Zen Golf Newsletter November / December 2007 Tournament Notes: HSBC Championship The Way of the Samurai Holiday Specials Hope the approaching holiday season will be a time of joy for all you Zen Golfers and your families. We’d love to hear from any of you who have found Zen Golf and Zen Putting to be a help to your golf game, and hopefully other parts of your life. Here’s a quote along those lines from the email inbox:   "When I first read Zen Golf I picked up a lot of great things to help me with my game. Reading it a second time a few weeks later has helped me even more. I am now able to relax in competitive rounds and handle the pressure much better. I won a recent match play event against a stronger player, which was a first for me. Your techniques helped me to keep my focus and win. This has created a new outlook for me on the game, and how to deal with other pressures off the course as well. Thanks! Your books will be an annual reading for me to stay tuned up.” John R., South Carolina *********** Tournament Notes: The HSBC Championship This European Tour event held in China was a veritable crash course in what not to do at the end of a golf tournament. The lead looked like a game of “hot potato,” with everyone trying to toss it away as soon as they got it. Three players made it into a playoff in radically different ways: Phil Mickelson giving back what was once a 5 stroke lead; Ross Fisher giving back a 2 stroke lead with three holes to play; and Lee Westwood shooting 6 under on the final nine to get into the playoff. Yet as well as he was playing, he failed to birdie the 18th hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, for what would have been the outright win. Together, they played #18 nine times that day, making five pars, one bogey, one double bogey, one “x” to drop Lee out of the playoff, and a lone birdie at the end by Phil. Ross, a young European tour player, struggled with his pitches from the rough all day, leaving several woefully short. On the last hole he finally managed to make good contact, ironically the one time that short would have been okay. The ball rolled past the hole, barely catching the downslope beyond it and ending up in the water. The commentators mentioned that he should have erred on the short (safe) side, considering that just chipping on and two-putting would have guaranteed victory, with Phil in the water himself. Perhaps the significance of the moment overcame reason just a little bit. Phil was all over the course with his tee shots for most of the back nine, but never gave up and, despite his seeming efforts to give it away, managed that final birdie to end his rollercoaster ride with a win. © 2007 Dr. Joseph Parent *********** The Way of the Samurai Early in the month, Dr. Joe spent the weekend with a group training in Zen Archery (Kyu-do) with his teacher, Kanjuro Shibata Sensei, twentieth in the line of official archers and bowmakers for the Emperor of Japan. You can read about Sensei’s teaching on the Way of the Samurai on pages 198-200 in Zen Putting. After Thanksgiving, Doc welcomed Golf Magazine’s Connell Barrett, Feature Editor, and Eamon Lynch, Managing Editor, for two days of instruction at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa Resort. They will be producing a feature on Dr. Joe’s teaching and the impact of Zen Golf, most likely in the March or April issue. Also in Southern California, Dr. Joe made an appearance at PGA West in LaQuinta, and offers a presentation to the annual meeting of the Women’s Southern California Golf Association at Red Hill CC in early December. Late Breaking News: We just received a complimentary copy from Martin Davis, editor of The American Golfer, of his beautiful new book, “JACK NICKLAUS: Simply The Best.” You can read Dr. Joe’s insightful quote about Jack’s supremacy on page 14. *********** Holiday Specials Please visit the Golf Shop at zengolf.com for holiday specials on hardcover books, golf hats, CD audiobooks, audio downloads, and DVD's. Think of the golfers you know (maybe even you?) who could use a little help on the greens from Zen Putting. Gift Certificates for phone consultations, lessons, or clinics with Dr. Parent are 25% off! © 2007 Dr. Joseph Parent ******** For more information on any Zen Golf programs, please call the Zen Golf International office at (805)640-1046 or email info@zengolf.com Feel free to forward this newsletter, or links to archived newsletters. Please don’t hesitate 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, Ken Zeiger Program Director, Zen Golf International

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