A Special Sports Psychologist - Part 2

Bob Rotella, Author  

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, 1995 

Golf is a Game of Confidence, 1996

The Golf of Your Dreams, 1997  

Bob Rotella’s first book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect in 1995 was a huge success so it was quite a surprise that he followed it up with a new book, Golf is a Game of Confidence,   the following year. The expectation of us psychologists was that it would simply be a follow-up on what he presented the year before. We were pleased when we found a unique approach to our field - what I perceive is a 18 set of “short stories” that describes his work out in the field with his learners.

I like to read books in which the author writes in a manner that I can keep in touch with what he or she is saying - to be a partner in the communication. I find myself thinking and interacting with “Doc” and the person he is mentoring or advising or learning with.

The book begins with chapter No. 1 How Brad Faxon Stayed in the Present and finishes with No. 18 How Tom Kite Honors His Commitment. In between are 16 more How… stories about golfers and their personal experiences with “Doc” Rotella. Each of these gives us a different, unique look at his interactions with his golf clients.

I have chosen to comment on three of the 18 chapters to give you a broader sense of “Doc’s” works. If you have any interest in any kind of psychology, you need to read these books.

No. 1 How Brad Faxon Stayed in the Present

In this chapter, “Doc” follows his golfer over the entire, final round of a golf tournament; the 1995 PGA Championships at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Brad Faxon would like to win the tournament but his real goal is even more important to him - he wants to be a member of the Ryder Cup team.

“Doc” relates Brad’s thoughts and feelings of Brad before  and during this round. The concept most dealt with was “Staying in the Present.” How can you prevent your mind from thinking about becoming a member of that team while getting ready to hit your drive on the fifth hole?

To play golf as well as he can, a player has to focus his mind tightly on the shot he is playing now, in the present. Page 18

Brad started the round 11 strokes behind Ernie Els, the leader. He didn’t catch up, but he shot a 63, the lowest round in the four major golf tournaments until 2017. In the middle of the back nine the crowd was calling for him to be the first golfer to break 60.

No. 16. How Pat Bradley Finished Her Victory Lap

Before you ask, Yes, Pat Bradley is Keegan Bradley’s aunt.

Before she came to see “Doc” Rotella, she had won several tournaments including the U.S. Women’s Open and 10 LPGA tournaments before the LPGA was founded in 1974. Her concern wasn’t about being the winner of tournaments - it was about the times she came in second.

When she got into position to win a tournament, she would get a case of nerves - she got “butterflies” which negatively affected her game. “Doc” told her that “she was where she was supposed to be.” She was to embrace these feelings as indicating where she was rather than denying them. She responded positively to this advice. She went on to win 36 tournaments including two majors despite dealing with Graves’ disease. 

“The most intense athlete with whom I have ever worked might not draw a second glance walking through the average shopping mall.” Page 194

Achieving membership to the LPGA Hall of Fame is one of the toughest challenges in the world of sports. There is no election to that award - you must win 30 tournaments with a minimum of two majors. Pat Bradley  joined founders Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharia, and later Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright in 1991. There are now 34 members in the Hall of Fame. 

No. 9. How Byron Nelson Won Eleven Straight

One of the great records in golf is Byron Nelson’s streak of eleven straight victories in 1945. These were match-play events and he defeated such great players as Gene Sarazen and Claude Harmon. “Doc” credits this accomplishment on two strengths; complete focus on every shot and setting his goals for winning.  (I missed following these events as I was busy doing my duty in the U. S. Navy Air Corps in the South Pacific).

Byron was in one of “Doc’s” clinics as he commented on this goal-setting power in Byron’s victories. Byron spoke up and said that he had an even greater goal in mind - to make enough money to buy a ranch in Texas. He reached that goal with the purchase of his Fairway Ranch.

Byron retired from playing golf professionally soon after that streak but he stayed active by sponsoring an annual pro-am fund-raising event for golf scholarships at Abilene Christian University and hosting the Byron Nelson Classic Golf Tournament.

I selected this chapter because I just had to include this commentary in which “Doc”  gives us a short review of what he does in his work: 

“It was clear that Byron had, through experience and some helpful teachers, picked up virtually all of the fundamentals of golf psychology that I teach today. He had learned to trust his swing and not to think about mechanics as he played. He had learned to visualize his shots. He had learned the importance of his short game; he had learned to rely on feel near the greens. He had learned to accept the results of any shot and let go of anger and frustration. He had learned to stay in the present and not to worry about outcomes.” Page 117

Next week we will review The Golf of Your Dreams, 1997