Golf Is a Game of Confidence (Hardcover)

~ Dr. Bob Rotella (Author), Bob Cullen (Author) "THE FIRST HOLE AT THE RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB IN LOS ANGELES presents a lot of choices..." (more)
Key Phrases: hitting good shots, birdie putt, mental routine, Ryder Cup, Pebble Beach, Paul Runyan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Director of sports psychology at the University of Virginia, Rotella (Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect) writing with freelancer Cullen, offers advice not unlike that preached by Harvey Penick, which is to visualize each shot before it is made. But he has other words of wisdom as well: have an overall game plan; practice enough so that in tourney play it is almost automatic; learn when to be patient and when to be aggressive; and, above all, have fun. Rotella illustrates his lessons with chapters based on 18 golfers he has worked or talked with, some famous like Byron Nelson, Pat Bradley, Davis Love III and Tom Kite, but others less well known, like a New Jersey accountant who finally broke 80, a Virginian who won that state's Senior Amateur tournament and his own father, whom he introduced to the game at age 63. He also has observations on controlling anger, bouncing back from defeat, coping with near-disabling illness and learning confidence. Links addicts at any level can learn from Rotella's recommendations.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If golf is 90 percent walking, 9 percent talking, and 1 percent swinging, the other half--as Yogi Berra would say--is mental. Hence the abundance of head-game advice, to which golf psychologist Rotella, author of the popular Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect (1995), adds this collection of 18 case histories. Though his "patients" range from pros like Brad Faxon and Davis Love to unknown hackers, Rotella supplies the same prescription for them all: "Confidence is playing with your eyes." He explains what he means by this aphorism through the experiences of his patients, all of whom learn that the mental side of the game drives the physical. An inspirational illustration of the problems and possibilities that every golfer faces. Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (May 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068483040X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684830407
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Get The Point Already, July 10, 2000

By	"mysterybill" (Clovis, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This contains a whole bunch of case studies -- some of pros you've heard of and some of amateurs -- who have consistenly played a higher level of golf because of self-confidence. Okay, great. But once I'm convinced of that (after the first chapter) this book is pretty short on things to do to improve your self-confidence. Save your money and spend it on his audio tape, "Putting Out of Your Mind". At least it has some advice on how to improve your game, rather than point out the obvious: success breeds success, and self-doubt is a real killer of your golf swing.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really helps!, May 8, 2001

By A Customer

I just want to say that this book was very helpful in increasing my confidence in my all around game. We all have rounds where we hit the ball extremely well the front nine and blow up on the back or vice-versa. Though it doesn't really give instructions or tips, it's what you take from it that is so beneficial. I played a few days after reading just the first few chapters and what I took from it was to "stay in the present". Every time I found myself getting ahead with my score or dwelling on a poor execution, I would say to myself, "Just stay in the present" and I played one of my best rounds ever. I would very much recommend this book to anyone who has ever "blown-up" during a round.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent instructional book for golfers of all abilities, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

"Golf is a Game of Confidence" has helped both my wife and I lower our handicaps and play the game with much more enjoyment. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to stories from different golfers of all abilities - male, female, professional or amateur - whose game of golf has been helped through consultations with or reading the advice of Robert J. Roteela. Basic training tips, such as "Staying in the Present" "Be confident with your club selection and swing" "Dedication to the short game" and "Not keeping track of your score" really do work. You'll find a lot of great advice in this book.