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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.

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.

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!