Gio Valiante

In Tin Cup, one of the best golf movies of all time, there is a wonderful scene in which also-ran professional golfer Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy is in session with Dr. Molly Griswold, a beautiful psychologist to whom he is very much attracted. After he describes the “inner demons” that haunt his golf game in overly grandiose and metaphorical terms, Dr. Griswold responds: “Roy, Roy, Roy, you don’t have inner demons. What you have is inner crapola, inner debris...garbage…loose show more wires…horseshit in staggering amounts.”

Helping rid us of our own inner crapola is just what Gio Valiante, mental coach to many prominent PGA Tour professionals, attempts to do in Golf Flow. The state of flow, which the author defines as “…the sense of effortless action [people] feel in moments that stand out as the best in their lives,” is alternately described in more euphemistic terms as being when we find ourselves “in the zone,” “locked in,” or even “en fuego.” Valiante concedes that golfers cannot consciously will themselves into a flow state, but they can prepare both mentally and physically to make “generating flow” more likely to occur. The book offers several general testimonials and specific recommendations aimed at reaching that goal.

Unfortunately, I did not find this to be a wholly successful effort. For me, the main problem is that Valiante spent so much time telling us about—and endlessly quoting—the professional golfers he coaches that there was very little information which could be applied directly to those of us who play the game on a purely recreational basis. In fact, I only really found the final ten chapters comprising the last third of the book to be useful. At around 220 pages, it is by no means a lengthy work, but it still felt bloated and redundant; it could easily be condensed to around 70-80 pages without losing any substantive content. Beyond that, the book contains a number of inconsistencies (e.g., Fred Couples did not win the Masters twice, the Players Championship has not been held at Sawgrass Country Club for more than 30 years) and pretensions (e.g., the author consistently takes credit for “his” golfers’ successes, all references to distance are expressed in yards and meters) that distract greatly from the main message.

Still, despite its myriad flaws Golf Flow does contain some useful thoughts and concepts. I particularly liked Valiante’s emphasis on developing a mastery golf mindset—as distinct from an egocentric mindset—in which one focuses on internal measures of success (e.g., what improvements were achieved) rather than external ones (e.g., the score at the end of the round). Also, the chapters on purposeful practice, crafting a positive environment, and time management principles are likely to be helpful. So, although its many shortcomings prevent me from offering an unqualified recommendation, this book contains just enough guidance for clearing out the inner debris of the average golfer to merit a quick read. show less

Having never read a sport psychology book before, I requested "Golf Flow" because my 13 year-old son is quite a good golfer. He knows golf is largely mental, but I was hoping this book would help me help him to better understand HOW mental is it.

I also must admit that I only read half the book. The first half was very good as it explained, with lots of examples, how having the right attitude and purpose in golf was paramount to playing better golf. While there are many case scenarios in the show more first half, the second half is dedicated primarily to them. I didn't find this quite as interesting, so I found myself going to the book less and less. A busy schedule didn't help, either.

But make no mistake, I used up at least half of a Highlighter throughout the first half. These are points I hope to ingrain in my son so he can not only play better, but enjoy the game better.

"Golf Flow" is author Gio Valiante's term for "in the zone;" a term more often associated with sports. It's that paradoxical feeling that time slows down, but the round is over quickly; that you were concentrating very hard, but that you mind was free, etc.

I think the most surprising thing I learned was how many people, pros included, don't really know why they play golf. This is one of the first questions Valiante asks his clients. One pro simply answered that all he knew was that he'd been playing since he was little. Valiante encourages people to know why they play--is it because you see the game as challenging, or because you want accolades from peers. If you play because you love the challenge and uniqueness of the sport, then you'll ultimately be more successful because you're not focusing solely on results.

I've no doubt that if you're serious about golf, you'll get quite a bit out of "Golf Flow." show less

Golf Flow brings a focus on the mental side of golf, offering good advice on maintaining a positive, constructive attitude on the course. Valiante provides a great deal of current research to back up his advice. He also gives readers ways to practice those mental states. However, much of it feels very “guru-ish” at times – a lot of lofty ideas without much structure. These ideas may be very difficult for amateurs to grasp, let alone put into practice.

Probably the best parts of Golf show more Flow are the sections written by current top PGA pros who recount how finding their “mental flow” allowed them to play their best at critical times. Valiante has a hefty pedigree working with some of the most successful Tour pros playing. And his advice is certainly one more asset for the elite to make it from great to champion. The trouble is that it is presented from an elite perspective while most consumers of golf self-help books are beginners and hackers looking to find a way to shave some strokes in a game where they pay to play – not get paid to play.

Golf Flow may give the high-level, competitive golfer another tool to take their game to a higher level. However, most amateurs are not going to have the skillset or understanding of the game to get a great deal of use out of this book. The professional insights are interesting and there are a few nuggets of wisdom contained in Golf Flow, but there are many far more useful golf learning books on the market for the 95% of amateurs looking to play better. Golf Flow would not be my first choice for them. show less

Practice golf enough so that your muscles drive your swing. Keep your brain out of it so you don't defeat yourself. Focus on mastery, not ego. This is the advice offered by Gio Valentis in Flow. Mr. Valentis spends the first part of his book telling success stories from his sports psychology work with professional golfers like Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar. He spends the second portion giving a top ten action list for a golfer to improve his individual game. Rather than 'What did you shoot?" show more ask yourself "What did I learn?" in today's round to transition to mastery golf and achieve flow, the in- the-zone quality we observe in all sports when elite athletes are playing their best.

The advice makes good sense, and, although the book is aimed at serious and even elite golfers, can be applied at some level by the casual player as well. show less