| Dr. Joe Parent, in his book, Zen Putting: Mastering the Mental Game on the Greens, takes a different approach to teaching putting than most golf professionals. Putting to him is more of a mind game than a physical game. Learn to control your mind and you will learn to control your putting. Focusing on Zen and Buddhist methods he learned from various mentors, Dr. Parent teaches methods on how to relax, clear the mind and how not focus on mresults. Dr. Parent says that Zen Putting is about maintaining an attitude and committing to a routine. Through a series of breathing and body awareness exercises, Dr. Parent shows us how to settle the mind and "talk nice" to ourselves to help us become better putters. Although Dr. Parent does briefly talk about proper putting posture and how the ball should roll, he does not teach or adhere to a specific putting method. Dr. Parent doesn't seem to care about the method you use to get the ball to the hole, rather how you mentally approach each putt. By using the routine he developed, Dr. Parent believes that you will trust your abilities and become a more confident putter. Dr. Parent's book is filled with hundreds of tips, anecdotes and exercises for you to improve your putting. Two exercises in particular caught my eye because they were new to me. The first, being the concept of a "putting warm-up" routine, and the second is Dr. Parent's approach to looking at two-tier and sloping putts. Although Dr. Parent's Zen Putting may not cure all your putting woes, it will definitely help your attitude and your enjoyment of the game. I highly recommend this book. |
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