Review of Play Golf Better Faster: The Little Golf Bag Book
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Nabiha Qureshi
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- Latest Review: Play Golf Better Faster: The Classic Guide to Optimizing Your Performance and Building Your Best Fast by Kalliope Barlis
Review of Play Golf Better Faster: The Little Golf Bag Book
[Following is a volunteer review of "Play Golf Better Faster: The Little Golf Bag Book" by Kalliope Barlis.]
Play Golf Better Faster by Kalliope Berlis is a practical, nonfiction guide to improving your skills at golf, even if you're a novice at the game. In this book, Berlis shares all kinds of secrets and tricks she implemented to help her play to the best of her abilities.
Berlis explains that when players want to get things done, they pick a date and complete their goal by that time. I believe that's a clever approach. Although some people don't work well with deadlines and due dates, setting up a time for accomplishing a task is critical. After all, if there is no deadline, then things can get dragged on for too long. Furthermore, she states golfers must decide the level of golf they want to play. They must pick a level and go from there, which would give golfers more clarity on how well they can perform.
In addition to this, Berlis accentuates the need for confidence. She states numerous times throughout the book that feelings influence the ability to play, influenced by self-confidence. The belief in oneself spurs confidence: essentially, it's the belief that you are the best. When you tell yourself you can do it, you'll get there, even if it takes time. It doesn't matter if you don't reach your goal instantly; what matters is that you do better than your last attempt and keep practicing. In the book, Barlis mentions savoring a good shot and reversing the bad shot to replay a good one.
However, a few things mentioned throughout the book made me drop a rating. One included Berlis continuously repeating mental exercises, which involved closing your eyes and imagining yourself doing something step-by-step. As someone who struggles with imagination, including making myself actively create a scene in my head, it can be challenging to do what she suggests. I also thought the exercises were over-the-top, as some of the things she mentioned included "closing your eyes and imagining your favorite golfer playing" or "floating your attention towards your goals." While I thought meditating was a good idea, it's not for everyone.
The other was Berlis's focus on confidence as opposed to practice. I believe that while you need to exercise your mind to improve at a sport, what's necessary is continuous practice and repetition. You can't get better at a game if you only imagine yourself being so; imagination can only take you so far, and Berlis places more emphasis on that than practicing physically. And while it's true that your brain often performs without thought (muscle memory), much of it has to do with repeatedly performing that act rather than imagining it. Nevertheless, she held some truth to her words because confidence does push you to do your best.
I found no notable errors in the book, and other than the dislikes I mentioned, I found nothing else distasteful about the book. I give it four out of five stars and would recommend it to anyone interested in getting into golfing.
******
Play Golf Better Faster: The Little Golf Bag Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Play Golf Better Faster by Kalliope Berlis is a practical, nonfiction guide to improving your skills at golf, even if you're a novice at the game. In this book, Berlis shares all kinds of secrets and tricks she implemented to help her play to the best of her abilities.
Berlis explains that when players want to get things done, they pick a date and complete their goal by that time. I believe that's a clever approach. Although some people don't work well with deadlines and due dates, setting up a time for accomplishing a task is critical. After all, if there is no deadline, then things can get dragged on for too long. Furthermore, she states golfers must decide the level of golf they want to play. They must pick a level and go from there, which would give golfers more clarity on how well they can perform.
In addition to this, Berlis accentuates the need for confidence. She states numerous times throughout the book that feelings influence the ability to play, influenced by self-confidence. The belief in oneself spurs confidence: essentially, it's the belief that you are the best. When you tell yourself you can do it, you'll get there, even if it takes time. It doesn't matter if you don't reach your goal instantly; what matters is that you do better than your last attempt and keep practicing. In the book, Barlis mentions savoring a good shot and reversing the bad shot to replay a good one.
However, a few things mentioned throughout the book made me drop a rating. One included Berlis continuously repeating mental exercises, which involved closing your eyes and imagining yourself doing something step-by-step. As someone who struggles with imagination, including making myself actively create a scene in my head, it can be challenging to do what she suggests. I also thought the exercises were over-the-top, as some of the things she mentioned included "closing your eyes and imagining your favorite golfer playing" or "floating your attention towards your goals." While I thought meditating was a good idea, it's not for everyone.
The other was Berlis's focus on confidence as opposed to practice. I believe that while you need to exercise your mind to improve at a sport, what's necessary is continuous practice and repetition. You can't get better at a game if you only imagine yourself being so; imagination can only take you so far, and Berlis places more emphasis on that than practicing physically. And while it's true that your brain often performs without thought (muscle memory), much of it has to do with repeatedly performing that act rather than imagining it. Nevertheless, she held some truth to her words because confidence does push you to do your best.
I found no notable errors in the book, and other than the dislikes I mentioned, I found nothing else distasteful about the book. I give it four out of five stars and would recommend it to anyone interested in getting into golfing.
******
Play Golf Better Faster: The Little Golf Bag Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
