Every Shot Must Have a Purpose Asks the Impossible (?)

Books on mental toughness ask a lot because they ask us to maintain a positive attitude. “Just believe in your dreams and they will come true.” is a load of pixie dust. What casual golfers need is a path to accomplish the impossible. Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott develop a golfing process to help us reach the impossible (18 birdies in one round = Golf54) and defined it in their book Every Shot Must Have a Purpose.

The Core of Golf54

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott worked with the Swedish National Golf Team and found they could not break the team into higher levels of golf. Part of it was the inability for the players to understand how to break the mental wall into greatness, like breaking a 4:00 mile. To combat this, Pia and Lynn developed the Golf54 principle (a variation of Vision54).

What would be the most outrageous goal in golf? How about 18 consecutive birdies – a 54 on a par 72 course. Traditional thinking says, “That’s impossible. How can anyone shout 54?” But progress is always a break with tradition. It is a paradigm shift. We say imagine the impossible, and then figure out how to make it happen. You are capable hitting a perfect shot – you’ve done it. You will learn how to string those shots together.

Basis of Golf54.

The important factor for us causal golfers is the phrase “you’ve done it.” We have all hit that great shot that flew straight and true just as we planned. Those are the shots we should plan to play. I have not hit a 300 yard drive or 80 sand wedge shot. These should not be in my arsenal of shots. We need to build on the shots we know we can hit and rely on that to shoot our seemingly impossible round.

Every Shot Must Have a Purpose Favorite Idea

Books like Every Shot Must Have a Purpose are full of ideas and practice tips. Not all apply to my game or hold up against the morning’s sun. The idea I liked the best was the concept of the Think Box and the Play Box. These are two areas as you set up a shot. The Think Box is where you [ick your club, practice swing, align your target, and prepare for the shot. Once you step up to the ball, you cross the Decision Line and enter the Swing Box. The only element that matters in the Swing Box is execution. All decisions and doubts are left behind at the Decision Line.

Is Every Shot Must Have a Purpose a Buy, Borrow, or Bypass?

This is tough as I liked the first half of the book. There are good examples of how to make practice more effective and productive. It all depends on where you are in your golf game. This book is best purchased by golfers who want to break 90 or even 100.

Other Books by Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott

• Be a Player: A Breakthrough Approach to Playing Better ON the Golf Course
• Play Your Best Golf Now (I already bought this one)