Marcus wanted to talk to me about high-performance environments, my career in golf and where golf for the disabled is going. I got into some areas of my thinking that I have not discussed in public before, and because we had a ‘cuppa’ it went on for over an hour.” We have had our Zen Swing stage for over a year now, and it has created a whole new dynamic to what we are able to offer at the golf studio. They will run in 3 weeks time on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th September and will be a deep dive into your game. There’s no other book like this one. If you want to know what has gotten in the way of playing better and what you can do about it, look no further.” There's a big difference as one method is restrictive and inhibiting of a functional sequence and the other method is free flowing, more in alignment with an effortless, powerful and repeatable kinetic sequence.

Generating power and tensioning from a sub-optimal source (like any habit) is something that we can become desensitised to because when we're so used to it being that way.Zen Golf, Mastering the Mental Game by Dr. Joseph Parent, contains three main sections. Getting Started: A different Perspective, The PAR Approach: Preparation, Action, Response to Results and Following Through: A Game of Honor. Getting Started: A different Perspective, starts of with either a story, puzzle, riddle, quote and relates it to golf and Buddhism. The PAR approach: P stands for Preparation and talks about how to gain confidence by practicing the 3 c’s , Clarity commitment and composure. This section includes such things as imagery, getting rid of doubt or hesitation and staying calm and focused. A stands for Action and discusses having an ideal state of mind, staying in the present and getting your body and mind synchronized. The goal of this section is to allow you to execute a shot free from interference of mental chatter or paralysis by analysis. Response to results is the last stage of the Par Approach. This section includes post shot routines, ways to recognize and undo negativity and self sabotage and techniques for changing habits. The goal of the section is to reinforce good shots with positive feelings and self encouragement, have minimum emotional distress around poor shots, maintain a sense of humour and refrain from beating yourself up. These ways of responding to results will give you the best chance of success. The last chapter is called Following Through: A Game of Honor, is based on shambala golf and its values of virtue, discipline, humor, dignity, gentle inquisitive fearlessness and Friendship. Extensive training with the GRFi system to develop awareness needed to recruit your optimal movement patterns. 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 introduction into short game, to expand your scoring skillset and also recognise how you can transfer these skills to enhance your whole game development.

I have practiced meditation and read Zen for some time. Most people, myself included, struggle with how to viscerally feel a vision (whether the next golf shot I am about to take or next years business goals). Without living/feeling as if a vision is your reality, we all make it much much harder to manifest/create a vision. What Parent does so simply and clearly is to explain steps to getting your intellectual head out of the way and how to get those powerful feeling states engaged, increasing your ability to succeed! By simply learning the properties of the golf club and becoming attuned to them - beginner golfers can get great results and fast! 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.’For me, it is one of the best golf books I have encountered. Let's not stop there.... Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game is a great business book.... well... life book. First, it is the best aide I have experienced for teaching business owners/executives on how to create and execute vision. Second, every exercise and practice offered by Dr. Parent is at its core focused on increasing awareness, setting intention and follow through, all foundational approaches, in which I believe and use. When you meditate, you produce more alpha waves. You improve your “power to ignore”, i.e. you can stay more present, without being distracted by those pesky negative thoughts that can interfere and affect your confidence at the crucial moments. I had previously read Bob Rotella's Golf is not a Game of Perfect. A fine book and one that helped me increase my ability to manifest a vision. Joseph Parent's book takes me further down this path and strengthens what I have learned from Rotella (I recommend both books).