Golf for Enlightenment: The Seven Lessons for the Game of Life

Rating:
Summary: Most enjoyable gold book ever!
Review: First and foremost, this really isn't a book about getting better at golf. It is a book about cultivating mindfulness and living in the present moment, both central precepts of a Buddhist way of life. Golf is merely used as the catalyst for explaining some of the fundamental concepts. Not that it won't help your game. I rather imagine it will. (At least one of the book's endorsements is from a PGA pro.) But if you're looking only to improve your game, be warned that this book goes deeper than that. It is about improving your life.

Using golf as a tool for teaching about mindfulness is an excellent idea. For one thing, as Chopra points out, the game of golf is a wonderful microcosm of life. Lessons learned on the links are well-applied to the rest our existence. For another, it is a good direction from which to approach the typical Type-A personality. Golf remains a game of the middle and upper class (although this is changing) and this is an excellent group to target for some lessons on being in the moment.

For these reasons, I like the concept of this book very much and I suspect that it will reach a wide audience. It deserves to. However, as a book about cultivating mindfulness and obtaining enlightenment, I found it a little lacking. Chopra's series of lessons is perhaps a little more opaque than it should be. I found it difficult to understand what he was getting at, although I was very familiar with the concepts. Also, I would have to say that Chopra has a tendency to reduce his lessons to platitudes and often fails to explain his ideas in a tangible and easily understandable way. The result is a little more fluffy than I would wish.

If you are interested in applying mindfulness in every day life, I would recommend "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by John Kabat-Zinn and "Peace is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hahn, both of which I think are better. However, this book is by no means a loser. The concepts have many gifts for us to enjoy. If you choose to reach them through the game of golf, then you will still be well-served.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for golfers!
Review: Heard the CD version of GOLF FOR ENLIGHTENMENT: THE SEVEN LESSONS FOR THE GAME OF LIFE, written and read by Deepak Chopra . . . don't be put off by the title; even if you're not a golfer, you can get value from this material . . . the first part of each chapter, "The Lesson," contains a story about a golfer named Adam and his search for ways to improve his game . . . that material was only fair . . . what I did enjoy much more was the second part, "Playing the Game" or what the lesson taught Adam about life . . . and the third part, "Applied to Life," made the book really come alive, as it dealt with the relationship of golf to a happier, more spiritual life.

I have not played golf since I was a kid . . . however, if I ever
pick up the game again, I'd make it a point to reread this book . . . it showed me how the sport could be not only played, but enjoyed as well.

As Chopra notes toward the end, in talking about the hidden keys
to both golf and life:

When you laugh at a bad shot, you've transcended sorrow.

When you can take genuine pleasure in someone else's victory,
you've transcended jealousy.

When you can feel satisfaction with a round of 97, instead of 80, you've transcended self-importance.

The point is that only when you set your sights to go beyond
outcome can you allow in the possibility of defeating the voice
of self-criticism and ending the frustration that holds in check
deeper, darker fears.

Rating:
Summary: Deep and thought provoking
Review: I found this book is quite deep and quickly gets into the realm of conceptual and spiritual ideas. Just as the well-known book "The Inner Game of Golf" deals with the mental side of the game, this book addresses the spiritual side. Having read this, I'm not totally convinced that I understand all the points that are being made, and some are easier to take on board than others. My interpretation of the overall message of this book is that it is all about coming to understand your own place in things and learning to transcend the tensions that exist within life. This is mirrored in golf and the way we approach the game. It should be pointed out that the book isn't really about lowering your golf handicap as such. Like any text concerning spiritual matters, faith and a willingness to suspend cynicism play a big part in determining how much you get out of this. Overall this book is enjoyable and intriguing at the same time, but some of the concepts might be better explained.

Rating:
Summary: Good heavens, what a terrible book.
Review: I started laughing out loud when I flipped through this book. Blah New Age mumbo-jumbo is bad enough, but combining it with GOLF is so suburban, it hurts.

I gave this book two stars, though, because sadly enough, I could picture MT/CEO-types reading it and actually improving their golf games.

Rating:
Summary: Approaches mental aspect of golf uniquely.
Review: I think this is a good book on golf on the mental side. However, I don't agree with that a golf swing just disappears. With the proper technique, the effective golf swing will not disappear. I also like the book he had written many years ago called Creative Visualization--great mental imagery. In addition, I found Patrick Leonardi's book titled:
"The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better" one of the greatest books I've read on golf instruction. At first I was skeptical about this book after hearing from my friends how much this book helped them lower their scores. I'm convinced now because after utilizing "The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide" now I not only score below 90( which I never have done before in my golfing career) but now I actually broke 80. Well worth the time to learn these techniques and it's way better than taking golf lessons.

Rating:
Summary: Too Deep For Me
Review: I'm a golfer of limited talent. Time after time, I've chunked easy wedges, hit drives out of bounds, and left putts short of the hole. It makes me mad.

The main lesson that I learned in this book was that I should live for the moment and not let my bad shots bother me. Unfortunately, my human frailties and emotions often overcome this advice, no matter how much I attempt to be mindful of every shot.

Chopra's basic premise seems to be that golf is akin to a spiritual journey and that the lessons of golf can be applied to everyday life. I agree with the basic premise, but didn't need the 7 lessons in the book to achieve this revelation. I'm going to stick with my Harvey Penick's Little Red Book because it offers more practical advice that keep me from making the mistakes that boil my blood and cause a negative outlook on golf.

Rating:
Summary: Thank God Deepak Chopra Discovered Golf!!!!
Review: I've been a golfer now for 12 years and a serious reader for even longer. Having devoured books like 'The Legend of Bagger Vance', 'Golf in the Kingdom' and others, the golf/mysticism genre is one that seems to grow stronger and better all the time. Dr. Chopra's book 'Golf for Enlightenment' is another one in this long line of greats. Taking the now popular stance that golf is truly a metaphor for life, he gives us a mystical novel with after chapter commentary on how that segment applied to the game and to life. Think of it as a seven-step program to freedom and enlightenment through the game of golf. I can say with complete honesty that golf has positively changed my life in so many ways. This is why it's so refreshing to read an entertaining story of how it has shaped other people's lives as well. The book is also a very quick read which will leave you imagining the possibilities of your next round. If you love golf and can't get enough of it's endless mysteries and riddles, then this book is definitely for you!

Rating:
Summary: when the student is ready the teacher would appear
Review: I've been playing golf for many years and have tried all instructional books and tapes with very poor and inconsistent results. For sure I discarded the possibility of learning golf thru instructions on the mechanics of the golf swing, after so many years I'm convinced that my brain can't process the many nuances of the golf swing to produce a consistent one.

I've had more success when using mind and feeling techniques in the way that Jim Flick or W. Timothy Gallwey teaches in his book the Inner Game of Golf. Although it has improved my game and lower my handicap apparently my right side of the brain is underdeveloped and is still very hard for me to have consistent success.

In Dr.Chopra's approach to golf instruction he raises the level from the mechanical and the emotional all the way to the spiritual level. Maybe it has been that I've been searching for a different approach to the game and at the same time I love all this spiritual literature but the reality is that by using this book as an instructional guide and appplyng his techniques with an irrational faith has make me play the most sublime golf I have ever played in my life. Not necessarily by lowering my score wich I have done lately but by hitting the golf ball with a joy and a pleasure that I didn't have before.

A friend lend me this book the night before a tournament and I finished reading it in my car in the way to the tournament ( is a short book and I was in heavy traffic). In the first tee I imagined a line from the ball to my heart and did as he recommends and for some reason I hit the longest and most beautiful drive I've ever hit, I still go to sleep with the memory of that shot in my mind. Needless to say I played a wonderful round and won the tournament.

I'm still inconsistent but when I can really connect and truly play from my heart the results are beautiful. In my case this book has really impacted my golf game and my life is also fine, thank you.

Rating:
Summary: A nice change of pace for a golf book
Review: The game of golf in my opinion is 50% mechanics and 50% psychological. Golfers tend to get sour when they over-analyze everything from the swing to the short game. It is just as important to learn to relax and enjoy the game. Chopra brings this point home. Enjoy the game with its ups and downs as you would the game of life.
I once had a collegue at work come with me to the driving range, where I practiced my swing every other day. He took the driver and hit the ball further than I ever did, and although not quite as straight, good enough for a good lie. Completely frustrated, I asked him "How is it that you can hit the ball so good for a non-golfer." He replied, "I don't think about it much. I just hit it."
I think it would do a lot of golfers well to look at the spiritual side of golf and take in the surroundings, rather than focus on just the mechanics.