I’m excited to announce that my latest book, Everyday Golf Psychology, will be available April 21st! Three years in the making and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
Among many topics, Everyday Golf Psychology gives the advice I needed 30 years ago when I choked trying to qualify for the U.S. Open – I missed four short putts and a playoff by one shot in local qualifying. This failure, and my subsequent inability to find answers from traditional golf psychology, derailed my professional golf aspirations, but drove me to build a better mouse trap and into my career as a mental game coach.
It’s hard to express how much it means to me that I can now offer something meaningful to the game of golf and to your game specifically. This is a full circle moment that took me to places I could have never imagined.
Diving into industries like poker, trading, and esports, where I had little direct experience, allowed me to strengthen my system in a myriad of ways. Free from pre-conceptions, unburdened by personal experience, and challenged by the demand of helping the best in the world, I had to constantly step up my game.
It forced me to communicate concepts and perspectives clearly enough that clients and readers could produce transformative results, not just apply band-aids. Each iteration deepened my knowledge, and simplified the process.
As Albert Einstein once said, “You don’t really understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother.” Well, my grandmother was a club champion and single digit handicap, and though she’s long since passed, with this book I think I succeeded in following Einstein’s words.
“Faults and Fixes”
As a kid I remember reading Golf Digest and poring over one of my favorite sections, “Faults and Fixes,” which provided advice on the technical side of the game. Slicing too much? Having trouble getting out of the bunker? Want to control trajectory? This monthly section had the answers.
Everyday Golf Psychology was written in that same spirit of problem-solving. It’s aimed at correcting the most common problems plaguing golfers today and, like my poker and trading books, is full of clear, actionable advice. You’re not learning about psychology for the sake of it, or in broad generalities. What you learn helps you correct the mistakes costing you shots and many of these problems affect golfers at every level of the game.
While tour pros have solved a lot of their ills, even they aren’t immune and face similar issues that you do, like battling negativity, succumbing to pressure, losing confidence, overreacting to bad luck, and hitting uncommitted shots.
I know there are a lot of other golf psychology books. Those who know my work are probably surprised the title is not The Mental Game of Golf – crazily enough, there are already four books with a version of that title. Mine was not going to be the fifth.
I also wouldn’t write a book unless I thought it offered something unique. That’s why I waited so long to take this on. The book is not a rehash of existing material. It goes beyond conventional wisdom and offers a fresh take on what’s required to produce results that are stable and lasting.
It challenges long-held conventions on the game, including the idea that golf is 90% mental … It’s not and it’s not even close. I discuss this in the opening chapter and you can download it here for free.
Psychology of course matters, but how to use it effectively is often misunderstood. While the game isn’t 90% mental, the difference between your best and worst rounds is much more about mentality, not swing.
This book narrows the gap between your best and worse, allowing you to thrive under pressure, build lasting confidence, take your game from the range to the course, and focus less on score and swing. Take a look at the Table of Contents and you’ll see the common problems I take on – they’re the ones causing too many ups and downs in your performance.
What I’ve created is not burdensome or meant to feel like work. It fits in how you already approach the game – whether you frequently practice or just go play when you can, the book helps you rethink your psychology, so you can stop making costly mistakes and enjoy the game more. Plus, it’s a resource you can use time and again as you take your golf game to higher levels.
Golf has been an important part of my life for nearly 40 years. I’ve poured my heart into this book and am excited to finally share it with you.
You can pre-order from me directly to get a signed copy. Or, on April 21st, you can pick up a hardcover, softcover, ebook, or audiobook wherever you typically get books.
