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The Unstoppable Golfer
It's no secret that more than two-thirds of the shots a golfer makes are short ones: putts, chips, and pitches. Long drives may garner applause, but whether a golfer wants to win the Masters or just five pounds from his mates on Saturday morning, it's the little shots that make the difference.
In The Unstoppable Golfer, Dr. Rotella, who has worked with stars like Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, will teach readers how to use their minds to master the short game, by achieving a calm state of mind in which the focus is only one thing-the hole. In addition to preparing players mentally, Rotella will also explain the science of memory, and how knowledge of the brain's workings-in particular how it masters physical tasks-can improve a golf game, particularly the short game.
The path to greatness isn't an easy one, and a player needs inspiration, which will come from great stories about the golfers and other sports professionals that Rotella has worked with. Mastering chips, pitches, bunker shots, and putts provides one of the ultimate pleasures of the game--and this is a pleasure readers will come to know by training their minds to become unstoppable golfers.
In The Unstoppable Golfer, Dr. Rotella, who has worked with stars like Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, will teach readers how to use their minds to master the short game, by achieving a calm state of mind in which the focus is only one thing-the hole. In addition to preparing players mentally, Rotella will also explain the science of memory, and how knowledge of the brain's workings-in particular how it masters physical tasks-can improve a golf game, particularly the short game.
The path to greatness isn't an easy one, and a player needs inspiration, which will come from great stories about the golfers and other sports professionals that Rotella has worked with. Mastering chips, pitches, bunker shots, and putts provides one of the ultimate pleasures of the game--and this is a pleasure readers will come to know by training their minds to become unstoppable golfers.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
114 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 11, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 big ones!!!
This was definitely one of my favorite golf books. There was good golf info mixed with real people stories. Learned about golfers I didn’t know much about.
There was concept of how the the subconscious mind can work backed up by a medical case study.
The big take away is that you can perform much better if you can find a way to not let your mind get in the way. Think about trying to walk a straight line, if you start thinking about trying to do it, how to do it, chances are you will start to trip over your own feet. Your body can do many things without you thinking about them, and when you start thinking about how to do it can go bad. Playing a piano well largely relies on you letting it happen, not thinking about the keys. The same goes for sports.
Not easy to do but coming up with ways to do that is the first step to doing it...such as a pre shot routine you follow every time.
So highly recommend for any level of golfer...
This was definitely one of my favorite golf books. There was good golf info mixed with real people stories. Learned about golfers I didn’t know much about.
There was concept of how the the subconscious mind can work backed up by a medical case study.
The big take away is that you can perform much better if you can find a way to not let your mind get in the way. Think about trying to walk a straight line, if you start thinking about trying to do it, how to do it, chances are you will start to trip over your own feet. Your body can do many things without you thinking about them, and when you start thinking about how to do it can go bad. Playing a piano well largely relies on you letting it happen, not thinking about the keys. The same goes for sports.
Not easy to do but coming up with ways to do that is the first step to doing it...such as a pre shot routine you follow every time.
So highly recommend for any level of golfer...
October 24, 2021
If you want to know the successful golfer thinks and puts a great round together, this is the book for you. I been working on my golf game for many years starting on a 27 handicap when I first joined a golf club. I have experienced many of the frustrations that golf throws at you. I have read many of Bob Rotella's books and now play off a 5 handicap.
This book is as much for the casual golfer as it is for the more committed one. The book is written in a very accessible and readable way. There are plenty of real life stories to back up the theory from golfers of all standards.
Here are some of the key learnings:
1. Always play in the subconscious mind. Get out of your own way. Conscious thoughts get in the way of making a good stroke. Trust your mechanics.
2. Embrace the short game.
3. Pre-shot routine: take a practice swing and focus on the target as you do so. Look at the target. Look at the ball. Let it go.
4. Putting is the fastest way to improving your scores.
5. The pitch shot is the most important wedge shot that you can have. Play it well.
Happy golfing!
This book is as much for the casual golfer as it is for the more committed one. The book is written in a very accessible and readable way. There are plenty of real life stories to back up the theory from golfers of all standards.
Here are some of the key learnings:
1. Always play in the subconscious mind. Get out of your own way. Conscious thoughts get in the way of making a good stroke. Trust your mechanics.
2. Embrace the short game.
3. Pre-shot routine: take a practice swing and focus on the target as you do so. Look at the target. Look at the ball. Let it go.
4. Putting is the fastest way to improving your scores.
5. The pitch shot is the most important wedge shot that you can have. Play it well.
Happy golfing!
November 25, 2020
Rotella does a good job writing about golf at a surficial level... but he does nothing to help you really understand how to physically get better at the game... it is sort of a Tony Robbins approach to golf... I will read this again in 2021 after i have played a few games of golf and am trying to get better at the short game... this book will inspire me but it won't actually help me with lessons and tips to improve my game... only tips in this book is what to do with your mind... his basic mind improvement tip is to let your subconscious do the work when it comes to your swing... this is Rotella's method of writing in all of his books... it is a mind game book and you really only need to read excerpts from it to get the best out of it...
June 28, 2024
Hmm. Bob Rotella is a highly respected sports physiologist who has helped many of the world’s best golfers battle their demons and set them on a path to victory in many Majors and on the USPGA tour.
His work is much admired and I dare say he has made a lot of money from his sage advice and, rightly, has a large and devoted following.
What he writes here is sound, common sense even, but I found the book a bit repetitive and a something akin to ‘Motherhood and Apple Pie’. Perhaps listening to it - with Dr Bob narrating it himself - was the mistake; his narration was monotone and stilted, albeit providing some nice glimpses into his relationships with some great golfers.
3/5
His work is much admired and I dare say he has made a lot of money from his sage advice and, rightly, has a large and devoted following.
What he writes here is sound, common sense even, but I found the book a bit repetitive and a something akin to ‘Motherhood and Apple Pie’. Perhaps listening to it - with Dr Bob narrating it himself - was the mistake; his narration was monotone and stilted, albeit providing some nice glimpses into his relationships with some great golfers.
3/5
August 28, 2021
Excellent and Useful Read!
This is a rather useful, albeit direct and useful, guide to getting out of one’s way as a golfer and letting the unconscious take over. Of course, it is not a magic bullet and is predicated on the assumption of acquired skills through practice. However, it really speaks to the importance of mind relaxation to allow one’s cultivated motor skills to take over during a round rather than to overthink each shot. It has been very helpful to me thus far and I hope that it can be for you too.
This is a rather useful, albeit direct and useful, guide to getting out of one’s way as a golfer and letting the unconscious take over. Of course, it is not a magic bullet and is predicated on the assumption of acquired skills through practice. However, it really speaks to the importance of mind relaxation to allow one’s cultivated motor skills to take over during a round rather than to overthink each shot. It has been very helpful to me thus far and I hope that it can be for you too.
August 9, 2025
Dr. Rotella once again shares with golfers how to improve their game by going "unconscious" and not letting all those voices of doubt mess with their head while playing golf. He points out how the short game is really where a golfer can lower their overall score. Good tips and drills to practice are described throughout the book as well as stories about golfers he as worked with to improve their golf game.
November 20, 2020
Very simple yet overwhelmingly brilliant!!!
Stop watching all those YouTube videos and just read this book. It's that simple! This book will revolutionise the way you think, act and play golf!!!
Stop watching all those YouTube videos and just read this book. It's that simple! This book will revolutionise the way you think, act and play golf!!!
February 27, 2019
As obvious as this might sound, you’d really need to be a golf player to enjoy this book, there is some take away messages for other sports & life, but this is predominantly a golfers book.
July 7, 2019
Positive thinking
It works, but not easy to do all of the time! As pointed out without appropriate coaching it cannot be as effective.
It works, but not easy to do all of the time! As pointed out without appropriate coaching it cannot be as effective.
September 17, 2019
Consistently solid writing on fundamentals of mental approach to short game for all.
March 30, 2021
Golf psychology at its best. Helpful thoughts on how to approach the game.
November 16, 2021
Another solid book by Dr Bob
August 10, 2022
Short, concise book on the mental side of golf and the mindset of the best golfers. The author includes some great examples from his career coaching pro golfers.
May 28, 2024
Great book. I put into practice a lot of the information and it’s really helped my game. This is a must read for anyone who wants to improve their game.
June 1, 2024
In hindsight, I should have read this book first.
May 30, 2012
I love the short game in golf. There's no question that striking a full shot is satisfying and momentarily rewarding, but quite frankly there's a certain sameness to it that fails to hold interest very long. The short game, though, is predicated on variety. Chips, pitches, bunker blasts, bump-and-runs, digging a ball out of the collar of rough a dozen feet from the pin--every shot is different, every shot makes you think, and every shot really, really counts. And then there is putting, which is the most nerve-wracking of all.
In The Unstoppable Golfer, Dr. Bob Rotella, golf psychologist to stars like Keegan Bradley, Padraig Harrington, and Darren Clarke, says, "...nearly all golfers have the physical ability required to pitch the ball, to chip it, to putt it. If we're not doing those things, It's because we're somehow stopping ourselves." In other words, we get in our own way.
Rotella says it's often fear that crowds our minds, pushing and shoving its way and calling out for negative images, contradictory swing thoughts, and herky-jerky responses. The solution? To achieve a state of calm by focusing on one thing: the hole.
He couldn't be more right, of course. If you focus on your target, visualize the ball getting there, and commit to a play based on belief in its success, you're more than half-way to a great short game. Rotella fills the book with stories of his students (patients?) who learned to quiet their minds and let their instincts lead them to better golf. He covers no swing mechanics, but does break down how your mind should work when faced with typical short game situations like pitch shots over hazards, getting up and down from a bunker, and lining up long putts to go in rather than just lag close.
He has a special section on the "yips" in which he discounts the theory that there's some physical cause behind them but offers instead a solid, results-proven method to mentally overcome them. Of course, Dr. Bob doesn't deal with the little blue gnome that pesters one of the characters in my book of golf stories, Weird Golf, but you can't expect him to cover everything, can you?
The short game is the scoring game, according to nearly every golf guru I've ever talked to. You can drive the ball 340 yards, but if you can't get it in the hole, you can't put birdies and pars on your scorecard. Dr. Bob's book will help.
In The Unstoppable Golfer, Dr. Bob Rotella, golf psychologist to stars like Keegan Bradley, Padraig Harrington, and Darren Clarke, says, "...nearly all golfers have the physical ability required to pitch the ball, to chip it, to putt it. If we're not doing those things, It's because we're somehow stopping ourselves." In other words, we get in our own way.
Rotella says it's often fear that crowds our minds, pushing and shoving its way and calling out for negative images, contradictory swing thoughts, and herky-jerky responses. The solution? To achieve a state of calm by focusing on one thing: the hole.
He couldn't be more right, of course. If you focus on your target, visualize the ball getting there, and commit to a play based on belief in its success, you're more than half-way to a great short game. Rotella fills the book with stories of his students (patients?) who learned to quiet their minds and let their instincts lead them to better golf. He covers no swing mechanics, but does break down how your mind should work when faced with typical short game situations like pitch shots over hazards, getting up and down from a bunker, and lining up long putts to go in rather than just lag close.
He has a special section on the "yips" in which he discounts the theory that there's some physical cause behind them but offers instead a solid, results-proven method to mentally overcome them. Of course, Dr. Bob doesn't deal with the little blue gnome that pesters one of the characters in my book of golf stories, Weird Golf, but you can't expect him to cover everything, can you?
The short game is the scoring game, according to nearly every golf guru I've ever talked to. You can drive the ball 340 yards, but if you can't get it in the hole, you can't put birdies and pars on your scorecard. Dr. Bob's book will help.
July 8, 2015
As someone who can fall into the trap of playing "golf swing" rather than golf, this is a well-written, very actionable book for getting out of your own way, and getting yourself to give "the same, low-level of importance to each shot" and staying in the present (which Rotella calls "going unconscious"). I appreciated the real examples from tour and club players, as well as specific practice guidance.
A I'm a huge fan of Bob Rotella's teaching, and his instruction will help you score. The only reason it's not 5-stars is that a lot of content is similar to his prior books. It makes me want to go back and read Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect, which I first read years ago.
A I'm a huge fan of Bob Rotella's teaching, and his instruction will help you score. The only reason it's not 5-stars is that a lot of content is similar to his prior books. It makes me want to go back and read Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect, which I first read years ago.
August 28, 2022
As always, Dr. Bob has great advice. It's been almost a month since I read this book and it has changed my game. I don't get made nearly as much as I used to and I have a lot more confidence in my short game.
My two favorite quotes:
1. "If a golfer has confidence in his short game - if he looks forward to opportunities to show it off on the golf [course] - it helps him to calmly accept whatever happens on the course."
2. "No matter where it ends up, I am going to accept it, go get it, and score with it. You must feel that a new game of golf starts at the end of every shot."
My two favorite quotes:
1. "If a golfer has confidence in his short game - if he looks forward to opportunities to show it off on the golf [course] - it helps him to calmly accept whatever happens on the course."
2. "No matter where it ends up, I am going to accept it, go get it, and score with it. You must feel that a new game of golf starts at the end of every shot."
January 18, 2013
I didn't think it was as good as some of Rotella's other books. While it tried to emphasise the short game, there was nothing about the book that was really all that short-game specific other than the ancedotes told. Like all his books, I feel inspired to go out and play after reading it, but I'm having a hard time putting my finger on any particular thing I'm going to do differently after reading this.
March 15, 2016
Bob Rosella's books on the mental side of golf are definitely worth reading, however if you've a few there is not much new information in The Unstoppable Golfer. This is a must read for any golfer who hasn't read any of his books. Basically you need to let the unconscious mind rule when on the course and gat all conscious thoughts out about swing and etc. The other major theme is how to build self confidence, the most important element to any golf game.
June 24, 2013
Nothing here that will be groundbreaking for Rotella fans but nonetheless it sets out his principles in probably the most concise form yet. On a par (pardon the pun) with his seminal 'Golf is Not a Game of Perfect' and, in a similar vein to that book, this is one I can see myself returning to it whenever the principlies need reinforced.
June 4, 2016
Through repetition and explanation, Rotella highlights a few keep components of a successful performer. The book is about golf, but many key lessons can be applied to real life situations. The book didn't change my life, it just rephrase key thoughts to perform in golf. It could be game changing for beginning golfers who want to perform though.
June 18, 2018
The short game is the most important aspect in golf, and the easiest route to improve your game. Dr. Bob's books are all fantastic, and this one is especially important given it's subject matter.
August 23, 2016
A really good book on the Mental Game of Golf. Will probably come back to this book from time to time, as there were some really good chapters.
January 25, 2016
Another great book
March 23, 2023
very nice helpful book
This book helps you learn how to think positively about your golf. I was skeptical but I believe it was helpful, it’s also a nice read
This book helps you learn how to think positively about your golf. I was skeptical but I believe it was helpful, it’s also a nice read
July 19, 2023
Outstanding
I would like to recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the game of golf and wants to improve
I would like to recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the game of golf and wants to improve
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews