contents Acknowledgments x2 Introduction xu Part 1: A Different Perspective Empty Your Cup Four Kinds of Students 5 Thinking Outside the Box 8 Par for the Course 10 Cover the Roads with Leather 12 How Big Is Your Mind? 14 You Are Not Your Thoughts 17 Basic Goodness 21 Unconditional Confidence 25 Clearing the Interference 27 A Perfect Swing 28

Part 2: The PAR Approach PREPARATION 33 What Is Your Target? 35 Your Mind's Eye 37 The Vividness of the Moment 40 Where Is Your Target? 42 Don't Hit It into the Lake 44 Be Decisive 45 Bacon and Eggs Breakfast 47 More Curious Than Afraid 49 Natural Commitment 52 Avoid the Anyways 54 Dive Under the Waves 58 Cool, Calm, and Collected 59 Listen to Your Intuition 62 Center of Gravity 63 Remember to Breathe 66 Cultivating and Strengthening Awareness 71 ACTION 81 How to Get from the Practice Tee to the First Tee 83 Transitions 86 Synchronizing Body and Mind 90 Give It Time to Sink In 94

CONTENTS Never Keep More Than a Hundred Thoughts in Your Mind During Your Swing 96 During Your Swing Is Not the Time to Give Yourself a Lesson 101 Give Up Control to Get Control 103 You Produce What You Fear 105 Hitting the Target Ten Thousand Times in a Row 108 In Golf We Trust 111 Can You Put a Cat in a Box? 113 To Care or Not to Care 115 How to Make Every Putt 117 Putt with Imagination 120 Don't Count Your Money 129 The Slow-Motion Walk-Up 134 Not Too Tight, Not Too Loose 136 Beware of Trying for a Few Extra Yards 138 Nothing Special, Nothing Extra 141 RESPONSE TO RESULTS 145 The Post-Shot Routine 147 Thanks for the Memories 149 The Angry Guy 151 How to Make a Flower Blossom 153 Pebbles in the Bowl 155 Untie the Sandbags 161

Fire Your Evil Caddie 162 Isn't Where You Have to Play It from Punishment Enough? 164 Accentuate the Positive 165 Uplifted Body, Uplifted Mind 167 You Can't Stop the Waves, but You Can Learn to Surf 169 Why Are You Still Carrying Her? 170 These Things Come and Go 172 Overcoming Self-Sabotage 174 Patience Pays 178 Take Your Medicine 180 How to Enjoy a Bad Round of Golf 182 Who Knows What's Good and What's Bad? 185 Part 3: A Game of Honor Chi Chi's Prayer 191 Shambhala Golf 193 A Warrior's Dignity 196 Gentle, Inquisitive, Fearless 198 Index of Exercises 200 References and Recommended Reading 202 Zen Golf Lessons 204