Review of "Winning Golf"

Normally, I am not one to read books on golf tips as I find them difficult to practice correctly and spend the proper amount of time on them.  Nonetheless, I found this book on the mental aspect of the game intriguing and while it had the same drawbacks as I usually find in most instructional books, this one had some extra parts that made for good reading.  Here is my review of "Winning Golf."

Title/Author: “Winning Golf: The Mental Game” by Dr. Saul Miller

Rating:  3 of 5 stars (good)

Review: Ask just about any golfer at any level and they will say that the mental aspect of the game is just as challenging, if not more so, than the physical and mechanical parts.  To address this, Dr. Saul Miller, who has provided mental coaching to athletes in many sports, wrote this book to help golfers improve their mental game.

Dr. Miller’s tips start with a simple step – proper breathing.  The deep breaths in and out that are often recommended for anyone, athlete or not, to slow down and relax are what are recommended for a golfer here.  The lesson is to do this before every shot.  From there, Dr. Miller expounds on relaxing, lowering anxiety, stopping negative self-talk or thoughts and to always picture the perfect shot.  Goal setting is also an important part of this book and these steps are useful for the player who is committed to spending a great deal of time working on his or her game.  Especially for those in either competitive settings or those whose long-range golf goals include accomplishments such as being awarded a scholarship or making the professional tour. 

While this did not seem to be a good source of lessons for the casual or part-time golfer, this still has some useful tips even if the reader does not have those long-range goals or a lot of time to spend working their game.  The book also is not completely about mental skills or lessons.  While the discussions were about what each golfer was thinking about, my favorite section of the book was when Dr. Miller interviewed each professional golfer who has shot a round of 59 or lower.  What these golfers were thinking during their historic rounds made for great reading. 

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Link: Amazon.com: Winning Golf: The Mental Game (Creating the Focus, Feeling, and Confidence to Play Consistently Well) eBook : Miller, Saul L.: Kindle Store