Golf for Enlightenment: The Seven Lessons for the Game of Life

Deepak Chopra has discovered the delights—and frustrations—of golf, and he is passionate about the game. Confronted by the wild ups and downs of his own play, he consulted with golf professionals and developed a new approach to the game that any golfer can follow—from the novice to the expert. The results can be measured not only in increased enjoyment and skill, but also in greater wisdom about life beyond the 18th hole.

Chopra’s own game has improved dramatically since incorporating the elements of his program. Instead of focusing on the mechanics of a “perfect” swing, Chopra reveals how golf can be mastered through mindfulness, a form of awareness that combines sharp focus and relaxation at the same time. Expanded awareness, he tells us, can accomplish much more than external mechanics to improve one’s game.

But Golf for Enlightenment is also an engrossing story about Adam, an Everyman who is playing a terrible round of golf when he meets a mysterious young teaching pro named Leela. In seven short but profound lessons detailing spiritual strategies, she teaches Adam the essence of a game that has much to explain about life itself.
Chopra has spent the last year taking the unique message in Golf for Enlightenment nationwide, teaching the essential tenets of his program at lectures and seminars to golfers everywhere. His message continues to help players turn an obsession into a positive life path.

Golf is a no-nonsense sport. You've got your balls, your clubs, and your course. So what is this Indian spiritualist doctor doing barging into the middle of it with his mystical theories of life? Well, as Harvey Penick once observed, golf is life. And if there's a way to improve your life, it will probably improve your golf. This is where Dr. Chopra comes in, because he's a keen observer and diagnostician of life and golf. He tells us the story of Adam, who is having a terrible day on the links, and who meets up with a sweet golf pro named Wendy. In seven short but memorable lessons, she teaches him principles which will help him to improve his game and to improve his outlook on life.

Publishers Weekly

Chopra turns his mind-body eye on golf, a recently acquired personal hobby. Unfortunately, he juxtaposes his metaphysical approach to enjoyment and mastery of the game with a less-than-masterful fiction about Adam Seaver, a 36-year-old Bostonian who often lets his emotions and ego interfere with his golf swing. Adam encounters a mysterious male stranger during a particularly horrendous round of golf. When Adam follows the stranger's instructions and shows up at an isolated shack for some much-needed lessons, a young, attractive woman named Wendy appears and proceeds to teach Adam about his inner game. Each lesson is separated into three parts: The Lesson (the fiction), Playing the Game (what the lesson taught Adam about golf) and Applied to Life (the relationship of golf to a happier, more spiritual life). Adam eventually falls in love with Wendy and achieves the perfect swing, only to have both suddenly disappear. Chopra posits that life and golf are similar games and each can be mastered-offering maxims such as, "You and the ball are one," "Play from your heart to the hole," and "Let the game play you"-but the appeal to the average golfer may be limited. (Mar.) Forecast: While the golfing crowd may not flock to this book, with national publicity, national radio campaign, six-city author tour, cross-promotion with Taylor Made Golf Apparel and Golf for Enlightenment seminars, the bestselling author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind is sure to find an audience for this latest offering. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Bestselling author Deepak Chopra is widely recognized as one of the world s leading authorities in the field of holistic medicine. His belief that the mind, body, and spirit are closely interknit has won him legions of followers.