Book Review: Golf’s Sacred Journey

golfs_sacred_journey

Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, by Dr. David Cook, is a fictional tale set in a real location: Utopia, Texas.  In the book, a chance meeting between a disheartened golf pro and an improbable mentor – a small-town rancher with uncommon insight – leads the pro to a crossroads in his life. After an on-course meltdown, the pro finds himself some 80 miles west of San Antonio in the town of Utopia where a 9-hole “goat track” surrounds an old cemetery.  The pro meets up with Johnny, the local rancher who takes him through a seven-day journey on the Links of Utopia. This book is much, much more than simply a story.  Beyond being an interesting tale, it is also a serious lesson in the mental game of golf.  On top of that, it is also a deep spiritual journey. Dr. Cook is recognized as one of the country’s top sport and performance psychology consultants.  He has served as mental coach to over 100 PGA Tour players, and has also

Book Review: Are You Kidding Me?

Are You Kidding Me?

Without a doubt, the 2008 U.S. Open was one of the greatest golf tournaments I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch and it probably ranks somewhere solidly within the list of the most exciting ever played. The storyline was almost surreal.  Tiger Woods, probably the best player who ever lived, had come back after knee surgery, and as we found out later, was still seriously injured.  He was stared down to the bitter end (and then some) by Rocco Mediate, a player often described with terms like “journeyman” and “everyman”. It took 91 holes to decide the battle and, as we know, Tiger Woods came out victorious. Tiger needed to hole a knee-knocking putt on the 72nd hole to even get into a playoff with Mediate.  The two then stayed neck and neck for an 18 hole playoff and Tiger finally won it on the first sudden-death hole where Rocco didn’t make the putt he needed to extend the playoff. Tiger’s performance became more legendary after we learned the true nature of his injury.  Throughout

Book Review: The Downhill Lie

downhill-lie

The Downhill Lie: A Hacker’s Return to a Ruinous Sport, by Carl Hiaasen, is a look at his return to the game of golf after having sworn it off in 1973.  After 32 years, and a couple of chance encounters, he ended up back on the course and, before long, was plunged headlong into golf again. The Downhill Lie is a humorous account of the year and a half following Hiaasen’s return to golf, the “ruinous sport” that it is. From an innocent 9-holes with a friend that culminated with a big member-guest tournament, his return was filled with ups and downs and, frankly, more downs. I won’t tell you whether he decided to stick with golf at the end of the journey, but I will say that he experienced some nice personal revelations. The Good Hiaasen has a great writing style and is really funny.  There were several parts in the book that actually triggered laugh-out-loud moments for me. Players that have been playing golf long enough will personally identify with every success that

The 8>9 Challenge: Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT vs. TaylorMade R9

Top view - STR8-FIT on the left and R9 on the right

I love a challenge.  There’s nothing better than laying down the gauntlet and doing battle.  For this reason, I was intrigued to learn about the 8>9 challenge. Nike Golf is so confident that the SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver is longer than the TaylorMade R9, that it asked consumers to hit both and see for themselves.  I was happy to participate when a representative of Nike Golf asked me to take the challenge.  STR8-FIT driver in hand, I went out and procured an R9, and then it was ON. For those not familiar, these two drivers are the latest in the blossoming trend of adjustable drivers.  Each driver has the ability to remove the shaft, change its position, and create a different face/lie angle combination. For instance, if you slice, you can set the face closed a little to help you straighten out.  Or, if you’re playing a course that challenges you with a lot of drives that set up left to right, you can set the face to be open a little, to help you

Instruction Review: 6 Week Golf Lesson

When I was contacted by the folks at 6 Week Golf Lesson, I was intrigued by the idea.  The 6 Week Golf Lesson is a series of online golf lessons, designed to introduce players to proper swing fundamentals.  The internet is full of instruction.  There are tips hiding around every corner, like here, for instance.  There are tons of people selling swings, via DVD or other means.  But there aren’t many places that give beginners a cohesive, planned, simple introduction to the golf swing. According to the website: The 6 Week Golf Lesson provides a series of simple instructions that will help you to build up a solid golf swing with the correct fundamentals. The 6 Week Golf Lesson has been developed over the last 14 years with the aim of helping anyone who is keen on improving their swing or taking up golf for the first time. All it requires for 5 – 10 minutes practice a day, following a simple tutorial each week for 6 weeks. Once you have completed the 6 Week