GOLF’S SACRED JOURNEY, SEVEN DAYS AT THE LINKS OF UTOPIA
by David L. Cook, Ph.D.
While at a seminar not too long ago a fellow, whose company I had enjoyed for the couple days, commented that this was the best book on golf and sport psychology he had ever read. My immediate thought was of my friend and fellow blogger Dennis and his love for golf. So, I ordered a copy and had it sent to him. I am not a golfer, but was told it would still be a good read, and long having an itinerant interest in sport psychology, asked Dennis to loan it to me if he thought it a good read.
It is a good read and an engaging story, even though much of the technical aspects and jargon of golf flew over my head. Still, my exposure to sport psychology did help me with some of the concepts (eg., pre-shot routines). It is about a young man struggling to make a living playing golf. His skills are not bad, he just keeps choking with the pressure to perform and earn a living. After throwing a fit on one of his worst days on the course he inadvertently finds a small Texas town, a primitive golf course, and a one-time golf pro turned rancher who offers to help the young golfer find his game.
From here on the story mostly focuses on the young golfers journey to regain the intrinsic motivation for playing golf that he experienced as a child. Of course physical golfing technique must by necessity be part of the psychological process and is therefore important to the text too. The author, a sport psychologist renowned in professional golf, employs some wonderfully creative examples of sport psychology techniques including assessment, visualization, positive self-talk, and creation of the all-important pre-shot routine. So, I was having a pretty good time reading a good story written very engagingly until the last few chapters where I found the narrative direction a little distracting.
I had previously known nothing about this author and had no expectations, so I was a little surpised when the emphasis abruptly changed from sport psychology and golf to proselytizing for christianity in the last three chapters. I can understand the psychological value of faith in a higher power (I’ve been there and done that) which is documented in some research. I can understand how this faith, applied from a sport psychology perspective, could be very useful in aiding performance. Still, the author emphasizes “truth seeking” which I think is a valid pursuit, and I have great difficulty endorsing or embracing such a spurious world view, regardless of psychological benefits. Certainly it would appear to be in the nature of the human animal to create and embrace irrational superstitious beliefs, this just doesn’t happen to be one of mine. So I was a little dissapointed in an otherwise fine book which seemed to mask this latent goal until the end.
If you have interests in golf or sport psychology you will likely find some good in this book, as I did. If you additionally enjoy receiving a dose of christian proselytizing you will likely love this book.
