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Zen Golf Newsletter - July 2006
- Greetings from Dr. Joe
- PGA TOUR Notes:
Musings on the US Open
- Caribbean Classic
Golf Invitational Tournament
- OVI Golf Academy
Program - Oct. 28-29
- A Note on Zen Golf
Coaching
- Other Zen Golf
Learning Opportunities
- Corporate Keynotes
and Programs
Greetings from Dr.
Joe
It seems time to introduce a more
personal touch to the Zen Golf newsletters, so I’d
like to start by offering my greetings to
everyone, and gratitude for your appreciation of
ZEN GOLF. It’s been four years since ZEN GOLF was
published, and this year we crossed the 100,000
mark for sales of the US edition. Waiting on
numbers for the 7 foreign editions, but heard that
the Japanese version was in its third
printing.
The next book, ZEN PUTTING, is in
the manuscript stage and will be on the bookstore
shelves next spring. Getting that in shape was my
main focus this spring. The last couple of months
have provided some great experiences to share with
you.
Golf in the Kingdom
At the end of May, I was one of a
panel of instructors in a wonderful program
entitled Golf in the Kingdom at the Ojai
Valley Inn and Spa Resort where I teach. Three
days of discussion, instruction, playing golf, and
socializing with Michael Murphy, Deepak Chopra,
Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Fred Shoemaker, and Tina
Mickelson.
The event was a benefit for three
non-profits: the World Business Academy
(www.worldbusiness.org) that hosted the event; the
Deepak Chopra
Foundation (www.chopra.com/article121.aspx);
and the Shivas Irons Society
(www.shivas.org).
I was pleased to offer a Zen
Putting clinic and playing lessons, as part of the
instructional program that included Fred’s
Extraordinary Golf lessons and some swing
instruction from Tina, a PGA teacher. A highlight
of the event was midnight golf with Michael
Murphy, right out of Golf in the Kingdom,
complete with Scottish liquid refreshment.
PGA Tour Notes: Musings on
the US Open
This spring and summer I
did my PGA TOUR coaching at the Byron Nelson in
Dallas, the Barclays Classic at Westchester CC,
and at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot CC. The Open
was amazing, and I’ll offer a couple of
observations.
I walked the course in practice
inside the ropes, and watched as Tour pros tried
to play hybrid clubs out of the second cut (the
medium deep one) that went about 5 feet. During
the tournament, they hit full swing shots out of
the deepest rough that went all of 20 yards back
to the fairway, and the gallery gave them
well-deserved applause. Got to know Tom Nieporte,
the head pro at Winged Foot, and the last club pro
to win a PGA Tour event (many years ago). Tom’s a
fabulous fellow.
Without having spoken to
Monty or Phil, these are my
conjectures:
Monty:
He said himself he switched to a
seven iron from a six iron on the last shot
because he expected to be pumped up from
adrenaline. The problem came with waiting for a
long time while his playing partner got a ruling,
then switched clubs at the last second and walked
up and played the shot. See the chapter “Give It
Time to Sink In” in ZEN GOLF for an explanation of
what happened. His body swung the seven as if he
still had the six in his hands.
Phil: My best
guess is that the fans made him a hero, and he
unthinkingly bought into that identity. That kept
him from thinking outside the box on 17 and 18 to
leave the driver in the bag, and not try to make a
spectacular recovery from the trees on 18. Once he
hit the tree on 18, it looked from his eyes that
he went into shock. His routine changed, he did
everything very quickly, as if going through the
motions, but not really being there. His comments
verified that the lights were on but no one was
home. He kept saying, “I can’t believe I did
that,” as if he were a helpless observer of the
events, rather than the actor. There are many more
factors and subtleties to what happened, but that
is my guess as to one piece of it.
Caribbean Classic Golf
Invitational Tournament
Right after
the Open, I went to Jamaica as a keynote speaker
at a corporate conference, and as an instructor at
the Caribbean Classic Golf Invitational, a
fund-raising tournament started by Richard
Stephenson to benefit the children of Jamaica,
providing computer learning labs for all the
primary schools in the country (over three years
of the tournament).
I was sponsored by the companies
of Richard and his wife Joy. His company RISARC
makes information tracking systems for hospitals,
and I gave a keynote for his corporate conference
that preceded the tournament. Joy heads the legal
firm of Stephenson, Acquisto and Colman Esq. they
live in the Los Angeles area, but Richard and Joy
grew up in Jamaica before moving to the US and
were giving something back to the children of
their homeland.
At the tournament I had fun
coaching Marcus Allen (NFL Hall of Fame running
back), Steve Harvey (comedian), and Richard
Roundtree (of the Shaft movies). Marcus
particularly liked my way of responding to a poor
shot, by calling it “interesting.” Steve was big
on breathing and feeling the ground as he walked
to the ball. For Richard, it was about Zen
Putting. We all made a commitment to go back next
year.
OVI Golf Academy Program –
October 28-29
Note:
Apologies to those of you who were
looking for a summer golf program in Ojai. It’s
just way too hot! July 1 the mercury hit 102! So
the intended July 22-23 program was cancelled. We
just feel it is safer if we wait until the fall.
The Ojai Valley
Inn Golf Academy Program combines Dr. Joe Parent's
mental game lessons with Director of Instruction
Jeff Johnson's video analysis and swing technique
lessons. The program is a unique combination of a
mental game seminar with Dr. Joe each morning,
followed by video and practice area lessons with
Jeff before lunch. After lunch Dr. Joe and Jeff
work together on swing and mental images.
Afternoons will feature on-the-course playing
lessons with both instructors. We are excited to
offer another program in the series:
October 28-29, 2006 Saturday morning
through late Sunday afternoon
- $1195 per person (single occupancy)
- $1995 per couple (or double occupancy)
- $795 per person Commuter (no lodging)
rate
(Please note: this is a substantial
discount from standard room rates)
Program includes two nights
lodging at the deluxe Ojai Valley Inn and Spa
Resort, instructional materials, a Zen Golf
Audiobook, video swing analysis, lunches, green
fees and cart.
To register, please
call the Ojai Valley Inn at 805-646-1111 and ask
for Jeff Johnson.
About the
Facilities — The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa
Resort sports a classic championship layout
designed in the 1920's by George Thomas, the
architect of Los Angeles Country Club and Riviera
Country Club. The Ojai Valley Inn Golf Academy's
Director of Instruction is PGA professional Jeff
Johnson, a former All-American who played for
Eddie Merrins on the UCLA golf team.
The resort is listed by Conde
Nast Traveler in the top 40 golf resorts in
the world. It has emerged better than ever from a
$70 million renovation that is likely to bring it
the rare 5-Diamond rating. Ojai is a small but
strikingly beautiful valley a few miles inland
from Ventura and Santa Barbara, and a little more
than an hour north of Los Angeles. It was the
setting for the 1930's movie classic, Lost
Horizons, portraying the mythical kingdom of
Shangri-la.
A Note on Zen Golf
Coaching
We have had requests from
golf instructors, trainers, and sports
psychologists who would like to coach Zen Golf.
Unfortunately, there will not be a
training program to certify instructors as Zen
Golf Coaches, as the requirements and costs of
such a program have made it prohibitive.
However, we want to offer
opportunities for coaches to share their
experience and learn from others in applying the
principles presented in Zen Golf to their own
coaching. Therefore, we will offer biannual
gatherings in Ojai, led by Dr. Parent, for golf
coaches, trainers, and sports psychologists to
attend. The first will be October 30-31,
immediately following the OVI Golf Academy
Program.
There will also be occasional
opportunities for regional one-day gatherings,
following Dr. Parent’s travel schedule. The first
of these will be in Portland, Oregon, on
Saturday August 5th. The cost will be
$200, not including meals and lodging. Mark Henry,
a sports psychologist from Portland, OR is
organizing this Coaches Gathering.
You can contact him at MarkH@ZenGolf.com for more
information, or call the Zen Golf office at
805-640-1046.
If you would like to have a
regional Coaches Gathering with Dr. Parent in your
area, call the Zen Golf office at 805-640-1046 for
scheduling arrangements.
Other Zen Golf Learning
Opportunities
Dr. Parent's
individual and small group lessons are made by
appointment, only through the Zen Golf office,
805-640-1046. Gift Certificates are available.
Telephone consultations can be
arranged as well. Dr. Parent can offer a program
at your home club in the form of presentation,
clinic, and/or playing lessons.
Please call for information at
805-640-1046.
Corporate Keynotes and
Programs
Dr. Parent is doing a series
of corporate keynote speeches for Legg-Mason, an
asset management firm formerly known as Salomon
Brothers Asset Management. For the balance of the
year, he will be doing events in Pasadena, Los
Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, San Antonio and
Honolulu. For his full schedule of corporate talks
and charity events, please see the Calendar
section of the ZenGolf.com website.
Feel free to forward this
newsletter, or links to archived newsletters, from
the Zen Golf website. Please feel free to let us
know if there are other topics you'd like to see
addressed in our Zen Golf Newsletters, or any
other feedback that will help us serve you better.
Yours in Clarity, Commitment, and
Composure,
Dr. Joe Parent
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