!

I'd like to provide a different viewpoint. This book just didn't meet my expectations. I really wanted to like this book, but the writing seemed strained and forced. I don't find myself more knowledegable about the sweet spot after reading it. I was hoping it would be suitable for my 16yo nephew with a 2 handicap--he'd be totally bored with it. I found Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (written in 1991) a more satisfying scholarly treatise on a parallel topic.
Keefe's interactions with his physician guru/mentor are all written in quotes as if they were recorded verbatim, though they couldn't be actual transcripts of real conversations unless Keefe carries a tape recorder. I found them almost embarassing to read in that no one really talks the way this physician is quoted in perfect stilted language. I believe they are what Keefe remembers from his discussions with his mentor rather than real quotes. Keefe also takes considerable literary license in going off topic when he discusses religion and a variety of other topics; I wanted a more pure sports book. The book was just not the scientific discussion I was, perhaps unrealistically, hoping for.

Richard Keefe's book is a masterful examination of the elusive search for the combination of muscular and mental processes in playing the game of golf. Most importantly he brings it within the grasp of all of us who are willing to listen. Anyone who has played this game (or others) and been in that place where each shot seems to be physically effortless and without "thought" has wondered why maintaining it is so elusive and maddening. ..... Richard Keefe provides you with a thoughtful, inciteful outline and process for staying in touch with that place. Beyond that, it provides you with a route back when you lose it. This book is well written, with a wry sense of humor and Mr. Keefe's incites come from different (and sometimes surprising) places and disciplines. I urge you to read it, and then reread it.

Having read several sports psychology books - Rotella etc. - I found "On The Sweet Spot" to be refreshing and provocative. Keefe marries sports performance with the science of the brain in an instructive and memorable manner. This is not a traditional "how to" book that reviews the standard steps such as "pre-shot routine" - I am sure that Keefe felt that those topics have been covered effectively by the existing body of work. Instead it probes deeper into the mysterious interaction between the self, the brain and spirituality.

This is not a casual read, it demands thinking and reflection - but ultimately delivers a compelling message.

I ordered 2 books at the same time and this one took 8 days longer to get to me. Some of the pages were folded over from when it was put into the shipping envelope. The book itself wasn't quite what I was looking for but made for a fairly good read anyway.

No sense being complicated about this. I enjoy the pleasure of having a very extensive golf library. This book is at the top of my list because it does away with a lot of the bs, and actually teaches you something about how to handle yourself and to grow as a golfer AND an adult. There's more medical info about how the brain works than a lot of people need to know or would even understand. That's not all bad, though; because you might learn something beyond the usual crap about your grip and how complicated it is to swing a stick. Personally, I'm playing better and enjoying my time on the range and course waaaay more. That is the point, isn't it?

Keefe is Director of Sport Psychology at Duke University. For golfers who want to understand how their brain produces direction for the body to make its best golf swing, Keefe makes this easy and interesting to grasp by putting it in the form of a novel. Eye-opening facts and perspectives abound between the covers of this book. If you like this book, get Manuel de la Torre's "Understanding the Golf Swing", it is the pragmatic instruction that parallels Keefe's psychoanaltic description. We use the teachings of both books at Heartland Golf Schools and the results are very good.