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Steamboat Springs — Bob Mullen likes to joke that his golf career started in a cemetery behind his house when he was 9 years old and will eventually end in a cemetery.

But in between, the 20-year Steamboat Springs resident thinks he's found some groundbreaking knowledge about the golf swing.

Mullen is a certified master training professional with the United States Golf Teachers Federation and is ranked among the top 25 teachers out of 13,000 federation members. He has put his knowledge into a book, the recently published "Golf From the Ground Up."

Mullen, who used to own All Seasons Golf in Steamboat, said in his two years there he was able to dissect the golf swing in life-size proportion. During that time, he started to study the way the brain worked and reacted to new knowledge.

He found that after a person turns 20, the brain can accept changing only one motor skill at a time.

For instance, Mullen said if he was to change a person's grip, he'd have them work on it nearly every day for three weeks to allow the brain to change that motor skill.

His book is based on what he calls the platform.

He goes over grip, stance, footwork, rotation, ball position, alignment and pre-shot routine.

"You learn the stance, grip, footwork, rotation and everything you need to go out and hit a golf ball," he said. "You learn the most important things from the brain."

Mullen said there is something for every golfer of every skill level in his book.

He said that too often, people want to improve their golf game by using gimmicks they see on television or short blurbs they read in a golf magazine.

"If you see something that says it will fix your swing in 20 minutes, it's a lie," he said. "They don't work. You can't transform the neurons in your brain in one day."

Mullen said his book takes golfers through every element of the swing and helps them learn the game the right way.

It doesn't offer any quick fixes, but rather helps people relearn the motor skills that will lead to more enjoyable golf.

"If you want to learn to play golf, you have to work at it," he said.

The book is available at Epilogue Book Co. and Off the Beaten Path Bookstore. It can also be purchased at Borders, Barnes & Noble and online at www.amazon.com.

Mullen will have two book signings, as well. The first is from 6 to 8 p.m. July 16 at Staxx restaurant at Haymaker Golf Course. The second is from 6 to 8 p.m. July 23 at Off the Beaten Path.