Golf Sense - "Playing Golf in the Zone" Book Review
I was scanning around the internet and came across Roy Palmer's website.
After reading through some of his website information about playing golf in the zone I decided to email him and ask for an opportunity to review his book and test some of his ideas out.
Without any hesitation Roy sent his book and within 4 days I was reading it.
Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play Golf in the Zone is a NON GOLF INSTRUCTION BOOK.
So don't buy it if you are thinking of improving your golf in a technical mechanical sense.
Golf Sense provides the opportunity for any golfer at any level to become much MORE aware of what the body is doing at the moment of truth..
..
..
just before and during impact.
What we are thinking of just before we decide to release the club head has a pronounced effect on the result of the shot.
I use "The Clear Keys technique" by Rumford which works exceptionally well to put this part of the puzzle on automatic.
However before you can begin to put things on automatic you must have a technically good and consistent golf swing.
What Roy demonstrates through his book is that most golfers have developed BAD habits that have become automatic and most golfers are totally unaware of them.
As adults we do many things automatically without ever thinking of them and this especially applies to the way we move our bodies.
On page 47 there is a great exercise that you can use to become aware of the muscles and joints that make getting out of a chair much easier.
This may seem like it has nothing to do with golf and in away you are right.
But the point of the exercise is really to understand that by a learned habit we are using our bodies in a very inefficient way and we have accepted it as being normal as it feels right and normal.
For example if we go into our golf stance and are happy with the way it feels I can just about guarantee you that by using one of Roy's exercises you will uncover tension in parts of your body that have a serious effect on the way that you can swing the golf club, that you would've never thought you had.
See you have become comfortable with your stance based on habit...
yet your body still holds much tension without you being aware of it.
I am absolutely serious when I say you think you are relaxed and tension free BUT YOU are NOT.
There are some very simple exercises in the book that will test your concept of feeling tension free.
The exercises will instantly provide you with feed back about your negative habits that you have developed without you being aware of them.
I carry my golf bag on my shoulders and used one of Roy's techniques to walk much easier without effort.
This simple understanding of how to walk properly is an example of what we think we know to be right we don't.
See our bodies have been accustomed to a habit that is controlled by the brain.
We must unlearn these habits so that our bodies can work in a more efficient and effortless way.
Roy provides the keys for all of us to do this in very practical way and results will be instant.
It is all about living life in the moment or the now.
When you are living in the moment you are actually in the zone where performance levels will be substantially improved.
There are many spiritual books about the "now" which I know would put off the majority of male golfers...
to weird and way to sensitive.
Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play Golf in the Zone provides a simple recipe of getting into the zone without getting to airy fairy (getting too deep).
When you become aware of your thoughts and your bodies behaviour during your set up and finally your execution you will be miles ahead in regards to becoming a better golfer.
Being technically correct and brilliant, by itself does NOT guarantee success.
Being aware of your mind, body and spirit is the secret key for success.
This book will provide the lessons for the first two and your spirits will soar when you see the results of following the lessons in this book.
Ok...
after reading the book and putting some of the exercises into practise I went to play with our normal Saturday morning group.
I had a plan to stick to everything in the book and even changed by routine and did no use my "clear key.
" First tee a par 4...
I drove the ball straight down the middle, 2nd tee par 4 again I hit the ball straight down the middle...
my playing partner just looked at me and said "your swing is so effortless.
" That was confirmation enough for me to know that the changes I had made consciously were working.
I ended up shooting 75...
40/35 which I was happy with as I had a double bogey and missed a couple of putts.
Some of the small changes I made were being a little more aware of bending from the hip, most of us have an idea where our hips are but NOT exactly.
Bending from the hips is fundamental to a great stance and this by itself will provide you with greater flexibility for movement.
Roy reveals one very common problem that golfers do out of habit that affects the result of the golf swing most probably more than anything else.
This problem also exist when we go to lift objects or even if we are sitting at a computer all day.
Our shoulders involuntarily shrug or raise up during a lifting motion.
In a golf swing this one move is fatal as the club will automatically be taken off plane.
The solution that Roy provides to eliminate this "habit" will without a shadow of a doubt reduce your scores as your shots will become more consistent.
I don't have any hesitation in recommending Roy Palmer's Book "Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play in the Zone.
"
After reading through some of his website information about playing golf in the zone I decided to email him and ask for an opportunity to review his book and test some of his ideas out.
Without any hesitation Roy sent his book and within 4 days I was reading it.
Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play Golf in the Zone is a NON GOLF INSTRUCTION BOOK.
So don't buy it if you are thinking of improving your golf in a technical mechanical sense.
Golf Sense provides the opportunity for any golfer at any level to become much MORE aware of what the body is doing at the moment of truth..
..
..
just before and during impact.
What we are thinking of just before we decide to release the club head has a pronounced effect on the result of the shot.
I use "The Clear Keys technique" by Rumford which works exceptionally well to put this part of the puzzle on automatic.
However before you can begin to put things on automatic you must have a technically good and consistent golf swing.
What Roy demonstrates through his book is that most golfers have developed BAD habits that have become automatic and most golfers are totally unaware of them.
As adults we do many things automatically without ever thinking of them and this especially applies to the way we move our bodies.
On page 47 there is a great exercise that you can use to become aware of the muscles and joints that make getting out of a chair much easier.
This may seem like it has nothing to do with golf and in away you are right.
But the point of the exercise is really to understand that by a learned habit we are using our bodies in a very inefficient way and we have accepted it as being normal as it feels right and normal.
For example if we go into our golf stance and are happy with the way it feels I can just about guarantee you that by using one of Roy's exercises you will uncover tension in parts of your body that have a serious effect on the way that you can swing the golf club, that you would've never thought you had.
See you have become comfortable with your stance based on habit...
yet your body still holds much tension without you being aware of it.
I am absolutely serious when I say you think you are relaxed and tension free BUT YOU are NOT.
There are some very simple exercises in the book that will test your concept of feeling tension free.
The exercises will instantly provide you with feed back about your negative habits that you have developed without you being aware of them.
I carry my golf bag on my shoulders and used one of Roy's techniques to walk much easier without effort.
This simple understanding of how to walk properly is an example of what we think we know to be right we don't.
See our bodies have been accustomed to a habit that is controlled by the brain.
We must unlearn these habits so that our bodies can work in a more efficient and effortless way.
Roy provides the keys for all of us to do this in very practical way and results will be instant.
It is all about living life in the moment or the now.
When you are living in the moment you are actually in the zone where performance levels will be substantially improved.
There are many spiritual books about the "now" which I know would put off the majority of male golfers...
to weird and way to sensitive.
Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play Golf in the Zone provides a simple recipe of getting into the zone without getting to airy fairy (getting too deep).
When you become aware of your thoughts and your bodies behaviour during your set up and finally your execution you will be miles ahead in regards to becoming a better golfer.
Being technically correct and brilliant, by itself does NOT guarantee success.
Being aware of your mind, body and spirit is the secret key for success.
This book will provide the lessons for the first two and your spirits will soar when you see the results of following the lessons in this book.
Ok...
after reading the book and putting some of the exercises into practise I went to play with our normal Saturday morning group.
I had a plan to stick to everything in the book and even changed by routine and did no use my "clear key.
" First tee a par 4...
I drove the ball straight down the middle, 2nd tee par 4 again I hit the ball straight down the middle...
my playing partner just looked at me and said "your swing is so effortless.
" That was confirmation enough for me to know that the changes I had made consciously were working.
I ended up shooting 75...
40/35 which I was happy with as I had a double bogey and missed a couple of putts.
Some of the small changes I made were being a little more aware of bending from the hip, most of us have an idea where our hips are but NOT exactly.
Bending from the hips is fundamental to a great stance and this by itself will provide you with greater flexibility for movement.
Roy reveals one very common problem that golfers do out of habit that affects the result of the golf swing most probably more than anything else.
This problem also exist when we go to lift objects or even if we are sitting at a computer all day.
Our shoulders involuntarily shrug or raise up during a lifting motion.
In a golf swing this one move is fatal as the club will automatically be taken off plane.
The solution that Roy provides to eliminate this "habit" will without a shadow of a doubt reduce your scores as your shots will become more consistent.
I don't have any hesitation in recommending Roy Palmer's Book "Golf Sense - Practical Tips on How to Play in the Zone.
"