Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

by Gio Valiante

Book Overview

A detailed plan for conquering the FEAR that sabotages swings and ruins psyches, from the pioneering psychologist whose techniques have benefited Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, and numerous other world-class golfers.

As Jack Nicklaus once observed, fear is the golfer's greatest enemy, inspiring Tiger Woods to "refuse" to give in to this debilitating emotion. It can turn professionals into jelly and dominate the games of most amateurs. It alters...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385511922
• ISBN13: 9780385511926
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Hang in there.

OK, it started badly for me. The first chapter is somewhat repetitive. I persisted and found to my delight a book that is valuable, well written and insightful. I don't know what happened in the writing of this book but I found the start nausiating and the rest of the book to be marvellous. Dr Valiante has changed my focus from the purely mechanical to include the mental side in my swing preparation. My golf swing has become smoother, more focused, more targeted and more confident.

It Helps, Buy It

I have only read 1/3 of the book and it has already helped me. The instruction on reducing grip pressure is worth the price of the book. I played yesterday and consciously tried his suggestions and shot an 81 on a very tough, tight course. I only remember about 3 or 4 bad shots the whole round. I'm a 10 handicap so, this was an unusually good round for me. I had 3 three putt greens, so I'm anxious to read what he says about putting. It Helps, Buy It Perry

This book cut 13 strokes off my first round. Really.

I know that sounds like ridiculous hype, but it's true. I swear I'm not the author's brother, cousin, agent or employee. I am a weekend golfer - not even every weekend. I live up north so only play 4 or 5 months out of the year. I've consistently scored 103 to 107 per round over the past 4-5 years. At the driving range, I hit the vast majority of my shots right down the middle, or at least well enough so that they'd be in play 90% of the time. It's when I get out on the course that it all falls apart. So I knew my technique was okay... it had to be a mental problem. I was thinking of seeing a sports hypnotist but couldn't find one and besides, I just don't play that much golf - maybe about 9 holes a week - and didn't want to invest the time or money. So I went online to see if I could find a book that would address my problem and found Fearless Golf. There is no technique in book, so if your swing or putting stinks, look elsewhere. This book is all about what's going on inside your head. For me it was a bullseye. When I first started reading it, I was a little defensive; I'M not fearful... I'M not afraid. But as I went though the book, I realized that I was and just didn't realize it. I was afraid of going with what works... I was holding back and sabotaging myself. I was "afraid" of posting yet another lousy score, "afraid" of losing another $10 bet, "afraid" of wasting my valuable time on another awful round. , etc., etc. This book helped me figure that out and get things straight. Why do I golf? Why don't I trust my swing like I do at the range? Why do my bad shots turn in to more bad shots? I got answers to these questions and more importantly, a few solid, concrete things to do mentally before each shot that have made a huge difference. The results: on my first 9 holes after finishing the book I went birdie-par-bogey-par and ended up with a 45 (there was a 9 in there). My next 9-hole round was another 45 including another birdie and a few pars. That may not sound so great to you, but in my world pars are rare and birdies were extinct! Those two rounds added up to a 90 - or 13 strokes less than my low-end typical 103!! And 17 less than my typical high-end 107! I've seen all the infomercials on TV and in the magazines of products "guaranteeing to shave 5, 10 or 15 stokes off your score", but this one really worked, not that there's any such promise in his book. Yesterday I played in a company tournament of which I play 2 or 3 a year. In this pressure situation, on a totally unfamiliar course (in 95 degree heat), I scored a 96, still 7-10 strokes lower than my usual. Several times during play, I realized that I was forgetting to do the mental "warm-up" before each shot and as soon as I went back to it, my shots instantly got better. Not only are my scores much better, but 80% of the frustration is gone. Whereas last year I was thinking about quitting the sport, I now am thinking that consistent play in the

Transcending Psychology: Valiante's groundbreaking success

Dr. Valiante makes his mark as the superstar he is becoming within the world of golf psychology. With a decisive assertion that fear is eminent within every golfer of every ability level, Dr. Valiante revolutionizes our learning of how to positively respond to these emotions. Dr. Valiante's exemplary book combines a tremendous amount of personal research with stories of golfing superstars such as Nicklaus, Hogan, Woods, Mickelson, and Love III, that effectively complements his vast knowledge of the game of golf. As a student of the game, I strongly believe that this book can transcend every golfer into a fearless competitor. Dr. Valiante should be commended on such an incredible accomplishment, as the game of golf is about to see an explosion of the effects of how intregal this book will be to golfers of every level.

the new standard for golf's mental side and beyond

valiante takes golf psychology to a new level with this book. whereas rotella's message is very anectodal and breaks down to something like "equipment and your swing don't matter, stop trying to be perfect and accept things more," valiante's message has more a lot more depth. he acknowlegdes the importance of a good swing and the right equipment and his message is well grounded in psychological research. although breaking his message down to a few points is no easy task (as a matter of fact, he goes out of his way at the end to say it's really up to the individual to frame a message in their own context), it would be something like: - don't attempt to try and control emotions by pretending they don't exist and that you're not nervous, rather condition yourself to respond productively when these feelings arise; - focus on things you can control such as preparing properly, developing a plan for the course and the target for your next shot, rather than things you can't control such as what other players are shooting or the weather; - practise makes permanent rather perfect, so be realistic about what it is you need to work on to get better and how accurately your practise routine reflects these items; - strive to maintain a light grip, because when the nerves tense up you will lose feelings in your outer extremities and without realizing it, you will grip the club much tighter and hit poor shots as a result. there are other important elements of this book that from someone else's perspective might be prioritized differently (consistent with the notion of what's key for each individual), but these are the keys for me. clearly, the principles laid out in this book transcend golf and provide a framework for success in life. this is one of the few books of any kind that i am certain to re-read from start to finish -- it's really so powerful that you'll want to make sure you don't miss anything and are left with the right plan for you. my one criticism is the book's format: several exemplary stories about golf professionals (nicklaus, woods, dimarco, stewart, toms, mickelson, etc etc) are inter-woven throughout the chapters but in odd spots where if you want to read the story it interrupts the flow of the chapter or section. most of them are worth reading, however it would have been a lot better to put them at the end of sections to reinforce the point(s) that had just been fully articulated. but that said this is clearly an instant classic and becomes the new standard that replaces the works on golf psychology that preceded it. bravo gio!