Book Review: Your 15th Club

The Great Bobby Jones famously stated, "Golf is a game that's played on a five-inch course - the distance between your ears."

In Your 15th Club: The Inner Secret to Great Golf, Dr. Bob Rotella delves into a golfer's psyche and speaks at length about the process and mental regimen it takes to develop a winning attitude and inner confidence that will allow a player to unlock his very best golfer, no matter his ability level or competitive aspirations. 

A reoccurring theme in the book focuses on something Rotella calls the subconscious self-image; it's all about self confidence rather than swing confidence.

Rotella urges players to believe in themselves, recount their good shots and block out the bad shots. While not dwelling on mistakes made throughout a round may seem like the most difficult task in the world, Your 15^th Club stresses that this type of negativity will only harm your game and create a type of ceiling that will prevent players from posting their best possible scores.

Rotella, who is a renowned golf psychologist and bestselling author of the classic Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, has tried and tested these methods with some of the best players in the world including Padraig Harrington, who has been using these confidence-building methods for years on Tour. Rotella was with Harrington when he won the 2007 British Open.

Some of the helpful topics discussed throughout the book are the art of visualizing success, the keys to scoring well, a golfer's perception vs. reality and the art of self belief.

The book offers a year-long regimen that incorporates the daily mental routines that he assigns to players on the PGA TOUR - this is how the pros learn to ignore the negative influences, focus on productive advice and take pride in their abilities.

Even if you aren't playing at the level of a touring professional, this book can help you focus on your goals like winning your club championship, posting a personal-best or just enjoying the game again.

With almost thirty years of experience, Rotella has what it takes to teach you how to play your best golf in the clutch, and Your 15^th Club will give you the tools you need to trust yourself and your capabilities and find new joy in the game you love.

Rotella was the Director of Sports Psychology for twenty years at the University of Virginia and is now a consultant to many of the world's leading golfers as well as to some of the top golf organizations in the world, including the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, the LPGA, and the Senior PGA Tour. A writer and consultant to Golf Digest, he lives in Virginia with his wife, Darlene.

The book is scheduled for publication sometime in mid-May.