Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game Review

Of all the books I have read on improving my golf game, I have to say that Fearless Golf by Dr. Gio Valiante has produced the best results for me. The book discusses Dr. Valiante working with golf professionals on tour, young developing players in college and applies his theories to hackers, which he defines as anyone struggling to break 90. Well, in my case, I am struggling to break 100.

After not playing for nearly two years, because of a bad knee and an eventual full knee replacement, I have found it very difficult to hit even a few good shots turning a round of golf. I finally decided that I was either going to get better or give the game up entirely. I began working with a professional who helped me improve my swing and gain confidence in my new left knee. After a while, I began to shift my weight forward onto the new knee, which allowed me to follow through and not hang back on my right leg, which caused either a terrible slice or a horrendous push to the right.

Unfortunately, my game was still not improving even though I was striking the ball better. The problem was consistency. I played some holes very well, but on too many other holes my scores were horrendous. Just give me an 8x I would say. Then one day I happened to read a quote by Dr. Valiante in the Financial Times that was being used by a columnist to address a business issue. The quote struck a nerve and I looked up Fearless Golf on Amazon and read the reviews to see if I would have an interest in the book. The reviews were generally positive, so I decided to purchase the book and read it.

The book is small in format, consisting of 275 pages and an easy read. I especially enjoyed the chapter on "self-efficacy". As Dr. Valiante states, "self-efficacy are those beliefs that people hold about their capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage specific situations. Put more simply, self-efficacy is belief in our ability to succeed. That is the very essence of confidence."

I began to apply the concept of self-efficacy to my golf game. Using the holes I played well as a foundation, I began gaining confidence in my ability to repeat a good golf swing, which resulted in improved accuracy and longer and consistent distance on an increased number of holes. The process is not easy and it takes a lot of concentration, which is an essential part of self-efficacy. But, I am improving and more importantly, I am enjoying playing the game with my friends.

I highly recommend Fearless Golf to anyone at any level who is trying to improve their golf game. With a small investment of money and time, what do you have to lose?

Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game Feature

• ISBN13: 9780385511926
• Condition: New
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Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game Overview

A detailed plan for conquering the FEAR that sabotages swings and ruins psyches, from the pioneering psychologist whose techniques have benefited Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, and numerous other world-class golfers.

As Jack Nicklaus once observed, fear is the golfer’s greatest enemy, inspiring Tiger Woods to "refuse" to give in to this debilitating emotion. It can turn professionals into jelly and dominate the games of most amateurs. It alters swing paths, causes “tap-in” putts to go awry, and transforms a golfer from a brilliant shot-maker on the practice range into an incompetent hack on the course.

Most golfers understand this, but do not have the tools to overcome it. That’s where Dr. Gio Valiante comes in. A pioneering sports psychologist, Valiante has studied the sources of an athlete’s fear, investigated the physiological and neurological impact of fear on performance, and, most important of all, developed a groundbreaking program for conquering it. With Valiante's help and by applying Fearless Golf, Justin Leonard went from three consecutive missed cuts to three consecutive top tens, and Chad Campbell recently moved from 98th in the world to 7th. Davis Love III went from zero wins in 2002 to four wins in 2003, and Chris DiMarco made the 2004 Ryder Cup Team.

Emphasizing the need to replace a fixation-on-results with a commitment to mastery of one’s body and one's mind, Valiante’s approach will not only help golfers reach their true potential, it will make playing every round fun again. Through concrete confidence and mastery drills, he presents specific ways readers can break free of fear’s grasp and perform at their best—even under the most extreme pressure.

With detailed quotes and anecdotes given exclusively to Dr. Valiante from the best players in the game—including Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, and other tour professionals, Fearless Golf is the ultimate guide to the mental game, the hottest topic in golf today.

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