The Mindful Golfer: How to Lower Your Handicap While Raising Your Consciousness

by Stephen Altschuler

Golf is a Zen sport. If you leave the present moment, you will likely feel the immediate karmic consequences like a hammer hitting your thumb.In The Mindful How to Lower Your Handicap While Raising Your Consciousness, Stephen Altschuler helps you nail it all right-hard and true and into another level of surrender, satisfaction, and, self-awareness. He uses the tools of Zen to raise the game several notches on the ladder of consciousness. The book discusses the state of the game, some of its more illustrious players, its glories, and its challenges. The author covers some of his own struggles with golf, and some moments of achievement, if only fleeting. His book is a reflective look at golf today, emphasizing the mental and spiritual elements of the game.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports-books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2015

Reviews

[Bob Mcbobson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a huge disappointment for me. I thought this book would offer advice on the mental aspects of golf from an approach of mindfulness. What it really was instead was just a collection of random musings about golf from a guy who believes in mindfulness. There is virtually no discussion on how a mindful approach can improve your game. Why would I want swing advice from someone completely unqualified to offer it? I also don’t know who this book is for. He talks about golf destinations like Bandon Dunes and St. Andrews as if nobody had ever heard of them, but is a rank beginner to the game really going to buy this book? Finally, the book is frequently repetitive, making it clear that it’s just a collection of individual essays or blog posts smashed together into a book.

Only my mental block against ever giving up on a book kept me reading this.

[Martin Braunton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was quite brilliant. For all those who beat themselves up on the golf course, this is the book for you. Golf is about staying in the present and mindfulness. I have often reflected on the spiritual side of golf and this book provided a lot of answers. The book is at its best when discussing all matters spiritual. Less so, with swing mechanics. An important reference book that I will return to on many occasion. Golf is a metaphor for life that no other golf writing has demonstrated so clearly as this.

[Hector Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect a 5 but I got it! Perhaps it was the timing of when I read/listened to this, or maybe it would have had the same impact. Either way, because of travel I have not been playing much golf and yearning to get back out there. Most of what I’ve been thinking about has been scoring, my swing, and lowering my index. This book made me reconnect with how much I love the game and how blessed I am to be able to play it.

[Joe Goss · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book repeats itself (literally copy and pasted) many times. It gives very little insight into being a better golfer. There is an entire chapter on how great Banded Dunes golf course is. The author randomly name drops professional golfers but then doesn’t go into detail, or give examples of how/why the pro just mentioned does what he was saying.

[Carlos Lopez · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing about mindfulness or Zen

Big disappointment, the book could’ve maximum 15 pages, the rest is just un related content, golf advice from a 15 handicap unqualified to give it and nothing related to mindfulness approach to the game.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, it definitely helped me look inward and reflect upon my thoughts feelings and actions on the course. I also think I better understand why I choose to play golf and what a meditative sport it really is.

[Bill Webber · Rating 2 out of 5]

...random musings on golf by a psychologist/therapist/Zen-practioner...perhaps 2 good pearls in here...glad this was a free Audible...somewhat entertaining but not at all what I expected...not recommended.