Good Non-swing Books

[bortass]

What are some good books that are not focuses on mechanics, such as course management, mental side, etc?

 

 

A few I have that I liked:

 

Every Shot Counts - Mark Broadie. The findings aligned with my personal thoughts that closer is better, so that part wasn't earth shattering. It was interesting to see the numbers as well.

 

Practice Manual - Adam Young.  I didn't find this an easy read but it was worth it. There is a lot of focus on the different ways we learn and how you can use it to improve your game.

 

Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons - I liked reading about how to tackle 18 different holes based on three different golfers. 

 

 

 

Any non-golf books?

 

The only one I have in this bucket is Atomic Habits - James Clear. I'm not done reading it but it's already started to get me thinking about my approach to improving and goal setting.

[naval2006]

Bob Rotella's work is a sound introduction to the mind of golf champions: attitude, determination and how to face a round.  He mostly talks about real life cases and golfers he's worked with and they are easy reading.  Putting Out of Your Mind has made me a solid putter player many years ago.

 

And Pia Nilsson's Every Shot Must Have a Purpose on competitive golf is outstanding and clear if you want to plunge into golf competitions. Her Vision 54 concept is highly motivating. 

[GoGoErky]

I’ll second the Dr Rotella books.

Tim Grover has good books too

[Ltowngolfer]

Ryan Holiday is one of my favorite authors.  Ego is the Enemy would probably be a good book to start with.  The Obstacle is the Way is another good book. 

[RoyalTroon]

Miracle on the 17th Green

[me05501]

Tom Coyne's travel books are pretty solid. "A Course Called Ireland" etc 

[bortass]

I found Jon Sherman's Four Foundations of Golf to be a good one. I quite liked it and it's already helped my game. The first part of the book was the nudge for me to not focus on my scoring goals and to go have fun. My scores may not be much better but I'm enjoying my rounds more. It's nice to not get frustrated with a bad shot and having it mess up later shots and possible the rest of the round, lol.

On 11/29/2022 at 10:11 AM, Ltowngolfer said:

Ryan Holiday is one of my favorite authors.  Ego is the Enemy would probably be a good book to start with.  The Obstacle is the Way is another good book. 

I have Ego is the Enemy and it's on my list to start once i finish what I have currently underway. So thanks for that recommendation.

[jonsnow]

Not sure if it's what you are looking for since this is in the Instruction Forum, you may be looking for mental side/course management type books. But I think everyone should read "The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America and the Story of Golf" by Mark Frost. It's a fascinating look at not just Bobby Jones & the Grand Slam year but America in general during a tumultuous period of change in our history. 

[parmark]

The Art of Learning. Josh Waitzkin. Applies to more than just golf, but have found it helpful for that side of things as well.

[Chunkitgood]

46 minutes ago, parmark said:

The Art of Learning. Josh Waitzkin. Applies to more than just golf, but have found it helpful for that side of things as well.

Does this book treat with implicit learning and implicit procedural knowledge, two ideas which seem to be valid and would be of benefit to a lot of golfers and teachers (good golfers trying to teach others) in particular?

[b.mattay]

Zen Golf (Joseph Parent) 

A Guide to the Good Life (William B. Irvine) 

[Shane Cavitt]

Jon Sherman's Four Foundations of Golf is great for the mental side, course strategy, etc... Found the portions about setting the correct expectations to be particularly helpful.

 

[bortass]

On 2/25/2023 at 11:10 AM, Shane Cavitt said:

Jon Sherman's Four Foundations of Golf is great for the mental side, course strategy, etc... Found the portions about setting the correct expectations to be particularly helpful.

 

Same here. It's been night and day for me. I'm having fun even when things go astray on the course.

[bortass]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:47 AM, jonsnow said:

Not sure if it's what you are looking for since this is in the Instruction Forum, you may be looking for mental side/course management type books. But I think everyone should read "The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America and the Story of Golf" by Mark Frost. It's a fascinating look at not just Bobby Jones & the Grand Slam year but America in general during a tumultuous period of change in our history. 

I think I read that one on a business trip years ago.

[Klubster]

"Caddy for Life"  is about Bruce Edwards (Tom Watson caddy who got ALS).  Another is Sam Snead's "The Education of a Golfer"

[Deadaimz]

The Talent Code

[GolfTurkey]

The Elements of Scoring by Ray Floyd

[GungHoGolf]

This came up in another thread in the last 24 hours, but belongs here for sure:

I Found the Golf God: 10 Secrets for Golfing Success by Dori O'Rourke

 

It was written in 1991, but is timeless. Highly recommend it.

 

Here's my full reply/review to the member who recommended it:

 

[jumboross]

On 2/28/2023 at 7:43 AM, GolfTurkey said:

The Elements of Scoring by Ray Floyd

This. The best book ever written on playing the game IMO. 

[NavyMU]

Books about your head:

The Inner Game of Tennis-Gallwey

Blink-Gladwell

 

I am a professional musician, highly un-professional golfer, and these translate to anything requiring peak mental performance.

[mocokid]

Read Butch's book, The Pro, about his dad and family.  Phenomenal, I read it twice.  NOTHING about swinging or hitting a ball, but great wisdom. Nuff said. 

[j.b.newton]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:48 AM, BALLYBUNION said:

Miracle on the 17th Green

all of Patterson's "Miracle on the ____"  Books are pretty easy read and enjoyable/feel good....  Good suggestion.

[aenemated]

Tom Watson's "Strategic Golf" is the book that took teenage me from being a kid who just hit the ball well to a kid who could score. 

[Ajgaguy83]

On 2/28/2023 at 2:43 AM, GolfTurkey said:

The Elements of Scoring by Ray Floyd

Such a good book.

[bortass]

Bump for any other other suggestions. I read some of the suggestions above and liked them, also plan on picking up a few more that I'm missing.

[CasualLie]

Lots of good mental / performance books not from Rotella.

 

Golf Beneath the Surface - Raymond Prior.  A bit weighty but great.

 

Lost Art of ___ series - Karl Morris.  Quick, insightful read.

 

Gyra Golf - Dr. Izzy Justice.  Good principles but not into the scorecard system; it's quite a commitment.

 

Break Free from Suckville - Bhrett Mccabe

 

[outfitter]

 

REDIRECT: The Suprising New Science of Psychological Change

 

It was mentioned in a podcast by Karl Morris co-author of the Lost Art of Golf series.

 

[DShepley]

On 11/29/2022 at 9:13 AM, bortass said:

What are some good books that are not focuses on mechanics, such as course management, mental side, etc?

 

 

A few I have that I liked:

 

Every Shot Counts - Mark Broadie. The findings aligned with my personal thoughts that closer is better, so that part wasn't earth shattering. It was interesting to see the numbers as well.

 

Practice Manual - Adam Young.  I didn't find this an easy read but it was worth it. There is a lot of focus on the different ways we learn and how you can use it to improve your game.

 

Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons - I liked reading about how to tackle 18 different holes based on three different golfers. 

 

 

 

Any non-golf books?

 

The only one I have in this bucket is Atomic Habits - James Clear. I'm not done reading it but it's already started to get me thinking about my approach to improving and goal setting.

Non-golf - 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck' by Mark Manson

Golf non instruction - 'A Season In Dornoch' by Lorne Rubenstein (it won't make you better at golf but will have you longing for a trip to the Scottish Highlands

[bortass]

I was able to snag a couple of the recommended books for Xmas.

 

I Found the Golf God, The Pro, and Break Free from Suckville. I didn't get Lowest Score Wins, so I ordered it a few days ago.

 

I started I Found the Golf God and it seems to be exactly what I need for the funk I'm in.

 

Thanks for the book ideas!

[Hawkeye77]

On 1/3/2024 at 8:29 AM, bortass said:

I was able to snag a couple of the recommended books for Xmas.

 

I Found the Golf God, The Pro, and Break Free from Suckville. I didn't get Lowest Score Wins, so I ordered it a few days ago.

 

I started I Found the Golf God and it seems to be exactly what I need for the funk I'm in.

 

Thanks for the book ideas!

“Lowest Score” was better than I expected- thought it would be a Broadie clone and glad it wasn’t.