Perhaps more than any other sport, golf is a mental game, played as much in your mind as on the course. In this insightful and inspiring book, a Buddhist master and a golf pro team up to share techniques to improve your confidence, concentration—and love of the game. Ever feel like you’re spending all this money on high-end equipment and coaching, and hours in practice, but somehow you're just not improving? Or that you can hit your shots perfectly in practice, but when you step up to the ball in a game, your shot goes awry? Or that you’re leaving the course frustrated—with yourself, your swing, or the world—somehow forgetting that golf is actually supposed to be fun? Enter Jesse Moussa, a golf pro, and YongDong Losar, a geshe (the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of a PhD). The latter shares the rich insights into the workings of the mind that Tibetan Buddhism offers, and the former relates that wisdom to his long career of competition and coaching. Together they offer the techniques they’ve honed over the years to eliminate distraction, maintain focus and equilibrium, and let your swing grow just as the grass does. This is your opportunity to learn from two masters how to remain present and centered regardless of what the game presents to you—and to step up and hit the ball. Geshe YongDong Losar (Geshela) is a Tibetan Bön lama, or spiritual teacher, in the Yungdrung Bön lineage, which is rooted in the indigenous spiritual tradition of the Himalayas. He lives in Courtenay, British Columbia. where he established and directs Sherab Chamma Ling, the only Tibetan Bön Buddhist Center in Canada. He teaches in many centers and universities around the world and has also founded the Bon Da Ling center in Costa Rica. Jesse has extensive education in golf management and instruction in Canada and the United States and has been a Class A Professional with the CPGA since 2007. He has developed his career with the CPGA for seventeen years, and his commitment to the game and industry is still strong. His passion is in growing the love of the game and developing ways to make teaching more effective and learning more fun. Jesse is an inventor of a patented golf training aid, “The Right Touch,” which he developed to help his students wipe out the stubborn slice, with the backing of world-renowned instructors Fred Griffin and Mike Adams. His passion lies in inspiring confidence, enjoyment, and progress in his students and fellow instructors. He believes that improving your skills can be as much fun as playing the game. Jesse’s favorite place to be, other than home, is at the golf course, sharing his love of the game while supporting others, and playing and honing his own skills, too. Geshe-la As I learn the game of golf, one of the most important things I need to keep reminding myself is to slow down: not just my tempo, but my level of urgency and my “trying” dial as well. This same awareness is important in everyday life too. Everyone is on the “go, go, go program,” and once they are on it, pushing forward for more of their personal needs or wants, they don’t know how to stop. They may even feel guilty if they are not pushing as hard as they can. I was in Costa Rica when the Covid-19 pandemic started, and everyone was suddenly in lockdown. For many people[LC1] , this was like an unexpected STOP sign, and I wondered how they would react. So many of us are like ants, working as hard and fast as we can, sometimes forgetting what the original mission was. When we were forced to be still, it led to some stress and, for many people, a wake-up call for healthier change. It is important to take time in our life to be still and balanced, and to find out who we are and have an awareness of what we are doing. True happiness comes when we consciously live, and we mindfully do life. One day Jesse, my golf instructor, told me to slow down and just swing the club without forcing it, and a poem by the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho came to my mind: Sitting quietly, doing nothing spring comes and grass grows by itself If you are just sitting still, everything becomes still. Your mind and thoughts clear. This happens naturally if you don’t try to fabricate it or force anything. That is what I practice and teach in life. Grass grows by itself; you don’t have to push it to grow. We tend to think that doing nothing is not productive, but it is when you are actively still that you can be most productive and successful. It does not mean you do not work at anything, as we all still need to work and continuously learn; instead, we do it mindfully and with ease and let the productivity show itself in its own time. The same thing applies to playing golf. You can take lessons, practice, and set goals—then, let your body swing the club. Try to let go of the mind’s forceful nature and allow your swing to grow, just as the grass grows; it uses the resources it has at hand and grows in its own time. Some days it is easier to do than