Product Description

It’s not about changing your swing—it’s about changing your mind: Two legendary coaches give golfers a powerful new approach to the game... and to life.

As coaches to some of golf’s top players, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have designed and refined a revolutionary way of teaching the game, with phenomenal results. They don’t believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone, followed by hours of purposeless drilling. They don’t even believe in beginning with physical technique. Their success has proven to them that a great game begins with a great vision.

Unlike any other golf book, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose offers cutting-edge techniques for integrating the physical, technical, mental, emotional, and social parts of a player’s game. The book’s revolutionary pre-shot routine will improve your focus, leading to a golf swing that is not only successful but can be repeated under extreme pressure. Emphasizing the individual golfer rather than a rigid set of mechanics, their VISION54 method takes the frustration out of the game. Why 54? Because they believe it’s possible to shoot a 54 (making a birdie on every hole of a par-72 course) if you have the right mind-set and well-honed intuitive power.

An engaging read for the beginner or the seasoned golfer, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose is inspiration for life, not just the links.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97074 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781592401574
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott cofounded VISION54/Coaching for the Future, Inc. Their golf school, Golf54, in Phoenix, AZ was recently named Golf magazine's #1 in the nation. In addition to serving as Annika Sorenstam’s coach and coaching the Swedish national golf team, Nilsson has spoken at numerous conferences worldwide. Marriott has been named one of Golf Digest’s 50 Greatest Teachers and one of Golf Magazine’s 100 Top Teachers, coaching major figures such as Grace Park and Ken Kellaney.

Award-winning sportswriter Ron Sirak is executive editor of Golf World and a senior writer at Golf Digest.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

ìImagine the Impossible; Then Figure Out How to Make It Happenî
óRon Sirak

ìThe secret of success is constancy to purpose.î
óBenjamin Disraeli, nineteenth-century English prime minister

What you are about to read is a golf book unlike any other. Through years of teaching players of all different skill levelsófrom beginners to top professionalsóPia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have refined an approach to instruction that is not bogged down in arm angles, spine positions, and swing thoughts so complex they would make the average golferís brain freeze with confused indecision. Rather, VISION54, the revolutionary approach to the game that Pia developed in Sweden twenty years ago and that she refined with Lynn as GOLF54, teaches that peak performance on the golf course is achieved by simplifying the game, not by burdening the pupil with overly technical instruction. As Pia and Lynn say, ìItís all about the person first.î

What you will find in these pages is a life philosophy, not merely a golf instruction book. It is the most radical departure from traditional golf instruction yet to come along. VISION54 teaches us to expand our concept of limits. GOLF54 provides the tools that make it possible for us to achieve our vision. The intuitive intelligence of Pia and Lynnís approach reduces the game to such a basic and accessible level that you will frequently find yourself, as I did, shaking your head and saying, ìOf course,î when they point out an obvious aspect of the game that has been obscured by what they call the Pez Dispenser School of InstructionóìBend your knees, thirty bucks please.î GOLF54 takes us back to the reason we started to play golf in the first place: Itís fun. It is in the rediscovery of that joy that Pia and Lynn teach us how to find the keys to better play.

One of the disturbing trends the golf industry has to confront is the fact that in the United States as many people quit the game each year as take it up. While cost and the time required to play a round of golf are significant reasons for this trend, many are also driven away because the game becomes more of a struggle than an enjoyable experience. When a troubled golfer tries to get help, he or she will most likely be given a series of instructions that would require a much more talented athlete and a serious amount of time to master. Completely rebuilding a swing is not only impractical for most players, it is also unnecessary. You have hit good shots with the swing you have. You have hit perfect shots with the swing you have. This book will teach you how to make those shots happen more often. You donít need a new swing; you need a more defined sense of purpose.

I had known about Pia for many years as a player, a coach, and a European Solheim Cup captain, and had long been fascinated by her novel approach to instruction. I knew of her astonishing success with Annika Sorenstam and I was aware of the rebellion against her by some of the tradition-bound players when she tried to bring her innovative approach to the 1998 Solheim Cup team. But I did not really get to know Pia and Lynn until 2003, when Sorenstam decided she would play in a menís event on the PGA Tour. I interviewed Pia soon after Annika announced her intentions and revisited the conversation several times in the months leading up to the Bank of America Colonial. After listening carefully to Annikaís words, a light went on in my head. ìOf course,î I said to myself. ìItís so obvious.î Words you will say time and again as you read this book.

I called Pia and said, ìIt doesnít matter what Annika shoots at Colonial, right? And it doesnít even matter if she makes the cut, right? All that matters for Annika to consider the experience a success is if she feels she has handled the enormity of the moment well.î Pia, who punctuates life with an exclamation point, laughed and said, ìYou got it!î I know some teachers who would have then added, ìWhat took you so long?î But that is not the way of Pia and Lynn. They lead you to knowledge. Understanding is up to you. Commitment is up to you. Sorenstam did not make the cut at Colonial, but her opening round of 71 was a ball-striking performance of such perfection that womenís golf gained new respect instantly and more than just fans of the LPGA finally appreciated Annikaís skills. GOLF54 was a key component in how well Annika handled the pressure of that day.

It was at Colonial that I had my first extensive conversation with Lynn Marriott, who has been a Class A teaching professional since 1983. Lynn graduated cum laude with a degree in marketing and management from Penn State University, but she could just as easily hang out her shingle as a psychologist. Her numerous courses and seminars have as much to do with communication, leadership, mental training, and the psychology of how to coach as they do with golf. It was Lynn who made THINK BOX/PLAY BOX, which is so essential to GOLF54 teaching, come to life, and made it a real experience. If Pia punctuates life with an exclamation point, Lynn approaches the process with a question mark. Like any good therapist, she provides answers by asking shrewd questions. Lynn has always had a vision of a whole-game approach. It was clear to her as a young teacher that the golf swing does not equal golf.

In April of 2004, I went to Pia and Lynnís school at the Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix. When I left for three days of instruction, friends who had been to other golf schools told me how much my hands would hurt and my muscles would ache after days of beating balls. Clearly, they had never been students of Pia and Lynn. The biggest breakthroughs were made when the ten of us in the class were sitting in a circle, laughing and collectively grasping one of their concepts. As much was accomplished in discussions over dinner or lunch as was accomplished on the range. When we hit balls or when we went out onto the course it was with the drills and exercises you will learn in these pages. Instead of complex theory, we learned the focus that allows the good shots within us to come out more often. We practiced with a purpose, and we played with a purpose.

I wish I had met Pia and Lynn years ago. Not just because it would have helped my gameówhich it hasóbut also because it would have made me a better golf writer. Now, since I understand their method better, I understand Annika Sorenstam better. I look at her with new eyes and appreciate that everything she does at a tournamentófrom where she stays and whom she stays with to where she eats and when she practices and how she practicesóhas a purpose. I watch her routine on the golf course and I smile inwardly when she steps into the THINK BOX and then moves with total commitment across the DECISION LINE into the PLAY BOX.

I watch other players, and when they struggle I can spot the physical and mental errors Pia and Lynn have taught me to be aware of in my own game. I also wish I had met Pia and Lynn earlier because, in addition to improving me as a player and as a writeróI now employ many of the philosophies in this book in the way I approach workóthey have also improved me as a person. They are two very special people whose approach to teaching is rooted not just in a love of the game but also in an appreciation of and respect for the individual.

Their approachóGOLF54ówill teach you how to develop routines you can trust and it will teach you how to transfer those routines from the practice range to the golf course. It will teach you how to embrace your ability and how to discover, in that embrace, the secrets of moving closer to achieving your ultimate potential. There is good golf within you. Pia and Lynn will help you bring it out more often.

CHAPTER I

Forget What You Know,
Learn What You Know
ìLearning is experience. Everything else is just information.î
óAlbert Einstein, twentieth-century scientist

SWING KEY: Empty your head so wisdom can flow in.

All golf instruction books promise to lower your score. We promise to make you a better player. You decide what that will do for your handicap. What we offer is not a quick fix providing temporary results but rather a new perspective that will allow you to maximize your abilities and approach your peak performance more oftenóand more reliably under pressureóno matter what your skill level. We will show you how to become much more than a mere student of the swing. If you are a beginner, you will learn how to play better sooner on the golf course. If you have been playing for a while, you will learn how to score lower. No matter what your skill level, you will learn how to enjoy the game more. You will learn how to make golf a game you love, not one you fear.

How are we going to make you a better player? Well, it is absurd to think that we can change your swing with a book. For one thing, weíve never seen your swing. How can we change it? While there are certain mechanical fundamentals essential to playing the gameógrip, stance, posture, etc.ówe believe there is more than one right way to swing a golf club. And we believe that golf is far more than merely the physical act of swinging a club. Your fundamental problems are probably not with the way you swing but rather with the way you approach the game.

How many times have you taken a swing tip to the golf course and found that it was a magic elixir for a few rounds, only to wear off when you needed it most? How many times have you hit the ball great on the range only to lose it when the round starts? Thatís because traditional instruction separates the swing from the person, and it separates practice from real golf. We integrate the two. GOLF54 is not about teaching; it is about learning. Most approaches to instruction focus on the teacherís knowledge; we focus on the studentís potential. A lesson well learned becomes your teacher for life. Everyone who swings a golf club has hit a good shot at one time or another. We will show you how to open the door that will allow those good shots to come out more often.

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Customer Reviews

Integrating all Aspects of the Game
Once the basic foundation movements have been learned, Golf, like any other sport begins to become more mental than physical. We have all felt under great pressure at times. And when the pressure is great, we tend to not do as well. We freeze, we miss things that we wouldn't otherwise. We screw up.

In their #1 ranked golf school, GOLF54, the authors teach that playing golf well requires a combination of the physical, technical, mental, emotional and social parts of a players game. Most of this comes before you even get to the ball. This pre-shot focus routine improves a player's focus, leading to a golf swing that is not onnly successful but can be repeated when your performance is under considerable outside pressure.

Written in a light and easy to understand style, this book consists of a series of 22 short chapters, each devoted to one small aspect of improving your game.

Great Book
At first I resisted buying this book because I really was more interested in a book that helped me with the mechanics of the swing. I didn't want to read more about being relaxed, be the ball etc. But the more I visited the Amazon reviews the more intrigued I became and bought the book. I am glad I did. It is a lot more than I thought. The author's concept of the "think box" and the "play box" is something I now use and it works. Lots of other concepts that have helped me are also in the book. Recommended to all.

A Sports (Golf) Psychologist's Review
Pia and Lynn's book, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose, is a must read for those interested in improving their mental game in golf. I have studied almost every book on the topic and this is, by far, the best to date. I am providing my students with a copy before starting their training. I use the HeartMath biofeedback technology, as well as Bobby Foster's Mental Golf Profile which are highlighted in the book. Well organized, to the point, and practical strategies for immediate benefits. This is not wasted academic theory, or sports-psychobabble...it is the real deal.