Playing Out of Your Mind: Moving Beyond Swing Mechanics by Dave Johnston is a guide to lowering your golf scores. The book begins with Jonathon, a golfer obsessed with spending hours of practice while trying to correct errors in his swing. When his usual golfing buddies leave him because an author was signing books at the golf course, Jonathon decides to work on the latest swing technique that he saw on YouTube. Since Jonathon doesn’t like to play alone, the author approaches him at the practice tee and offers to accompany him for a round of golf. Jonathon accepts with the thought of exposing the author as a fraud. And so the fun begins, because Dave is not going to play, or offer advice on Jonathon’s swing. He does, however, ask lots of unexpected questions that get under Jonathon’s skin, so to speak, especially after Jonathon has two disastrous holes to begin the round.

Dave Johnston is taking notes as he talks to Jonathon, telling him that he is just gathering material for his next book. The questions Dave asks seem really stupid to Jonathon, so his answers are sarcastic anecdotes that will have you laughing out loud. Dave begins making simple suggestions about Jonathon’s choice of clubs, and gives him alternative options for each shot. What’s more, he has Jonathon get rid of his score card, and has him write down in a note book a different type of score. One that rates his shots. Suddenly Jonathon starts getting better scores than usual, but in an unorthodox way. Most of Jonathon’s problems were in his mind, so Dave asks all the right questions that help Jonathon to change his way of thinking. Jonathon’s stubbornness subsides when he realizes that moving beyond his swing mechanics gives him food for thought as he begins Playing Out of his Mind, so to speak. As an avid golfer, I totally agree with Dave Johnston’s common sense methods. This book is a hilarious must-read for golfers of every level.

Playing Out Of Your Mind: Moving Beyond Swing Mechanics is Volume 3 of Dave Johnston's golfing series, Just Hit The Damn Ball. The course described in the book is a real course at Cedarbrae Golf and Country Club. Jonathan's a high-par golfer whose game is pretty consistently in the low to mid nineties. He's ready for a workout when he notices a crowd as he approaches the club. He's unable to get his favorite parking spot and is building a head of steam when he notices a line of golfers approaching a table where some guy is signing his book about yet another method of playing golf. To make matters worse, his golfing partners all bail out on him after having their copies signed. Jonathan picks up a copy of the book, has the author sign it, and resigns himself to working on the practice range. The author follows him out to the range and asks if he can tag along as Jonathan plays nine holes. It's taking a lot of self-control as Jonathan puts up with the questions Dave poses, but somehow the things he suggests actually work.

Dave Johnston's golfing book, Playing Out Of Your Mind: Moving Beyond Swing Mechanics: Just Hit The Damn Ball, Volume 3 will not only show you how to stop working against yourself when playing golf; the tips and wisdom shared within these pages can be put to use in just about any other sport or aspect of your life. I was fascinated by how Dave sometimes subtly, and other times not-so-subtly alters Jonathan's mindset, expectations and strategies while he plays out the nine holes. As I read, I thought to myself how much sense it all made, and I started visualizing how I could make use of the skills I was learning. I'm also quite impressed with the way Johnston coaches both Jonathan and the reader. It's never preachy or overly metaphysical, and Dave's delivery of his knowledge entertains while it educates. Moving Beyond Swing Mechanics: Just Hit The Damn Ball, Volume 3 is highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their performance in golf, sports and life.