Ernest Jones (1887–1965) is renowned for his accomplishments in teaching many famous professional golfers as well as amateurs. He tutored Virginia Van Wie for many years, including during her stretch of three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships from 1932–34. He also worked with Glenna Collett Vare, Lawson Little, Betty Hicks, Phil Farley, George Schniter, Horton Smith and other top players of the era.

His career included playing competitively on the European tour, head golf professional at several of America’s most esteemed golf clubs, and a career of teaching both tour professional and amateur golfers. In the years after World War II, he conducted his instruction indoors at the Spaulding Building in New York City.

He found that the could achieve better success with his students indoors because they would not be distracted by ball flight and instead focused on performing the swing correctly. Along with Harvey Penick, Tommy Armour, and Percy Boomer, he was inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame in 1977.

This excerpt is sourced from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Jones_%28golfer%29

This is an excellent golf instruction book which will give you an insight into a man who has had a major influence on the golf instruction community over the past eighty years.

Click on this link to download your book Old Golf Book Download #5 The password is oldgolf

I am sure you’ll enjoy reading this book and using the information to help you play better golf.

Until next time,

Lawrie Montague

The only kind of learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered or self-appropriated learning – truth that has been assimilated in experience. – Carl Rogers (Psychologist)

Like you, I have had my fair share of golf lessons. When I played golf for my living I took golf lessons to improve my game, and when I decided to make a career out of teaching other’s how to play golf, I took lessons in how to become a more effective golf instructor/teacher and coach.

The best golf lessons I have ever had have come from playing golf and teaching others how to play golf. This is what makes golf such a great game, the lessons it teaches you everyday, and it’s the reason why golfers from every walk of life are attracted to the game.

When I took golf lessons to improve my game I often struggled to come to terms with the information I was receiving and then to make it worse I struggled to get my body to do it. Sound familiar? It should; golf is not an easy game to learn, improve and play whether you’re a novice golfer or an accomplished amateur or pro golfer. The good news is that the adversity you endure can teach you great lessons if you’re open to them.

Following are five of the most important golf lessons I ever had the pleasure to learn. Maybe you have had similar lessons taught to you by the game of golf.

Lesson #1. Think First
Golf has taught me lot’s of lessons that I remember nearly every day. For instance golf reminds me to think before I act so I can give my self a chance to generate positive thoughts when I’m confronted with a challenging or stressful situation. It is so easy to react first, because we forget that there is a space between cause and effect. I can think before I act every time.

Lesson #2. Be Patient
Golf has taught me to be patient, because improvement can be slower than we would like or expect, and without patience the game is a lot less enjoyable to play. Be patient of other’s. Some golfers get very angry when they are held up by the golfers in the group in front of them and it makes me wonder whether their poor attitude on the golf course affects the way they live their life in general. It probably does.

Lesson #3. Be Tolerant
Golf has taught me to be tolerant of my poor performances on the golf course. The best golfers in the world are the most tolerant because you simply can’t reach the heights of this great game without having to pay a hefty price. Accept the fact that golf is a game of mistakes not good shots. The best golfers know this and accept the consequences of golf shots that don’t go to plan.

Lesson #4. Be Tough
Golf has taught me to be tough when things don’t go as expected. Many times in rounds of golf I could have easily given up but something inside me would say “keep going,” or “don’t give up on yourself.” The hardest thing to do is hang in there when things are crashing down around you. Remember that you have to ride through the storm to get to the sunshine on the other side…It’s always there.

Lesson #5. Be Confident
Golf has taught me to be confident in my skills and ability to get the results I’m striving for. Confident golfers expect to play well, and golfer’s who lack confidence don’t. Expect the best of yourself in every occaision and never settle for less than your best. The only thing that gets in the way of improved performances is thinking that you can’t do it.

So there you have it, the five best golf lessons I have ever had.

If you have lessons that golf has taught you, why don’t you share them with us. I’d really like to know what lessons golf has taught you, about yourself, your life and anything else.

Until next time.

Lawrie Montague

“It’s something you have to find from within. You have to keep pushing yourself from within. It’s not about what other people think and what other people say. It’s about what you want to accomplish, and do you want to go out there and be prepared to beat everyone you play or face.”
- Tiger Woods

Would you play better if you could hit your golf shots without the fear of failure? What if you could stand up to any shot and simply make your stroke without getting caught up in the consequences? Is it possible? You bet it is, and the answer isn’t in swinging the golf club perfectly or something like that. Well known New York golf instructor Mike Hebron once said that ”a good golf swing will lower the highest score you can shoot, but a good mental game will lower the lowest score you can shoot.” Swinging the golf club better will give you confidence, but as you know the mini tours are full of pro golfers who swing the golf club soundly but struggle with their confidence leading to higher score averages and frustration.

A key component of golf confidence is mental toughness.  Mentally tough golfers condition their mind to think confidently so they are able to overcome the normal frustration and negative self-talk associated with playing golf.

What are the key psychological characteristics of mentally tough golfers?

• Mentally tough golfers have an unshakeable self-belief in their ability to achieve their goals in competition and they also believe that they have unique qualities that make them believe that they are better than their fellow competitors. And their competitors know it!
• Mentally tough golfers have an incredible desire and motivation to succeed. This motivation burns from within them, giving them the ability to continually bounce back from setbacks on the golf course with an increased determination to succeed.
• Mentally tough golfers remain fully focused on the shot at hand in the face of the normal distractions of competition. They are able to switch their focus on and off as required, and are not adversely affected by another golfers performance or their own internal distractions like nervousness.
• Mentally tough golfers are able to maintain their composure which allows them to regain control of their game following unexpected events or distractions. They embrace pressure and thrive on the pressure of a competitive situation by being able to keep their mind firmly in the moment.
• Mentally tough golfers accept that anxiety is inevitable part of competition and they know they can cope with it.

To develop unconditional confidence in your golf game start by learning to acknowledge the importance of mental toughness in lowering your golf scores and having more control over your game. Understand that your thoughts will affect your feelings which will affect the way you play golf.

Get control over your negative thinking by giving yourself more than one option. In other words you have more choices than you think when you play so instead of getting frustrated or upset over a shot that didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, choose to simply accept the result and get on with the next one. This is the beginning of becoming tougher on the golf course. Let go of your old thoughts and behaviours and embrace new ways of acting.

In no time at all you will be hitting your golf shots with unconditional golf confidence leading to lower scores and more fun on the golf course.

Until next time.

Lawrie Montague