Super Bowl composure

I love football and the Super Bowl is great because the whole season comes down to one game. This is where the pressure would be at its highest. I enjoy seeing how these elite athletes perform under the scrutiny of millions of fans. What I like most about the game between Green Bay and Pittsburgh was how Aaron Rodgers handled himself. He seemed composed during the game which allowed him to stay relaxed and react to the action. There were a couple of times he got frustrated, but he didn’t allow the frustration to effect the next play.

As golfers we aren’t playing under Super Bowl pressure, yet why do so many golfers lose their composure on the course. The answer I hear all of the time is, “the shot was bad and I didn’t like it, so I got mad”. Coaching the mental game is not about being happy with poor shots; it’s controlling your emotional reaction to the shot that is key. Aaron Rodgers was not happy when his wide receivers dropped passes or the defense gave up points. He didn’t allow those moments to escalate to negatively impact his performance. He moved on, focused on what was relevant for the next play. Composure is actually a more powerful emotion than anger. It shows you are in control, you can handle anything that comes your way, and you are ready for what is next. Composure starts with awareness of how you are defining a situation. Remember you don’t have to be happy with a poor shot, however you want to use self-talk that leads to moving on to what is in your control. The last shot is gone, you can’t change it. You can only change your response to the shot that will ultimately change your performance on the next shot. Have the goal for your next round to be composed like Aaron Rodgers.

Did Phil really do that?

So, I’m watching the Farmers Insurance golf tournament on television and I started laughing as I watched Phil Mickelson’s caddy attend the flagstick on the 18^th hole at Torrey Pines. If you saw it you know that Phil was over 70 yards away from the hole. He knew he had to make the wedge shot in order to tie Bubba Watson to go into a playoff. From the standpoint of a mental game coach I loved it. Here is someone who is so confident that his ball is going to have a chance to go in that he would have his caddy attend the flagstick to make sure the ball didn’t bounce away. It turns out Phil hit a great shot and was very close to flying the ball into the hole.

Phil took a very long time to prepare to hit that shot. He walked up all the way to the green to verify the slopes of the green and hole location. His pre-shot routine was longer than normal, but it didn’t have adverse effect on his shot. Now, I’m not asking for golfers to take longer in their pre-shot routine, what I have always advocated is for a golfer to be very clear on the shot they are hitting before they hit it. This means understanding the lie, environment, yardage, club choice, type of shot, target, and feel for the shot. On this particular Phil wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He was completing committed to his shot and it showed. Most golfers rarely look at all factors and commit to the best shot for them at that moment. Next time ask your playing partners if they will attend the flag when you are 75 yards out and see their reaction.

Just give me a quick fix for my slice

I got back from the PGA Show in Orlando and had a great time meeting with companies and seeing the new equipment that will be available for 2011. My favorite section is the teaching aids area. Here is where every golfer would be to search for the magic gadget that would eliminate their slice and have them never 3 putt again. It became apparent that teaching aids and gadgets are important to teachers and players; however they can not be looked as the cure all. These aids can help you feel the proper motion and help a golfer identify poor mechanics. Use these aids wisely. Proper practice is still the key and integrating a teaching aid can be very beneficial. Once the teaching aid is not used you have to repeat the correct motion. Be focused during your practice so you know why you are using the training aid and once it comes off you have made a change. I admit, I was even intrigued by some of the devices and thought that I had found the “secret”.

PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit- that’s all I have to think about?

While in Orlando in January I attended the national PGA Teaching and Coaching summit to learn from some of the leaders in the teaching business. Overall the experience was positive; however the amount of information out there on how to teach golf is overwhelming. There is finally a push to integrate more areas into teaching the game. It is becoming more of a common practice to teach swing mechanics, club fitting, golf specific fitness, and course management. What is still lacking is the understanding from PGA teachers on the importance of coaching basic mental game skills like focus, dealing with frustration, goal setting, and proper practice techniques. Listening to one of the instructors say that there are “only” 144 stroke variations for the swing and “only” 45 critical alignments to the swing. WOW! Now granted there are many parts to a swing, what I found interesting is that 500 of us top teachers were in the audience shaking our heads to how this is going to help me teach the average player get better. Golfers are already confused with all the information out there. Let’s get back to fundamentals, understand ball flight, basic cause and effect, and learn how to enjoy the game.

Golf Goals 2011

Start of the year brings hope that this will be the year that your scores will go lower. So what will make this year different then last year? Making changes starts with motivation. Why do you want to achieve a certain golf goal, what will achieving that goal do for you? We are all seeking the emotion that goal achievement brings. For some it produces happiness, some it boost self-esteem, while others are just in it to prove they can push to new levels. Is the why big enough for you to finally make the time commitment to make changes. Achieving goals comes down to changing habits that don’t serve you. Take an honest look at your golf game and pinpoint the 3 biggest priorities that need to be improved that will lead to the ultimate outcome goal. I have talked a lot about goal setting in my book and articles and the key component that is never discussed is sacrifice. Goal setting can be a positive experience because it gets you excited about the future and the possibilities. The problem comes when you first implement the plan to achieve the goals. Here you have old habits that need to be retrained and possibly removing some time from other activities. Are you willing to make the sacrifices to make those changes? When I was playing professionally I wasn’t willing to sacrifice time with my wife and family. I always felt guilty about practicing and playing so much. Does this make me soft, maybe, but I knew I wasn’t going to do the work necessary to get to the highest level. So instead of beating my head against the wall, I made a career change that allowed me to do something I love, that challenged me, and I could be the family man I wished to be. This is an extreme example, yet we are all pulled in many different directions in our life and to achieve your goals you need to understand somethings will be sacrificed. If you know that going in you will have a better opportunity to stay focused on what is necessary to achieve your goals. Make 2011 a great year and understand having a plan is great, taking action on the plan is key.

Golf Swing Philosophy

I love coaching golf and want to help my students get better and I am always looking for ways as a teaching to improve. With the advent of YouTube, Golf Channel, and all the information on the internet, being a golfer has actually become harder. Too much information leads to confusion. I was watching the Golf Channel when Tiger’s new instructor Sean Foley was on. I like Sean’s philosophy and I think Tiger will really benefit from having Sean as his coach. The only issue I have with golf instruction philosophy is that it can never be one size fits all. I have studied the same instructors that Foley has and it has helped me understand cause and effect in the golf swing. The problem lies in each person has different physical strengths and limitations that will make certain moves in the swing impossible. So whether you are looking at stack and tile, one plane swing, or Hank Haney you must understand the physical structure will determine if you can or can not do these ideas. Most requires very good spinal rotation, separation, and core strength. So please if you want to be a student of the game then take these ideas in understanding that most golfers can not do this because of physical limitations. Learn what your strengths are and understand the cause and effect of ball flight laws and you will be on your way to improvement.

Character Counts

 I had the pleasure to interview Ted Gleason who runs www.RoadtoCollegeGolf.com and we talked about what it takes to transition from junior golf to college golf to professional golf. The answer that kept coming up was the golfer had to improve skills beyond the golf course to succeed. This included time management, motivation, and dealing with adversity. Of course improving golf skills is key, however when going up to the next level the environments change and how one handles it will affect on course performance. So many very good golfers get distracted by outside influences such as fraternities, media attention, and sponsor responsibilities that golf can easily be lost in the process. Learning how to balance your life and realizing that the better you get the more potential distractions will come up. Learn to compartmentalize your life. Put in time for practice, playing, training, and then put time in for interviews, posting to website, etc. The goal is to be 100% present with the task in front of you. By having great time management skills you will  minimize overwhelm and stay focused on your golf practice.

After time management, the ability to deal with adversity is the next key attribute of successful golfers. We all know that golf is an up and down game. How you handle these ups and downs will not only affect the current round, but will affect future rounds. Controlling emotions, using positive self-talk, and committing to a plan are the three ways to stay on course.

As your game gets better your character becomes more important. Other golfers will be looking at you more intently. How are you coming across? Strive to become a better person as you become a better golfer.

Radio Interview with PGA Tour Winner

Bring Mental Toughness to your Game

The ultimate challenge for PGA Tour players is the US Open. This one week the players will face extreme conditions: tight fairways, high rough and slick greens and only the strong will survive. You may not be playing in US Open conditions; however dealing with challenges requires mental toughness. Mental Toughness is the ability to thrive under adverse conditions and the skill of bouncing back from difficult situations.

5 Keys for Mental Toughness

            1. Adjust your Expectations

            Playing in difficult conditions can definitely create frustration. Be honest with yourself and what your expectations are for that round. Each round should be viewed differently. The tour pro knows that par is a great score at the US Open, but not at a regular tour event. Also remind yourself that all players will be experiencing the tough conditions. Shift your expectations about the round from score to process. Stay committed to going through your entire routine.

            2. Steady, not Flashy

            The more challenging the course the more important it is to be steady on the course. Change an aggressive mindset to playing a conservative strategy with the focus on making solid contact instead of playing for birdies. Hitting fairways should be the first priority and if that means using a 3 wood or Hybrid to hit the fairway then make that decision. This switches our focus from outcome (score) to process (solid contact). This will help you stay focused on the current shot and minimize the big number. Look at what last year’s US Open champion Lucas Glover did on the 72^nd hole, he hit a 4 iron off the tee on the demanding par 4 to bring home the trophy.

            3. Minimize your emotional reactions

            Playing a tough course can definitely feel like you are on a roller coaster of emotions. I see too often players getting so frustrated with both their performance and the conditions that the two feed into each other and they have no chance to bounce back. Unfortunately, rising emotions affect your golf game in two ways. First, you will tend to make riskier decisions when you are frustrated to try to make up for the lost shots. This leads to more high scores and sets in motion negative momentum. Second, your body will get tight and your swing will be affected by the tension. I love two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen’s stoic attitude and how he handles the tough conditions. When he won at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 he remained calm while all the other players complained about the hard greens. He only focused on what was in his control which was his attitude toward the circumstances. You can’t do anything about the conditions so place your attention on what is in your control, your attitude.

            4. Bounce back perspective

            How do you view a poor result? Do you get angry and frustrated or do you turn the result into motivation to refocus to do better? The majority of golfers get angry immediately after hitting a poor shot. The goal is to minimize the critical judgments and get back to the simple golf attitude of “hit it, find it, and hit it again”. Camilo Villegas who just won the Honda Classic told his caddy before the tournament, “A bad attitude is not going to beat us anymore”.  Everybody hits poor shots, how you handle those shots will separate you from other players.

            5. Shift attitude from “tanking” to stepping up

            I see far too many golfers who choose to tank their round. Tanking is basically mentally quitting, feeling that no matter what they do the results will be poor. What the mentally tough do is take pride in their game knowing each shot is an opportunity to change the momentum of the round. See the round as six 3-hole matches. Create a goal for each match of what you want to score. What this does is refocus your attention on smaller goals instead of always looking at the entire round as a failure if you start poorly

It’s in the hole!

Who said the Fall Series on the PGA Tour is not exciting. The last couple of weeks we have seen some unbelieve ways to win tournaments. Rocco Mediate wins the Frys.com championship by holing out with a wedge on the 17th hole. This is after him holing out 3 other times during the tournament. This is testament that the goal is to get the ball in the hole in the fewest amount of strokes possible and that thinking about making a shot beyond 100 yards is possible.

Last week Jonathan Byrd makes a hole in one during a playoff to win the event in Las Vegas. Now, are these two situations probable, no. But are they possible, of course. The lesson is to see the possibility on the course, instead of the belief system of “this probably won’t work”. Golfers limit their thinking because of past results. In the heat of competition Mediate and Byrd were locked into the possibility of greatness.