HOT CORNER
What: “MentalRules of Golf.”
Author: Gregg M. Steinberg.
Publisher: TowleHouse Publishing.
Price: $12.95.
What golfer hasn’t, after a bad shot, asked himself, “What was I thinking?” The mental aspect of golf is the topic of this book by Gregg M. Steinberg, who provides the mental ingredients needed to handle the pressures of the game.
Steinberg has a doctorate in psychology and teaches sports psychology at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee.
Steinberg notes that only a few golfers have truly mastered the mental aspects of tournament pressure. He cites Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods.
On the other hand, there is Mac O’Grady. Steinberg calls him a golf genius, an expert on golf swing mechanics and an incredibly talented player.
“Unfortunately, it appears that O’Grady’s mind got in the way of his great talent,” Steinberg writes. “He had so many different types of swings and so many different types of swing thoughts that he probably got confused when it came to simply trusting his instincts.”
The 156-page book consists of 61 short chapters, each dealing with different mental aspects of golf.
Chapter 6 is titled “Zen and the Art of Golf,” featuring Laker Coach Phil Jackson. The chapter leads off with a quote from Albert Einstein: “I never worry about the future. It will come soon enough.”
-- Larry Stewart