The Golfing Mind

Mastery of the art of playing golf well undoubtedly rests upon mastery of the art of playing poorly, says Vivien Saunders.

Golf is a cruel game and more terrifying than most. The technique of the swing is essentially simple to learn, but the game itself is absurdly difficult to play well. Even a world-class player can be brought to his knees by a sudden inexplicable and devastating loss of form, and the amateur often suffers in-built fears of failure which impede progress in shot-making and scoring. Mastery of the art of playing golf well undoubtedly rests upon mastery of the art of playing poorly, says Vivien Saunders. Only by learning to accept imperfection and to play without fear can one perfect both the swing and the art of scoring. In her immensely perceptive book, Vivien explains how to forget your fears, build up your confidence and improve your golfing performance. ''The Golfing Mind'' is not a book on physical technique. Beginners and longer-handicap players are given an insight into the whole learning process, combined with an explanation of the main conceptual problems in the mechanics of the game, while aspiring champions are set on the road to a real understanding of the mental game and hence to optimum performance.