This book is meant to be unlike any other golf instruction book out on the market today! Mind Game is written from the unique point of view of a golf professional who has not only spent fifty-two years playing at all levels of the sport, from the P.G.A. Tour to the Philadelphia P.G.A. Section, but who has also taught the game for thirty-nine years to over twenty-five thousand individual golfers and at over five hundred clinics and camps. Some well-known teachers have taught the game of golf, but they themselves have never competed on a high level. Some players have played the tour but have never really been teachers. This book has been written from both perspectives. It presents educational information that will help golfers at all levels to maximize their opportunity to become better players. Most importantly, a teacher has to consider each student as an individual. It all begins with and depends on the identity of the student. How can they be helped to identify who they are as a golfer? For this reason, Mind Game will neither describe the so-called perfect positions in the golf swing nor compare your swing to that of Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth or Fred Couples. Understanding how to improve the mechanics of the swing is only a small part or percentage of how to improve a player's game. On the other hand, what it does present is a multitude of unique insights and secrets into how to play better golf, the single-most mentally-challenging sport in the world. The goal is to get inside the player's brain and share many aspects and situations that will allow them to manage themselves and make correct decisions both on and off the golf course. How do you handle nerves away from the golf course? Have you ever spent time at home or in your hotel room with a two-shot lead in either your club championship or the state amateur and wondered how to approach the situation? Do you utilize visualization and a pre-shot routine before each and every shot? Are you aware of ball flight laws? What foods and drinks should you eat or stay away from before and after playing? What should I consider before, during and after taking a lesson? Is there a difference between warmup and practice? How can a player prepare properly for a tournament? What does it mean to be in the zone and can I get there? Why should I be concerned with ball flight laws? What can I learn from brain research? Are there benefits in knowing the rules of the game? In terms of club fitting, what are the benefits of having the correct clubs in your hands? Do they match your individual needs concerning factors such as age, physical condition and flexibility? What about your driver and irons? Are your irons adjusted to the correct lies and lofts? Have you been matched with the proper shafts in all of your clubs? How different are you from the best players in the world in handling matters of insecurity, trust, happiness and confidence? The book is designed to be treated like a journal that can be read and reread many times. Important thoughts can either be highlighted or notes can be written down in the margins. In this light, think of it like a cookbook where the reader can go back numerous times to certain topic "recipes and ingredients" and remind themselves about newly learned secrets and insights.
Stu Ingraham was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in 1960. During his senior year at Cedar Crest High School, he won the P. I. A. A. State High School Championship. Stu received a college golf scholarship to play at East Tennessee State University where he played all four years. In his senior year, he was named a third team All-American. After qualifying ninth at P.G.A. Tour School in 1985, he played one full year in 1986 on the P.G.A. Tour. In 1987, Stu moved to the Philadelphia area, where he continued his career as a P.G.A. club professional. Over the years, he has given over nineteen thousand lessons as well as hundreds of junior and adult clinics. As a recognized national player, Stu has competed in nine overall major championships and twenty-five P.G.A. Professional National Championships. Stu has won the Pennsylvania State Open, the Philadelphia Open, has eight Philadelphia P.G.A. Section Player of the Year awards and five Senior Player of the Year awards. His past seven years has been dedicated to playing and teaching. He is currently the head golf professional and director of instruction at the M Golf Driving Range and Learning Center in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where he also resides. Bob Ockenfuss was born in Southampton, Long Island, New York in 1948. His hometown is East Hampton, New York, where he attended high school and graduated in 1966. During his high school years, Bob played interscholastic baseball, golf and basketball, competing on championship teams in each sport. Bob matriculated to Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where he majored in history, graduated with honors and played intercollegiate basketball for four years and intercollegiate golf for three years. In 1973, Bob and his wife, Judy, moved to Perkasie, Pennsylvania where Bob began to teach at Central Junior High School within the Pennridge School District. During his tenure at Pennridge, Bob taught a variety of social studies subjects, served as a middle school history department chairperson and also coached interscholastic basketball and golf. He retired in 2007.
