The Four Foundations of Golf: How to Build a Game That Lasts a Lifetime

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Are you struggling to take your golf game to the next level? Learn the philosophy that has helped thousands of players worldwide lower their scores and improve their relationship with golf. You don't need to be perfect to have a great round of golf; you need to be patient. At least one part of your game is going to abandon you. If you can remind yourself that mistakes are OK and have the mental resolve to dig in, your scores will improve. Whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced player, The Four Foundations of Golf will give you the blueprint to build a stronger, longer-lasting game. This is not your typical, fluffy golf guide that leaves all the important details out. Since 2015, Practical Golf has been one of the top online game-improvement resources for golfers. Jon Sherman has written hundreds of articles, sharing his perspective as a player-coach. You can finally get all of the methods he's used to become a scratch golfer and coach other golfers in one complete guide. Every golfer wants to know the secrets to golf. But they are always looking in the wrong places. There are four foundations to building a successful game—expectation management, strategy, practice, and a sharp mental game. In each of these sections, you will receive tangible and actionable advice. Finally, you will no longer have to feel like you are lost and alone in your golf game.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is often asked what book he recommends to new investors. His answer is The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (aka the father of value investing). Every golfer wants to know the secrets to golf. But they are always looking in the wrong places. There are four foundations to building a successful game - expectation management, strategy, practice, and a sharp mental game. In each of these sections, you will receive tangible and actionable advice. So what is grit on the golf course? For me, it’s a straightforward definition. It’s a commitment to yourself that you will not give up and stay mentally engaged no matter what happens. And this is another moment where you have to choose your adventure. For some, this level of commitment might not make sense or isn’t fun. And I have to stress that it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition; there is no perfection with grit. Approaching each hole or your entire round with a target score can be counterproductive. It puts you in a results-oriented mindset when you should be more focused on your habits and process on the course. Instead of being the golfer who starts their round thinking they want to shoot a specific score, shift your mindset to being the golfer who will evaluate each situation independently and make an optimal decision. LSW does a better job IMO of helping steer the reader towards effective use of practice time by introducing the concept of “Separation Value”.When you’re looking to solve a problem in your golf game, having grit and the proper habits is usually a winning combination. I recommend the book Atomic Habits to just about everyone who follows Practical Golf. This video course will be valuable for anyone who loved the Four Foundations book – but also for golfers who learn better from watching videos rather than reading book content. First, the main portion of the video course is divided into six main modules. My favorite three modules were Managing Your Expectations, Learning The Basics Of Strategy, and The Mental Game. Jon presents clear discussions of some of the most valuable information from the book in all of the six modules.

It wasn’t easy, but now I genuinely believe that I am good at both. But I had to change my processes and habits along the way. As I kept slowly chipping away and celebrating my tiny accomplishments, I was also proving my new identity. I did not want to be the dissatisfied golfer who looked at the course with fear anymore. Using Grit On the Course Jon offers a genuinely unique perspective as a player-coach. His methods are tried and tested - and proven to help golfers worldwide get better without having to stand on a range all day, tinkering with their swing. The Four Foundations of Golf is an excellent addition to any golf library, explaining a wide range of improvement methods in great depth without being confusing. You'll get so much out of this book, you'd be a fool not to get it!" Finally, you will no longer have to feel like you are lost and alone in your golf game. The Four Foundations will teach you how to be your own coach, and not waste time on methods that don’t work. Stop listening to your friend’s questionable tips and learn what all the greats have figured out. Many golfers can identify with some of these words. And, of course, I want your pursuit of better golf to be primarily fun and playful. But because this game can be so challenging and mentally exhausting at times, adding a bit of grit is almost necessary for most. What Grit Can Look Like Off the CourseMy three sons will read this book, specifically Part One: Managing Expectations. While you can reference specific areas of Jon’s book directly without issue, I highly recommend you read Part 1 first. This section, along with the work of many of Jon’s references, showed data and educated or corrected me on defining: what is a good golf shot; what is a good round; and setting realistic performance expectations. Part 1 is applicable beyond golf (as is the Mental Game, Part 4). Unfortunately, we can’t have it both ways. You can’t become the golfer at the top of your mountain (which is different for each player) without climbing through some mud at the bottom.

the idea of becoming competent at using driver off the tee. Stats don't lie - proximity to the hole after your tee shot has a very marked correlation to score. Practicing getting good at driving the ball is likely to have the biggest impact on your game. Most golfers are way too hard on themselves and expect much higher performance than necessary to achieve their scoring goals. The ⅔ rule breaks the game into three phases: tee shots, approach shots and finesse shots. You should never expect to score 3/3; at minimum, one part of your game will not perform above average. Shooting your lowest scores can come with a ⅔ score and average scoring can occur with only ⅓. The main goal is to start avoiding rounds where you score a 0/3, and everything in this book will help you do that! Keep reminding yourself that you don’t need to be perfect to play your best golf; you need to be patient. At a minimum, one part of your game can feel like a struggle on any given day. There are many reasons why “golf grit” is harder to develop. It’s much easier for some to give up when you become embarrassed and your ego is damaged. I know that was the case for me. Finally, you will no longer have to feel like you are lost and alone in your golf game. The Four Foundations will teach you how to be your own coach, and not waste time on methods that don't work. Stop listening to your friend's questionable tips and learn what all the greats have figured out. At every handicap level, double-bogey avoidance is a more significant separator in scoring potential than birdies. One of the cornerstones of course management is making optimal decisions that will reduce double bogeys. Aggressive decision-making, particularly on approach shots and greenside wedges, is counterproductive. Often, it results in an increase in score rather than the desired outcome (birdie).

Think of birdies as an occasional bonus. Overall, you should not pursue them; it will create more mistakes than it’s worth. A typical PGA Tour player averages about 3.5 birdies per round, and most of those occur on Par 5s. Recreational golfers seldom make birdies, even scratch golfers! Birdies are challenging because of a mixture of approach shot proximity and putting difficulty. It is much easier to prevent larger scores than to make birdies. That is the cornerstone of smart strategic play. Jon does an amazing job at quantifying the specific areas of your game that you need to improve if you want to start scoring better. This isn't just some random book filled with fluff. It's about understanding how to be more efficient with your time to get the most out of your game on various topics. He leaves no stone unturned. I highly recommend it!"