Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game

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The normal day-to-day frequency of our brain waves are called “Beta” waves and they are associated mostly with left-brain activity – that is the logical, analytical and verbal side of the brain. I have taken his exercises out on the putting green and driving range and experienced significant improvement. In addition, I have used his suggestions and offered technics on the course to manage my mental state after hitting a good shot or a bad shot. Both of these practices have improved both my score and my enjoyment of the game of golf.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting an amazing GRF Golf school @ The Golf Groove in London. We had 18 amazing students from all over the world and we saw some amazing changes in all. This is Badr who gained over 30 yards and was hitting an amazing draw from a big fade. The full day experience will provide not only clarity on your swing but create an understandable framework with the toolkit to progress your game going forward.

There's only 6 places available on the trip to ensure a real personal experience with lots of 1-2-1 coaching to make real effective long term improvements to your game. The lessons in Zen Golf make the mental game seem so simple. Dr. Parent has given me very effective methods for working with thoughts and emotions, and for taking the negatives out of the picture.” An exciting opportunity has arisen to run 2 x 1 day golf schools in Holland at my good friend and GRFi Ambassador Jonathan Willis' Golf Academy at Grevelingenhout Golf Club.

A highly original and groundbreaking book from a noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor •“The lessons in Zen Golf make the mental game seem so simple. Dr. Parent has given me very effective methods for working with thoughts and emotions, and for taking the negatives out of the picture.”—Vijay Singh, Masters and PGA Champion Zen Golf presents a simple system for building “mental game mastery.” Dr Parent’s unique PAR Approach (focusing on Preparation, Action, and Response to Results) guides golfers with specific techniques for each aspect of their games. In chapters such as “How to Get From the Practice Tee to the First Tee”, “You Produce What You Fear”, and “How to Enjoy a Bad Round of Golf”, the author shares a personal teaching regimen that has helped improve the games of professionals and amateurs alike. Do you actually know where the golf club is when you're swinging it? Not in a technical sense but a somatosensory. Dr. Parent’s use of golf as a metaphor for business is full of great insights that have helped our staff grow as people and professionals.”

Zen aspires to drive the game of golf into a brighter future. To be more inclusive and open up the benefits of golf to everyone. To provide those at the top of their game with tools to get better. TITLE: Why a book about golf has value for all business leaders, regardless of whether they play golf or not! A Game of Honor- a short closing section of the book that reflects on a few stories about mindfulness and the "way of the warrior" Action- This is the "performance" portion of the book. It goes through several mental techniques that you can implement while standing over the golf ball. No, you won't get a "magical" swing thought that will cure your hook or slice forever, but Dr. Parent has several useful strategies to get your game from the range to the course. They will run in 3 weeks time on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th September and will be a deep dive into your game.

This book is now a little bit dated due to some of the references and because knowledge of mindfulness practices is becoming more commonplace. Still, this is a good read for anyone who loves golf or who wants to think about how mindfulness can support a fitness, sports, or competitive practice. I wrote a review of this book for the Brilliant Legal Mind blog here:

Response- Often an overlooked part of the game, but your reaction to hitting a ball in a pond is critical to developing confidence in golf. Do you get mad, emotionally attached, or fed up with your game when the ball goes in the water? Well, you might need to read this section. If you don’t already know, your brain has 2 hemispheres, left and right. The left side is responsible for logical and analytical thinking, whereas the right side is more holistic, visual and intuitive. Most people are left-brain dominant, according to neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor of the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute. However, when elite golfers, or athletes in general, are in the peak performance state, there is a burst of lower frequency waves, called “Alpha” waves, which are essential for playing Zen Golf. Adding a Zen Green Stage has transformed my coaching and business. Offering players a dynamic environment for their training through a moving floor allows for markedly improved performance.’ If so then maybe you need to attune your senses and enrich your learning environment when you practice.

So rather than trying to tell your body how to stand to the golf ball or what posture to assume, let your body tell you how IT wants to balance.Place your attention on where the swing takes you to (FINISH) and let your swing self-organise through reverse engineering your swing. Extensive training with the GRFi system to develop awareness needed to recruit your optimal movement patterns. An outstanding practicle handbook to integrate Zen into sport as well as learning to play with more freedom. When you’re “in the zone”, you are what’s called “synchronized” – that is, there’s a balance and harmonization between your left and right-brain. Having selected the best shot using your left-brain, your cognitive thinking is turned off and replaced by relaxed-concentration. You’re totally aware, but non-judgmental of the things that are going on around you. It’s just you, and the target. This state of mind, could also be thought of as Zen Golf. Next time you’re on the course, I’d like you think about how you feel and what you are focusing on from the time you start walking into the ball until you hit it. Training yourself to get better at keeping the mind quiet will help you make a better swing. Meditation is one technique that will not only help with this, but it will improve your stress management and focus in general. You’ll be more in the moment, and playing Zen Golf.