This book uses countless stories from Dr. Rotella’s career of not only helping golfers of varying degrees of skill including to professionals like Tom Kite but other athletes like college basketball players. I really enjoyed his style of working on mental focus versus swing mechanics. This will alter the players approach to the game and results. Dr. Rotella advises: I highly recommend this book, especially if you can not pass Doc’s acid test for a good mental game: describe in detail your pre-shot routine. Since I’ve put some of his principles into practice over the last month, the range of my scores has narrowed, and my average scores has reduced by three strokes. More to follow, as I practice and apply the lessons more… On the first tee, you should have two immediate goals. One is to have fun. The other involves the process of playing, not the results. The goal is to get your mind where it’s supposed to be on every shot. If you do that, you’ll shoot the best score you’re capable of shooting that day, whether it’s 67 or 107. Exceptional people, I have found, either start out being optimistic or learn to be optimistic because they realize that they can’t get what they want in life without being optimistic.”

My favorite person in this book is Arnold Palmer. Not only is he my favorite person in this book but he's my favorite golf of all time. He was known for for being an amazing golfer, and person off the golf course. In the book he talks about when he was a junior he made more putts because he had less on his mind and was decisive. When he became pro there was more on his mind and he became more tentative. Ch 9 emphasizes a good short game, drills to hone it, and ways to train the mind to be clear and trusting. While somewhat refuted by the data from Every Shot Counts by Broadie, putting and chipping often make the difference in scoring. As with long shots, Doc recommends no swing thoughts and a set pre-shot routine (w/ a few tweaks). Inside a threshold distance of say 100 yards, one should think about holing the shot.We worked for two days on how she could learn to see herself as a winner, to think effectively, to play one shot at a time, to believe in her putting and herself. We talked periodically thereafter, and still do. On the first tee, a golfer must expect only two things of himself: to have fun, and to focus his mind properly on every shot You cannot hit a golf ball consistently well if you think about the mechanics of your swing as you play.” I'm currently a 10.5 handicap. I like studying the game and trying to improve. Rotella hit on a number of ideas/principles that I have not been thinking about, such as:

That process, not the end result, enriches life. I want the people I work with to wake up every morning excited, because every day is another opportunity to chase their dreams. I want them to come to the end of their days with smiles on their faces, knowing that they did all they could with what they had. There is no such thing as a golfer playing over his head. A hot streak is simply a glimpse of a golfer's true potential. Afterward, we talked, and I told her I was glad I hadn't been carrying a million dollars with me, because I would have bet it all on her to win the Open. That was how impressive her attitude and confidence were that year.

Introduction

We each have the power to construct our own self-image and that the self-image we construct will very likely determine what we become in life.”

Since golf doesn’t have continuous action, it is difficult to get yourself into a state of focus and flow. Therefore you need to induce it through having a sound pre shot routine. Simply look at the target, look at the ball, take a breath and swing. Every golfer will have their own unique routine, but the principle is that you need to develop one if you are get out of your own head. You cannot think and golf at the same time. Are you swinging to make or are you swinging not to miss? There is a very fine line between fully expecting the ball to go where you want it to go and expecting it to, and then blowing your cool if it doesn’t. There’s never been a perfect swing in the history of golf, but whatever swing you woke up with is always going to be good enough to get the job done. I don't know," he said. "I'm a pretty talented golfer, a pretty talented student. I do pretty well at both. My dad's got a pretty good company, and I guess after college I can go to work for him and make a pretty good living, so I'm not worried about the future."Golfers who realize their potential generally cultivate the three D's-desire, determination and discipline; the three P's- persistence, patience and practice; and the three C's-confidence, concentration and composure. You can't wait until a few putts fall and a couple of birdies go on the scorecard before you start trusting. You have to start replicating the state of mind you have on a hot streak as soon as you step onto the first tee.” Another great piece of advice (that is not so much about golf) I’ve adopted from this book was oddly a piece about basketball. The author talks about his sports psychology coaching and how a professional player was missing free throws. This was his job and he was missing a bunch yet not getting frustrated, instead he was smiling! The basketball player stated when confronted, “a missed shot doesn’t lower my chances, it just raises the probability that the next shot will make it.” Decide before the round starts how you are going to think and think this way on every shot. Choose to think well.

The first thing you have to do is decide that being optimistic is important to you, because you understand that optimism is essential to fulfilling your dreams and attaining your goals. Once you make that decision, you have to start looking at things from a different perspective.” Dreams are the spice of life. They compel and propel golfers forward through the eventual tough times they will encounter along the way. Even if you fall short of an audacious goal like wanting to receive a full ride to play golf at USC, you will still accomplish more than you probably thought possible. This book is how Dr Bob Rotella helps the mental attitudes of professional golfers. In the book it shows many different examples of professionals struggling with some of the same mistakes that amateurs struggle with as well. One big take away that I had from this book is that pros and amateurs alike make the same mistakes, the big difference is that professionals handle the mistake differently. Instead of the pro getting upset at the last shot he just put in the weeds (like most amateurs would do) he thinks about how he’s going to hit that shot and still make a par.I read this book before Christmas, along with the John Richardson one I wrote about yesterday, and it has also helped me in a number of ways. So, here is my “potted version”, a list of the salient points which I have gleaned that made the most impression on me. Golfing potential depends primarily on attitude, how well he chips and putts, and how well he thinks. The correlation between thinking well and making successful shots is not 100 percent. But the correlation between thinking badly and unsuccessful shots is much higher.