Francis Ouimet, 1913
A 20-year-old amateur and former caddie beat Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to win the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline.
Imagine Golf Academy · 7-day audio series
Are You Kidding Me?
by Rocco Mediate & John Feinstein
7 audio lessons about 22 minutes total
How did Rocco go toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods at the amazing 2008 US Open? Here's what we can learn from Rocco's mental game strategy.
What you'll learn in Are You Kidding Me?
The key ideas of Are You Kidding Me?, in seven short daily lessons.
- 1
Day 1: The Guardrail Exercise
3 minOn your next round, use one simple guardrail before every shot: choose a clear target and commit to it rather than thinking about the score.
- 2
Day 2: The Other Routines
3 minOn your next round, build a between-shot routine: relax your shoulders, breathe slowly, and leave the last shot behind before planning the next.
- 3
Day 3: Rocco’s Sleep Strategy
3 minThe night before your next round, finish your preparations early and give yourself permission to rest instead of rehearsing every possible shot.
- 4
Day 4: The Smart & Flexible Plan
3 minBefore each shot, choose a safe target that fits your usual ball flight, then adjust your club and aim for the lie and wind.
- 5
Day 5: Bringing Out the Best
3 minOn your next round, let a strong opponent sharpen your focus, then commit to your own target and routine.
- 6
Day 6: The Medicine Mantra
3 minWhen trouble strikes, take your medicine: choose a safe recovery shot and focus on the next swing instead of the last mistake.
- 7
Day 7: The Rocky Mindset
4 minWhen a hole goes badly, accept the score and commit fully to a clear target on your next shot.
Listen to every lesson in the Academy
Start with the $7 Mental Game Crash Course, add the Academy at checkout, and this series plus the whole library opens up. First month free.
Start for $7Golf is one of life's greatest teachers.
Imagine Golf is building the largest library of golf wisdom to help golfers of every level think better and play better — on and off the course. Like Aesop's fables, we use story as the teacher: the greats of the game, their triumphs and their disasters, have so much to show us about how to live.
Payne Stewart, 1999
Holed a 15-foot par putt on the final green at Pinehurst No. 2 to win the U.S. Open by one stroke.
Annika Sörenstam, 2003
Became the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA Tour event, teeing it up against the men at the Colonial.
Matt Fitzpatrick, 2013 & 2022
Won the U.S. Amateur at Brookline, then returned nine years later to win the U.S. Open on the very same course.
And then there are your stories — every round has one.