Richard “Disco Dick” Zokol is a legendary Canadian golfer with just as legendary a success story off the course. This is a Cinderella tale of perseverance and quiet panache, sprinkled throughout with Zokol’s humour and honesty ‒ from acid trips and overcoming what was becoming a drug habit as a teenager, to a 22-year PGA Tour career, to developing a growth mindset that led to creating a mental fitness platform to help golfers at all levels find more Zen moments by staying present.
Released on May 19 by ECW Press, Zokology is an inspiring memoir that will find you returning to its pages to reread and digest some of Zokol’s wisdom and memorable tales from a life well lived. From the time he was a teenager in British Columbia, Zokol set his golf dreams and never looked back. Rather than ruminate on how great the odds were, he focused his energy on how he was going to achieve what others thought impossible; first, by making BYU’s golf team as a walk-on (i.e. without a scholarship or being recruited by the coach); and later, qualifying for the PGA Tour, not once, but five times.
Possibly a play on zoology, meaning the scientific study of animals, Zokology is Richard’s take on making sense of the human mind and its role in the success ‒ and failure ‒ of golfers, no matter at what level they compete.
Growing up in Kitimat, British Columbia, Zokol’s earliest golf memory is from when he was around five years old ‒ he walked alongside his dad for a round and learned his first lesson: don’t pick up someone’s golf ball after they drive it off the tee!
After moving to Vancouver, Zokol’s next golf moment came when he was nine. He and some friends discovered some old clubs and a handful of balls in his grandmother’s basement and they took them to a nearby park for a test run; that’s where, for the first time, Richard felt the freedom and the thrill of hitting a little white dimpled sphere and watching it whiz through the air.
Zokol’s parents eventually purchased a house across the street from Marine Drive GC, where his mom and dad were members. Living near a private club, it’s no wonder that golf became integral to Richard’s life, beginning at 12 when his parents told him he could become a junior member. Not long after, he won his first trophy for Low Net Score for boys 12 and under in a tournament at Tsawwassen Golf Club (known as Tsawwassen Springs today).
More tournaments, more trophies, and caddying on the weekends at Marine Drive followed. Zokol was hooked on golf for life. From a walk-on at Brigham Young University to captaining the golf team to an NCAA championship in his senior year; from early lessons learned as a PGA Tour rookie to competing in more than 450 Tour events over a 22-year career. This is a tale of determination, filled with humour and with life lessons which one can apply both on the course and in the day-to-day, no matter what stage of life one’s at.
The essence of the book is Zokol’s heart and honesty when describing his journey of discovery to find the mindset needed to win not just at golf, but at life. This heartwarming story shines an introspective light on the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.
The birth of Disco Dick
Finally, you say, after dropping this moniker in his opening sentence, he’s finally going to tell us what the heck this “Disco Dick” business is about. The year was 1982; it was Zokol’s rookie season on the PGA Tour. By the time the Greater Milwaukee Open rolled around in July, Zokol’s inaugural campaign in golf’s big leagues was marked mostly by non-starts and missed cuts. Enter the Sony Walkman and a dose, from tee to green, of classic rock. This is where Zokol’s story resonated with me the most strongly because I’ve also witnessed ‒ and harnessed ‒ the power of music to calm the mind. During the first round, Richard pulled his Sony Walkman from his bag and, between shots, donned headphones and cranked The Eagles’ Hotel California at top decibel. Approaching the green, one of his playing partners ‒ Larry Rinker ‒ saw Zokol with his goofy looking headgear on, turned to the third member of their group ‒ Ronnie Black ‒ and said: “Look at Disco Dick!”
That he was not listening to disco music did not matter; what did is that for the rest of that round, Zokol got into a flow state and started racking up birdie after birdie as the likes of Pink Floyd and other classic rock anthems kept him focused. In that first round, Disco Dick ‒ as he would be affectionately known from that day forward ‒ shot 65 and led the tournament. A stumble in the final round led to Zokol finishing in a tie for fifth. While the Walkman was returned to his golf bag and not used again in competition after that memorable week in Milwaukee, what this experience taught him was the importance of the mental side of the game and staying present in each and every moment.
MindTRAK
Following that 1982 rookie season, Zokol went on to play on the PGA Tour for 22 more years, winning twice and finally retiring in 2003. What made the biggest difference in finding success was a change in mindset ‒ discovering what he calls the Holy Grail and describes in layman’s terms as This Present Moment ‒ a secret to performing and competing at the highest levels of golf. This new mindset led to the MindTRAK Golf system and the creation of the MindTRAK golf app.
By David McPherson
Zokology by Richard Zokol, ECW Press, 320 pages, $24.95, May 19.
Looking for some other golf books to while away the hours this summer when not playing? Here are three new ones that I recommend. Happy reading!
- The Story of Golf in Fifty Tournaments by Tony Dear, Back Nine Press, 280 pages, $50, February 1.
- Rory by Alan Shipnuck, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 320 pages, $32.50, April 7.
- Tiger v. Jack by Bob Harig, St. Martin’s Press, 304 pages, $30, May 5.