During two practice rounds, Walker has been a familiar figure alongside the groups of Chris Wood, Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick, analysing and assessing and stepping in with input if needed.

Reflecting on his role at the 41st Ryder Cup, Walker admits much of the groundwork has been laid prior to arrival but he’s is on hand to fine-tune if required.

“It is a funny week, I saw Dan with Pete at the range last week, and that’s where you do the work really,” said Walker.

“Matt I had seen him in Italy the week before but he had come to America to practise. I saw Chris Wood as well and you kind of get it all off your chest then on what you’re doing.

“Really, when you are here, it is reiterating what you’ve worked on and dealing with anything that crops up – whether it is shots they hit on the course, how they feel or whatever it is. You might not be used that much but it’s just in case.”

They are also a sounding board – not just for the players but for European captain Darren Clarke and his vice captains too.

“I’ve been to one Ryder Cup, Pete’s been to 11 so they tap into that a bit, we speak to vice captains about how they are playing and feeling, also acting as a middleman between them. It’s quite diverse but the lion’s share is shots and how they are feeling and what’s happened if they’ve missed it in a certain direction.”

Doing your work under the eyes of thousands of spectators could potentially be pretty intimidating but Walker takes it all in his stride.

“You definitely get more accustomed to it, even just going to major championships, there is a novelty to it but like anything else you just get used to it, you’re less fazed, calmer and you have dealt with difficult situations in the past which helps you deal with them in the future. I’ve got some experience, not as much as Pete or David Leadbetter, but enough.”

Working with elite level performers brings its own set of challenges – not least because they are so good – but it’s a role that Walker relishes.

“It’s harder to see things because it is much more subtle, but a lot of principles cross over and you self-perpetuate. The more you do it, the more you get an eye for it, the more experience you have, the more you handle situations better.”

And like any person seeking to improve there is no resting on laurels. It’s very much a case of always learning and building the knowledge base.

“I don’t think you can afford not to,” added Walker. “We are lucky to be exposed to elite level players and the more you are exposed the more you learn, you almost gain a competitive advantage in a way. The day you stop learning is the day it’s time to hang up your boots and do something else.”

For any aspiring coaches, Walker has some sage advice.

“You have just go to love your topic. In my experience I’ve always been motivated when I’m interested. If you lose your interest that is dangerous, I’d say Pete (Cowen), like myself, is obsessed with golf and coaching and that’s the key.”

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Visit the Ryder Cup Coach Hub at: http://eur.pe/RyderCupPGAPros

And no wonder. The Bristol and Clifton Golf Club head PGA Professional first coached Wood as a teenager so to see him scale the heights of one of sport’s greatest events is definitely something to cherish.

But if Mitchell did give it much thought, it was only fleeting because he had serious work to do – helping the 28 year old Wood get prepared for what will arguably be one of the more nervy first tee shots of his career to date on Friday.

Wood has broadened his coaching team and it also includes fellow PGA pros Mike Walker and putting specialist Phil Kenyon who were also patrolling the fairways and greens.

But while both have experienced Ryder Cups before in a coaching capacity, Hazeltine marks Mitchell’s first involvement in the biennial clash and focus is the buzz word of the day.

“I think it goes back to your professionalism as a club pro,” he said.

“You could easily get a bit side-tracked, and start looking at the other players but you are there with a particular player and your job is to look after them. And to be honest, you are so in your own bubble. It’s like when you are playing golf – you focus while you’re out there and it’s the same when you are coaching at an event like this.

“OK, now and then, you might think ‘bloody hell I’m talking to Rory’ when you are walking down the fairway but you are focused on your player and they’ve always got to come first.

“You want to make sure your player is in tip top condition, and everything you could have done is ready by Friday morning. That’s what I’m focusing on.”

Strategy off the tee is set to be key at Hazeltine and day one gave the players the opportunity to see what challenge the Minnesota course offers. Wood was playing with Rory MclIroy,  Sergio Garcia and Andy Sullivan.

“A lot of the time it is more about getting the tee strategy right,” added Mitchell. “The par four 15th was a perfect example. It’s a dogleg left. We’ve hit driver while everyone else has hit 3-wood and actually they’ve ended up with a really difficult second shot to the green. If you hit driver, it’s actually a bigger target once you get past the trees. It’s just working things out like that – devising your own strategy. I noticed that with the players today – they were all doing their own thing which is important.

“I think there are some key holes. There is a particularly difficult hole on the front nine (the seventh) which used to be on the back nine.

“It’s where you have water on the right, you drive over water, and have to hit driver really because it is into the wind. The second shot is to a really narrow green with water all around and today it was into a 15mph cold wind!

“That is a particularly difficult hole  and the par threes are long – 250 yards. But you realise when you come out here and see them hit three and four irons, you realise that they are at a different level with long irons. iI’d probably need to use my driver to reach!”

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Visit the Ryder Cup Coach Hub at: http://eur.pe/RyderCupPGAPros

Some early momentum was provided by Kristoffer Reitan, who edged a high-quality encounter with Davis Shore, and Frida Kinhult, who secured a half point to remain unbeaten, but the strength in depth of the US team proved pivotal as they won the final day 8½-3½.

Eugene Hong’s one up victory over Matias Honkala took Captain Jim Remy’s charges past the magic 12 point mark, and continued the United States’ dominance of a competition which started life in 1997.

Late wins for Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen (two up) and Marcus Svensson (3&1) over Wilson Furr and Noah Goodwin respectively were ultimately rendered redundant, as the United States registered their fifth straight victory in the competition.

Remy’s counterpart, Maitena Alsuguren, was naturally disappointed that her team were unable to overturn a 7-5 deficit from the opening day’s play, but was nonetheless delighted with her team’s fighting spirit.

She said: “Even though we lost, I’m still very proud of my team. We needed to get off to a fast start, and whilst Kristoffer and Frida played very well, unfortunately we weren’t able to build on it. But the American team played very well, they showed their quality today and deserved to win.

“It was always going to be difficult, and we really needed every player to play to their maximum. But if your opponent has a great day, there’s not much you can do about it.

“They will learn from the experience, about how to play under pressure and also what it takes to compete at the highest level. I’m sure we will see many of them on the European Tour and the Ladies’ European Tour in the years to come, and I’m also sure we will come back strong in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup.”

Kinhult, whose brother Marcus competed in the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup, was certainly delighted to have played her part, having contributed two-and-a-half points to Europe’s cause.

She said: “It’s been an amazing experience, I’m so proud of how I fought back today. With six holes left to play, I just told myself that I’d better start doing something. I started making lots of birdie putts, and it’s great to finish the competition unbeaten. We’ve all had such a good time, and I will remember this week for the rest of my life.”

Reitan, who chipped in on the last hole to seal victory in style, echoed the sentiments of his fellow Scandinavian.

He said: “It was a special end to a special week, so I’m really pleased. It was a tough day, I didn’t play my best but I fought so hard and in the end it worked out well. I holed a long putt from off the green on the 16th, then hit a great iron shot into the 17th and chipped in on the last, so it was great to finish strongly and it gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year.”

The 2018 Junior Ryder Cup will be played in Disneyland Paris. The United States have won six times, including the inaugural edition in in 1997. The 2006 contest was halved, with Europe lifting the trophy in 1999, 2002 and 2004.

The Hub at CPG.com (http://eur.pe/RyderCupPGAPros) details the players alongside their PGA Professional coaches, together with key information about how they made the team and their existing records in the biennial competition.

Visit the Ryder Cup Coach Hub at: http://eur.pe/RyderCupPGAPros

For the first time, the PGA Professionals from across the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Member Countries that support, and have supported, Team Europe’s members are detailed together giving an insight into their successful working relationships, and shining a spotlight on the work that goes on behind the scenes to aid the development of golf’s superstars.

The Association’s role as a partner within Ryder Cup Europe through the vehicle of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, provides the ideal vantage point to look at the key links between the 12 members and the root of their games, the PGA Professional.

“After the success of our Olympic Coach Hub, it made great sense to look at the European Ryder Cup Team in a similar way,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“The 12 members of Team Europe have worked incredibly hard across their careers to get to where they are now and have all been influenced by the coaching of PGA Professionals.  Since its inception, The PGA and PGA Professionals have been inherently linked to the Ryder Cup so the Hub is a great vehicle to allow us to celebrate their work throughout Europe.”

Each Player-Coach listing contains details on the relationships between the players and their PGA Professional coaches, along with articles and video with coaches about the players.

For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf visit cpg.golf, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.RyderCup.com.

The date for the 42^nd staging of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America was revealed last night during a reception at the Residence of the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, hosted by Her Excellency Sylvie Bermann and attended by, amongst others, Pascal Grizot, President of the France 2018 Ryder Cup Committee and European Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills.

The 2018 edition of The Ryder Cup will be only the second time in the event’s history that it has been staged in Continental Europe, following Valderrama Golf Club in Spain in 1997.

Pascal Grizot said: “Some dates will be forever engraved in our memories when we look back at the history y of The Ryder Cup in France. The 28th, 29th, and 30^th of September 2018 will be the first of many.

 “The 21st September 2016 will also play a part. Yesterday, the countdown has been officially launched and the date fixed for all French and passionate golfers alike.

“Since 17th May 2011, when our country was designated host to the most famous Europe  vs America match, we have been putting all our energy and passion into three days that will forever change the image of golf in France. Our excitement grows as that date comes ever closer.”

Richard Hills said: “To be able to announce the official dates of The Ryder Cup is always a significant milestone in any country’s Ryder Cup journey.

“We are already working on making The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National one of the biggest and best that Europe has ever staged, and we are sure France will be exceptional hosts for another compelling edition of this great sporting occasion.”

To register for interest in tickets or hospitality, click here.

Darren Clarke will lead the European Team to the USA on Monday to defend The Ryder Cup at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota, aiming to become the first team from either side – since the contest was expanded to include players from Continental Europe in 1979 – to win on four successive occasions.

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.rydercup.com

For More Information on SNAG Golf Visit www.SNAG.golf

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My expectations of the coaching experience have changed considerably since I was an athlete. Of course, this was quite a long time ago!

I was lucky to have competed at a relatively high level in a number of sports, including rugby and cricket, before settling on fighting sports like Karate and Kickboxing.  In all of these sports the coaching would be best described as mixed.

Some coaches were knowledgeable, supportive and kind; others were not.  Some were role models; others were raving lunatics!  I tended to accept the coaching that was on offer partly because that was all I knew, especially if those coaches were judged to be successful.  And I figured that these coaches were strong in specific areas, so there was always something to learn from them, even if they were limited in other areas.

In some cases, the coaching was harsh, even brutal. In the case of fighting sports, made sense at the time, as it was obviously necessary to cope with pain and injury of a regular basis.  So I regularly trained with broken bones, recurring injuries and exhaustion.

Sometimes, it was just comical.  I remember the coach of my last cricket team insisting that none of his players used first names, and that we never socialised together, as he wanted to generate a ‘professional’ attitude among his team that was not diluted by the jokey friendliness of most of the opposition.  We were all under 16 years old.

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Things have moved on considerably since then.  I have seen a radical transformation in the perceptions of what makes a great coach.  Two changes, in particular, seem particularly significant.

The first is the movement towards an ‘athlete-centred’ approach, in which the interests and needs of the players are at the forefront.  In other words, the athletes are ends in themselves (their development is the whole point of the enterprise); not just means to someone else’s end, such as the coach ego or club’s success.

Athlete-cantered coaching need not be soft or easy.  On the contrary, it should be appropriately challenging, and my own understanding has been transformed by working with coaches who manage to balance the requirements of competitive sport with the simple fact that they are dealing with human beings.

The second change has been the slower emergence of evidence-based coaching.  Sport continues to be dominated by tradition.  But more coaches are recognising that ‘we’ve always done it that way’ will not do.

Common sense is a feeble justification for practices, especially when those practices can risk the health and well being of players.  Academically validated qualifications are part of the picture. More important, though, is the wider acceptance among coaches that a scientific mind-set lies at the heart of professional, athlete-centred coaching. Tradition and authority have little value here.

Science, alone, offers a candle in the dark!

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

Having had the privilege of working with many coaches over the past 15 years, I have noticed that the attributes of successful coaches have huge similarities with effective psychologists. The quote above, from the Greek philosopher Plato, could easily describe one of the most important personal qualities needed by coaches; that is great communication skills and, in particular, the ability to listen effectively.

Coaches are like psychologists in that they rely on similar sources of information to assess a golfer’s needs. Whilst observation may provide the coach with extensive movement/technical information and analysis, both can gain much from what players say about themselves and their game.  However, many coaches are unaware that listening effectively is a skill that can be developed.

I heard it said in my core training as a psychologist that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason – so we can listen at least 50% more than we speak.

Time constraints can make listening to players/clients more challenging, however often self-awareness can start to considerably improve listening skills.  Here, I outline five common barriers to listening effectively when coaching.  See how many you can see in yourself…

Identifying

You take everything a player tells you and refer back to your own experience, and launch into your story before they have a chance to finish theirs.  Everything you hear reminds you of something that you’ve done, felt, or achieved/not achieved.  In being so busy with your own stories, there’s no time to really hear or get to know the needs of the player.

Advising

Whilst coaching is about advice giving, we can all fall into ‘advice mode’ too quickly before gaining a full understanding of an issue.  Here the coach can become the great problem-solver, ready with help and suggestions, and you only have to hear a few sentences to begin searching for the right advice.

However, while you are searching, and then convincing the player to ‘try this’, you may be missing the most important information.  You didn’t hear the feelings, and you didn’t acknowledge the person’s real concerns. You may go down a technical route instead of noticing it’s mainly a physical or mental issue.

Mind Reading

Coaches are not mind readers; they rely on verbal, visual and statistical information.  The mind reader coach doesn’t pay much attention to what people say – in fact, she/he often distrusts it.  She/he is busy trying to work out what is really happening.  The mind reader pays more attention to non-verbal cues (e.g. body language) than to factual words, in an attempt to see through to the ‘truth’.  If you are a mind reader, you are also likely to make assumptions about people’s perceptions of you as a coach.  These notions arise from intuition, hunches and vague misgivings, but have little to do with what the person is actually saying to you.

Rehearsing

You don’t have time to listen if you are rehearsing what to say yourself.  Your whole attention is on the preparation of your next comment.  You have to look interested, but your mind is racing with your story, or a point you are eager to make.  Some people rehearse chains of responses “I’ll say that, then s/he’ll say…then I’ll say…”

Filtering

When you filter, you listen to some things and not to others.  You pay just enough attention to see if someone is angry, or unhappy, or if you are under fire.  Once satisfied that none of these things are present, you let your mind wander.  Another form of filtering is to simply avoid hearing certain things – in particular, anything unpleasant, critical, threatening or negative.  It’s as if the words were never said – you simply have no memory of them.

The power of good listening in effective player-coach relationships should not be underestimated, and the importance of listening intently is also a Biblical saying that dates back 2000 years – ‘Be quick to listen, and slow to speak’ (1 James v.11).

Have a think about the barriers I have outlined above and assess if they sometimes apply to you?  Do you sometimes have difficulty listening to your players? If you do, it is likely that your coaching relationships could improve greatly through targeting this simple, yet significant skill.  Effective listening is part of the cornerstone of great assessment, which leads to the best intervention with players.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

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As we are all only too aware the golfing landscape has changed significantly over the past few years, and probably none more so than that of the traditional club professional.  We are now seeing golf pros specialise in certain areas rather than focussing on wearing a number of hats as many club pros do.

These specific areas of expertise include that of teaching and golf instruction. The golf instruction industry has now become much more mainstream – from the days of David Leadbetter making his name with his work with Nick Faldo, to Sean Foley and his well chronicled work with Tiger.

As a result, we now see a great many PGA members teaching full-time at driving ranges up and down the country, and for these golf pros teaching is their only source of income with no retainer being paid to them.  In the majority of cases a rent or percentage of earnings is paid back to the range owner in return for that professional to be able to have a spot to teach at that particular driving range.

Instructor or business owner?

The self-employed full time instructor needs to be part instructor and part small business owner, and a question I often ask when presenting to golf instructors is ‘Which do you need to be first, golf instructor or business owner?’

You could be the best instructor in the world, but if you do not market yourself and let people know who you are then you will not be able to create the fans you need.

I am fortunate to be able to teach at a very busy driving range, and having been teaching there now for 14 years I have built up a client list and manage to fill my lesson book well in advance.

I often used to think that because my facility is so busy then this would always be the case, but over the past number of years something has changed.  I have seen a number of good instructors come to work at my facility and then struggle to fill their lesson book, and leave to greener pastures after a period of time.

This got me thinking as to why some instructors would thrive and others would struggle.  I plan to share with you insights I have gained that you can then apply to your own business and increase your revenue.

You need a list

First things first, if you want to be a busy instructor you need clients, not customers – it is important to know the difference.  A customer is someone who has done business with you once; a client is someone who does business with you over and over again.

So you must have a list of your clients, and you need to be collecting data as much as you can – at bare minimum you need to have the email address and mobile phone number of every one of your students.  If you are reading this and you do not have these, then make it a point to start collecting this today.

This list becomes your client base, or as Ken Blanchard calls them, Raving Fans.  I have used the following methods of collecting email addresses from people.

Collecting data

1.

Add a place on your website for people to enter their email to go on to your mailing list.  In return for this it is a good idea to have a free download, this can be In the format of a pdf document, based on a golfing topics, for example, hit better bunker shots, improve your chipping, or ten extra yards from the tee, just use your imagination.

2.

Walking the range. I know this is a contentious issue among golf instructors, but this is a great way for people to see you.  I understand that some people are on the range to practice and do not want to be bothered by a golf pro, but with some practice this can be a very powerful strategy to increase your client base.

My way of doing this is to have my video camera with me, and ask a golfer practicing if he wouldn’t mind me videoing his swing as I have a new camera I wish to try out, I have never had a golfer say no.

Once videoed, ask the golfer if he would like to see his swing, show them, but do not offer any instruction at this point.  Inevitably the golfer will ask a question, and if he asks for your advice, then give it.

Before leaving ask the golfer if he has an email address as you would like to send him the video clip of his golf swing.  Easy.

3.

Have a goldfish-type bowl near where you teach on the driving range.  If a golfer puts his business card in the bowl he will be entered into a monthly draw to win a golf lesson with you.

4.

Talk to people on the range.  Show people that you are personable and approachable.  If you are asked for your business card, hand it to them.  You should always have business cards on you, and then ask the golfer for his card in return.  If he does not have one with him, ask for an email address or mobile number.

You mustn’t wait for the golfer to get back to you.  If you wait for the golfer to take the initiative it may never happen.  Personally, I wait 24 hours and then email or text the golfer with a small note saying something along the lines of ‘How nice it was to meet the other day and when are you looking to come in for that lesson’.  You must follow up.

What to do with your list

Once you start to compile a list, you now have to do something with it. For myself I send out a newsletter once a month.  If you are going to do this, you need to be consistent with how often you send it out, and at what time of the month.

If you are not already sending out a newsletter, then I urge you to start doing so immediately, because if you aren’t, then another golf pro could be contacting your students and you are missing out.

You must keep yourself at the forefront of your students’ minds when they come to thinking about golf instruction, and by regularly making contact with them, you will become their ‘go to guy’ for golf instruction.

In terms of a newsletter, I put information in my newsletter about the golfing world in general, tournament results etc.  I also put in items such as an instruction tip (in video format), a recommended reading list of instruction books, an article from a fitness or psychology expert and student success stories.

Again, design it to suit your own needs, but remember you must be consistent with when and how often you send it out.

Also be sure to add an ‘opt-out’ button in case people do not wish to receive emails from you. If you are unsure about any of the above, you should contact a web designer.

White space in the diary is the devil. Well, not quite but close. White space in your diary means lost revenue.  This is where I find having students’ mobile numbers is very useful.  If I get a late cancellation, I will send out a group text informing people of this, many of my students find this helpful and more often than not, the space will get filled.

This also places you in a different bracket to other instructors who are not offering their students this service.  Input the students’ data into your phone; this is not a time consuming task for you to do.

I have a waiting list made up for students looking to get a lesson, especially at my peak times.  People really appreciate you contacting them to tell them of a cancellation and making an effort to get them booked in.

In conclusion

So to recap, you firstly need a list. Start compiling email addresses and mobile phone numbers of your students today, if you do not already.  Try and find clever ways of collecting them.  Make it your daily goal to try and add five addresses to your list.

Send out a newsletter – You must communicate with your students.  Be consistent on how often and when you send the newsletter out.

Text your students if you get any cancellations, or if you have space in your diary for a lesson.

Remember: They do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Ian Clark is an Advanced Fellow PGA Professional, a Trackman certified instructor, the Golfing Machine Authorised Instructor GSEM and one of GolfWorld’s Top 100 coaches in the UK. You can email Ian at ian@ianclarkgolf.co.uk.

For more details visit www.ianclarkgolf.co.uk.

It’s a small world, or is it? For all the talk of globalisation and the homogenisation of cultures, we still have our own, unique ways of working and conversing with each other.

Language barriers aside, communication styles and social hierarchies can differ greatly between cultures and regions. As organisations expand and remote working becomes common practice, these are just some of the many challenges facing managers overseeing teams comprising multiple nationalities and backgrounds.

While a certain degree of inter-cultural understanding comes down to the life experience of the individual themselves, multicultural leadership is a skill that can be learnt and honed like any other. Here’s how to begin:

1. Know your own style…

As the manager you are the cultural bridge between all those working under you, so you need to have a clear understanding of your own leadership style before you can attempt to synthesise those of others. Are you someone who prefers a direct or indirect form of communication? Do you believe in strict hierarchies or a flat structure? These are all things you first need to have clear in your own mind.

2. …then learn those of others

The next step is to invest time in understanding the different cultural sensitivities and expectations of your team. Don’t rely on pre-conceptions. While it’s easy to assume there will be a strict Western, non-Western demarcation between employees in terms of cultural practices, often the differences are far more nuanced and will depend on the individuals themselves.

3. Find common ground…

While a ‘one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to suit all contexts, it may be useful to establish a common set of standards for communication and working together, which can help to avoid confusion and mixed messaging. This should be drawn from each of the different nationalities and cultures represented in the team so as not to alienate any one individual or group.

4. …but be willing to adapt

Flexibility will still be key, however; you can’t expect to fully homogenise a wide range of different working styles and traditions within a short space of time. Employees will need to be willing to compromise and adapt to others; while encouraging a flexible, fluid work environment will make it easier to deal with issues and challenges as they arise.

Fostering cross-cultural working is one of the more challenging demands placed on modern day managers. However, with some careful planning and forethought multicultural working needn’t be a significant barrier to success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Harvard Business Review; LinkedIn; Internations

For More Information on SNAG Golf Visit www.SNAG.golf

Sometimes it’s easier to commit to something if you understand the way it can evolve. The initial stages of team development may feel like something of a white-knuckle ride of ups and downs, but recognising those stages may help you to feel more relaxed about the more challenging times, particularly when you’re the newbie.

So here are the four stages of team development according to educational psychologist professor, Bruce Tuckman:

1. Forming

The initial “Forming” stage is when you first meet each other and you’re all rather polite, but positive, maybe excited and a little anxious about the task ahead.

2 Storming and 3. Norming

Then reality sets in and you may start to argue, with some people trying to assert their authority. This is called “Storming”. Everything may stabilise again as a hierarchy is established and accepted; the team starts socialising more and gets to know each other better. This is called “Norming.”

Just as you think you’re all settled and loving your new team some of you might start to feel stressed and overwhelmed by how much there is to do or feel uncomfortable with the approach being used so the team lapses back into a period of “Storming” again.

Gradually, though, working practices are established and through mutual respect, people being happy to ask for help and more constructive criticism being given, you all begin to develop a comfort with your tasks and a stronger commitment towards the goal. And you’re back… in the “Norming” stage.

“Storming” shakes things up a bit and prevents the complacency often associated with “Norming”, but too much “Storming” may indicate irreconcilable differences.

In most cases, however, this pattern of “Storming” instability and then “Norming” stability repeats several times as new tasks come up or new people join the team, and eventually the cycle dies out.

4. Performing

The final “Performing” stage comes when your team is supported by the structures and processes that have been set up, individuals can join or leave the team without affecting the “Performing” culture and your team’s hard work leads directly towards the shared vision of your goal.

So remember that when you hit a bumpy patch with your new team, there’s no need to worry – you’re probably just “Storming” in order to become a team that “Performs” effortlessly as a unit.

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This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Bruce Tuckman; Abintegro.com

However decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

These are some of the things you should do if you want to achieve your goals:

1. Be specific when you set your goals

Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Having a goal to ‘lose some weight’ is not nearly as helpful as ‘lose 5 pounds’ because you know exactly what you’re aiming for. Giving yourself specific actions, such as ‘be in bed by 10pm on weeknights’ to reach your goal of ‘sleep more’ is useful too. It leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you’ve actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals

How many new year’s resolutions did you break and then ‘not have time’ to go through with them? Change is never very convenient in a busy life, but studies have shown that if you plan when you’re going to take action to achieve a goal your chances of actually achieving that goal increases by about 300%! Seize the moment by deciding when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., “If it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I’ll work out for 30 minutes before work.”)

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go

Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress, if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don’t know how well you are doing, you can’t adjust your behaviour or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist

Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence so don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach it. Do engage in lots of positive thinking, but make sure you’re prepared for the journey ahead. By thinking ‘it’s just going to happen’ (studies have shown) you are significantly increasing your chance of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good

Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed and that no matter what we do, we won’t improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong; abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in their stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Be determined

Those that have a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty achieve more in their lifetime than those that don’t. If you believe that you just don’t have the innate abilities that successful people do then you are wrong: effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will help you see yourself and your goals more clearly and give you the determination you need.

You are more capable than you think of achieving your goals. It just takes preparation, perspective and a willingness to act along with a huge dollop of self-belief. So start believing.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Abintegro.com

This post’s books are from contributors to season 1 of the podcast and presenters from the Motor Learning Masterclass. Great for both golfers and coaches looking to expand their knowledge of how learning and skill development actually happens.

Dr. Mark Guadagnoli

No matter what you have tried so far, there is a better way. There is a better way to practice so you lower your scores and have more fun. The better way means learning to go beyond your comfort zone on the range so you are in your comfort zone on the course.

The better way means combining the mental and physical aspects of golf to create habits of excellence. “Practice to Learn, Play to Win” uses the latest research in brain science to supercharge your golf. The better way to golf starts with great practice and ends with great scores.

Get your copy here >Practice to Learn, Play to Win

Adam Young

This book is the most comprehensive guide to improving your Golf EVER!  A best-seller in the USA, UK, Canada, Germany and France, and featured on The Golf Channel, “The Practice Manual – The Ultimate Guide for Golfers” is creating a wave in the golf industry and changing the way we think about playing better golf. With golfers around the World hitting the driving ranges and not improving, it is time to do something different — it’s time to do something better. Using information from the latest in motor learning research, you will discover the key ingredients which make the ultimate practice plan. You will also find out where you have been going wrong all these years, and be able to quickly change for the better.

If you are a keen golfer who likes to practice, or if you are an aspiring Tour Pro or College player, this book is a necessity. For Golf Coaches around the World, this book will transform the way you teach golf forever.

Get your copy here > The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers

Trent Wearner

In order for you to successfully take your game to the course, you must bring the elements found on the course to your practices and that is exactly what this book (and this interactive website) does.

With its 230 pages and nearly 100 competitive practice games (all with color photos), items like score, a consequence, different lies, distractions, pressure and more are brought to the forefront so that you can practice in a manner that TRANSFERS to the course.

Get your copy here > Golf Scrimmages: Realistic Practice Games Under Pressure

Dr. Gabriele Wulf

Attention and Motor Skill Learning explores how a person’s focus of attention affects motor performance and, in particular, the learning of motor skills. It synthesizes the knowledge coming from recent research examining the effects of attentional focus on motor performance and learning, and it provides practical implications for both instructional and rehabilitative settings.

It provides many practical examples and implications for teaching, learning, relearning, and performing motor skills. This book will help readers better understand the effects that attentional focus has on motor performance and learning as well as the mechanisms underlying these effects. While challenging traditional learning methods, this book presents the latest research and demonstrates how changing one’s focus of attention can speed the learning process and lead to more effective performance of motor skills.

Get your copy here > Attention and Motor Skill Learning

Dr. Tim Lee

Motor Control in Everyday Actions presents 47 true stories that illustrate the phenomena of motor control, learning, perception, and attention in sport, physical activity, home, and work environments. At times humorous and sometimes sobering, this unique text provides an accessible application-to-research approach to spark critical thinking, class discussion, and new ideas for research.

The stories in Motor Control in Everyday Actions illustrate the diversity and complexity of research in perception and action and motor skill acquisition. More than interesting anecdotes, these stories offer concrete examples of how motor behavior, motor control, and perception and action errors affect the lives of both well-known and ordinary individuals in various situations and environments.

Get your copy here > Motor Control in Everyday Actions

Joe Bosco

Any player from beginner to aspiring tour player can improve in a much more direct and enjoyable way using a time-tested and results-proven method backed by cutting-edge research in human learning and brain function. It’s a technique used by the Marine Corps, Harvard Business School and the NBA. Unlike the dozens of other instruction books that come out every year, Real Golf isn’t a collection of mechanical adjustments, tips and drills.

It is a complete guide to sorting, evaluating and successfully integrating the instruction players are already receiving from a teacher, magazine, book or a video. It is instruction on how to use instruction. Using the sophisticated, personalized self-scrimmage strategies detailed in the book, players can make dramatic scoring breakthroughs immediately, and see massive handicap improvement in eight to 10 weeks.

Get your copy here > Real Golf: Taking Your Best Game to the Course

Michael Hebron

A must read for every serious golfer who wants a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of the golf swing. It’s one of the best books on the golf swing in publication and truly focuses on the motions and actions present in all sound golf swings. Explanations and the many illustrations are easy to understand. Hebron quotes Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones throughout the book. Originally his Masters thesis, now a classic in the industry. Third revision refines the book even more than prior editions.

Hebron’s efficient approaches to golf help players invent their swings, putting strokes, and tempos.

On the subject of learning golf comes a comprehensive study of how people learn the necessary motor skills plus a wealth of information on keeping the mind centered on the task at hand.

The quintessential manual for golf instructors, coaches and curious minds of any sport. This manual, filled with powerful photos and drawings, is a must for any serious golfer’s bookshelf. Each of the 3 sections is a manual in and of itself. Hebron shares a lifetime of extensive research on the sports mind and body, then relates the information to the golf swing. By understanding the roll of each moving and thinking part in a motor skill, readers are placed in a position to build a golf swing (or any motor skill) that is controlled, repeatable and permanently learned.

In the 21st century it’s unacceptable for students not to make progress at a reasonable rate when instructors and students could benefit from what science has uncovered about learning. Modernizing Approaches to Learning discusses research related to the brain as the gateway to learning. When taking a brain-compatible approach to learning, we can learn faster and retain information and skills longer.

The author discusses findings from neuroscience, cognitive science, physiological and psychological research about the brain and learning. He offers practical, modern ways to move from damaging educational approaches toward emotionally safe, self-discovery and self-reliant approaches. Approaches that are geared to help are not as valuable as those geared for self-help. Modernized approaches join the art of teaching with the science of learning where research demonstrates that we learn naturally through trial and error adjustments.

See and Feel the Inside Move the Outside, Third Revsion

Play Golf to Learn Golf

Golf Swing Secrets… and Lies: Six Timeless Lessons

The Art and Zen of Learning Golf, Third Edition

See & Feel the Inside Move the Outside, Third Edition – Full Color

Building and Improving Your Golf Mind, Golf Body, Golf Swing

Matthew Kluck & Dennis Sweeney

This is the central book of the series 101 Games for Golf that was featured by Martin Hall on the Golf Channel’s School of Golf. It is an essential golfing manual designed to help you to transfer the skills you get in a golf lesson to the golf course. It does this by showing you how to practice for improvement by playing simple games that range in difficulty from easy, for beginners, to difficult, for advanced players. Six companion games booklets are sold separately and describe the games in detail.

In addition to outlining the games, the book has chapters on setting game improvement goals, developing a pre-shot routine, choosing golf instruction that meets your needs, and managing your emotions on the course. Written by an applied industrial psychologist and a PGA Master Teaching Professional who has been recognized as a top teacher by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, the book is a must for any golfer, from the novice to tournament player, who wants to maintain or improve his or her golf swing. PLEASE NOTE! The games are described in detail in the six companion game booklets. Each booklet has games for each key golf skill: putting, pitching, chipping, full swing, bunker shots, and on-course play.

Additional Supporting Books:

Putting Games – Flat Stick Magic! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Full Swing Games – Let It Fly! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Chipping Games – Lowering Your Score (Golf’s Missing Links)

Pitching Games – Up and Away! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Bunker Games – Up and Over (Golf’s Missing Links)

On the Course Games – Putting It All Together! (Golf’s Missing Links)

If you’re looking for more materials make sure to check out SEASON 1 of the Golf Science Lab podcast and the Motor Learning Masterclass

We’re talking with two experts in the field of motor learning, Dr. Gabriele Wulf and Dr. Rebecca Lewthwaite. Both have extensive experience in this topic and have written some of the papers that have defined the field of motivational learning. You’re not going to want to miss this!

The Power of Choices

Anything you can do as an instructor to make people feel more confident, or increase their self-efficacy is beneficial for performance. Many studies have shown that confidence or self-efficacy is critical for optimal performance and learning. The other motivational variable that is also very powerful is learner autonomy.

Practice conditions that involve an opportunity to choose will support peoples’ need for autonomy. The choices you give to a learner don’t even have to be related to the task. You can give them an unrelated choice, such as which picture to hang in on the wall, and they will learn better.

It sounds kind of crazy, but totally unrelated choices support students’ need for autonomy and enhance their learning.

People like having choices and there’s also an effective component here that helps people learn. Positive effect turns out to be very important for learning. It tends to release dopamine, which is critical for learning, and so I think there are two things that play a role here.

One is self-efficacy or confidence being enhanced, and the other is the positive effect – the positive emotions that are associated with having a choice.

Be Positive (for better learning)

When we have three groups, a group that receives negative feedback, no feedback, or positive feedback.  Typically the negative feedback group, who  believe they are doing worse than their peers and the group that gets no information typically look like each other. Whereas the group that receives a sense of success or confidence tends to look different on those other two.

Whereas the group that receives a sense of success or confidence tends to look different on those other two. Studies have shown that the negative doesn’t appear to detract so much that the positive appears to enhance.

How you define success equates to how people derive a sense of success, and this has implications for how you learn.

It’s important that you interpret the action (the performance) in a positive light. This has implications for coaches and teachers; if they get too hypercritical too fast, then there is this dampening of the learning effect.

It pays to accentuate the positive. One approach is to enhance the sense that someone has been successful as you go forward, and the other is to provide people with opportunities to choose or to have autonomy in their actions. One way you could pair these things is to tell people early on that it’s quite good if you can hit this target or be close to it in this way, and provide them with positive feedback. As an example, “For that early trial, it was excellent.” And then the next thing you said is, “Let me know when you would like to get some more specific feedback”. This is an invitation to take a little charge of when you go into further detail.

One way you could pair these things is to tell people early on that it’s quite good if you can hit this target or be close to it in this way, and provide them with positive feedback. As an example, “For that early trial, it was excellent.” And then the next thing you said is, “Let me know when you would like to get some more specific feedback”. This is an invitation to take a little charge of when you go into further detail.

Further Reading

Self-Controlled Learning: The Importance of Protecting Perceptions of Competence

Choose to move: The motivational impact of autonomy support on motor learning

Gabriele Wulf on Attentional Focus and Motor Learning

About Dr. Gabriele Wulf

Gabriele Wulf is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences at UNLV. Dr. Wulf studies factors that influence motor skill performance and learning, such as the performer’s focus of attention and motivational variables (e.g., autonomy support, enhanced performance expectancies).

Her research has resulted in 175 journal articles and book chapters, as well as two books. Dr. Wulf has received various awards for her research, including UNLV’s Barrick Distinguished Scholar Award. She served as the founding editor of Frontiers in Movement Science and Sport Psychology (2010-2012) and the Journal of Motor Learning and Development (2012-2015). Currently, she serves as the Past-President of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA).

You can check out Dr Wulf’s book here: Attention and Motor Skill Learning

About Dr Rebecca Lewthwaite

Rebecca Lewthwaite, PhD is Director, Rehabilitation Outcomes Management, and Director of Research and Education in Physical Therapy at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California (USC).

Dr. Lewthwaite has an active research program at the intersection of movement and psychological science, studying motivation and motor learning. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in (Psychological) Kinesiology. Together with Dr. Carolee Winstein, Dr. Lewthwaite designed the integrated approach to motor learning in clinical practice known as the Accelerated Skill Acquisition Program.

Dr. Lewthwaite is an investigator in the recent Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Arm Rehabilitation Evaluation (ICARE) Phase III RCT examining arm recovery after stroke, where she provided direction to the psychosocial content, measurement, and intervention aspects.

For More Information on SNAG Golf Visit www.SNAG.golf

Do we often view junior golfers abilities through the wrong lens?

I am writing to not only confess my sins as a golf coach but to share what I have learned moving forwards. If I can help prevent others from making the same mistakes as I did, we have a better chance of growing this incredible game.

I for one have been subject to the pitfalls of disassociating golfers performance and their learning – back in the day I viewed them as the same thing and assumed that what a golfer learned came to fruition via performance. I was wrong, very wrong.

Golfers have come to me with vast amounts of knowledge, ideas, questions and discussions showing what they have ‘learned’. The same golfer has attempted to play in a tournament only to score what would be perceived as a ‘bad’ score. The score leaves the golfer often stumbled, the ignorant coach (me at the time) almost lost for words, and typically the parents (mostly uneducated in sports and performance) rather upset.

Dr. Robert Bjork explains incredibly well the differences in learning and performance in this YouTube clip, you MUST watch it.

This leads us onto the question of what are we actually looking for?

Are we looking for a good performance ‘numerically’? Or are we looking to maximize the learning of a golfer for future results and long-term goals?

The former is what I was doing for a number of years – I even got that wrong too. Due to my beliefs, at the time, I looked for low scores and good performances as a measure of my coaching and what the player learned from me. I had the golfer playing events that were a little out of their comfort zone, they were appropriate sized courses or longer and the fields ability was the same if not better.

I was setting myself up for disappointment never mind the golfers, if they were thinking anything remotely like I was at the time. Looking back I realize that it’s pretty easy to get better performances, numerically, and can serve you well in an environment that cultivates, and praises results.

Place a golfer in a younger age category, a field of golfers with a poorer skill level and in a tournament that is on a much smaller and easier golf course – job done. That is quite possibly an easy route to seeing great performances ‘numerically’. But if we want to maximize learning and reach the highest levels of performance i.e. Olympic and Professional, what I have done in the past is quite possibly the worst thing you can do to any golfer.

Understandably, seeing a score that is lower can give us an altered and misleading perception. This is not the lens we want to keep looking through, as there are too many other variables that must be considered.

Performance can be measured much more accurately than learning – as learning is something that is inferred – but much of what can’t be controlled effects performance outcomes, so there relationship to learning is far from accurate.

By Matthew Cooke

The topic of engagement and retention has never been more relevant in our sport.  As participation numbers decrease at an alarming rate, it’s time to take a closer look at how we can engage young athletes and prompt them towards a journey of development and sustained involvement.

Not only do our jobs depend on the generational influx of new players, but more importantly, the game that we have devoted much of our lives to is in danger without it.  As the generation of Baby Boomers that have sustained our sport for so long begin to pass the torch to a new wave of players and their children, devoting our efforts to engaging new players is of critical importance.

From a personal and more immediately rewarding perspective, a further examination of these motivational factors could result in more activity on our lesson tees and the opportunity to do more rewarding work– work that matters.

Improving our ability to motivate will obviously help us develop more skilled players, but it also helps us fulfill a more meaningful mission– it allows us to impact the personal and social development of young people.  We’ve all encountered a coach or teacher early in our lives that made that massive impact on us.  A person that makes us wonder ‘Where would I be if I hadn’t met this person?!’

So what ingredients make up a young athlete’s criteria for involvement?  What factors should we consider when introducing golf and how do we continue to foster that initial interest into a desire to improve and eventually excel?

Based on our experience and research, there are some key motivational milestones to consider. We believe motivation to participate starts with positive peer and coach CONNECTION, which leads to a fun environment that allows skills to develop through PLAY, which then builds CONFIDENCE, and ultimately provides enough motivation to ‘stick with it’ long enough to grow expertise and SKILL.

CONNECTION

Motivation to participate starts with a connection– it’s the most basic need of a young athlete.  If I don’t feel like I belong, I’ll never stick around long enough to find out how much fun the activity is or that I might actually be good at it.  So this is our first priority.  We have to facilitate positive connections with peers, connections with coaches, connections with parents, and ultimately a connection with the game.

Think back to your own childhood hobbies– in all probability your willing participation was heavily hinged on how many of your friends followed suit.

Or maybe you were drawn to an activity because of the warm and nurturing connection offered by the coach– a non-judgemental connection that made you feel safe to explore, experiment, and learn.

When connected, early childhood psychiatrist, Dr. Edward Hallowell, says, “children develop a feeling of security and safety, which, in turn, instills courage and the desire to take risks in the world.”  So to combat the initial nerves inherent in encountering a new activity, we have to earn their trust and show that the learning environment we’ve created is a safe one, free of judgment or criticism.

We were turned on to Dr. Hallowell’s work by one of the most brilliant minds in junior golf, Kate Tempesta.  Kate expanded on this concept when she told us, “It is paramount that we, as junior coaches, create an engaging and supportive learning environment. We must teach to the whole child and not just simply to their developing physical skills. This is the key to long- term success! Children are social, emotional, creative, spiritual and cognitive beings that need all of these domains nurtured and supported.”

Once a safe environment has been introduced, we have to facilitate the social bonds amongst peers that motivate participation.  These early social connections lead to the first tipping point in the development of a young golfer.  All of a sudden, the young person in front of us begins to identify themselves as a golfer, a key milestone to igniting a lifelong relationship with the game.

“Social identity has been defined as the part of an individual’s self concept which derives from his knowledge of membership in a social group with value and emotional significance attached to that membership.” (Tajfel, 1981)  When we encourage these friendships around golf, we are nurturing feelings of connection and a sense of belonging that comes from feeling similar to the others in the group.

ACTIONABLE:

To fulfill the basic motivational need of connection, we need to promote positive feelings of association with peers and coaches, along with a sense of belonging and the ‘fit-in’ factor.

• Remain ‘Connection Conscious’ throughout your group sessions.  Be vigilant about noticing how each individual is interacting with the group and how their motivation to stay involved could be affected.
• Develop skills through small-sided games.  Split groups into small teams and have them complete challenges or competitions.  Not only does this begin to fulfill the need for ‘Play’, but it fosters stronger social bonds among team members.
• Promote a Growth Mindset.  We often use the phrase ‘Not getting it is part of getting it’.  To open up in a way that allows for meaningful connections with peers and coaches, the kids need to know it’s safe to make mistakes.  Nothing can kill participation faster than a humiliating experience caused by a poor performance or perceived incompetence.  Reminding athletes that mistakes are acceptable and a natural step in the learning process reinforces a judgement-free environment where positive connections are more easily made.

PLAY

Fun is the single biggest factor for athlete retention and sport participation.  If an activity ceases to be fun, the likelihood of an individual sticking with it over the long term, diminishes greatly.  That being said, as easy as it is to say that ‘fun’ holds the key to everyone’s success in growing the game, fun remains somewhat of an elusive deliverable.  Here is Dr. Hallowell on the topic of play in sports,”Many parents, teachers, and coaches don’t realize that fun sets off a cascade of positive events.  If you make having fun the goal, and your child achieves that goal, then it is likely your child will also achieve all the rest: practice, discipline, mastery, and the other intangibles that sports can so wonderfully instill… Play that is fun leads to practice and practice leads to mastery.”

For a better idea of how we can deliver this level of fun, a perfect model of the play that leads to sustained participation can readily be found at recess and after school during a variety of ‘pick-up’ games.  Look for a group of screaming and laughing ten year olds playing outside.  These environments are void of technical instructions and instead rely on the kid’s creativity, autonomy, and social connections to deliver the ultimate form of play.  Kids have to be pulled away from this type of play.  School bells, dinner time or sunset are the only things that can suspend the action.

This informal environment has to be inclusive so as to achieve active participation from a variety of competitors and they have to come up with rules that maximize fun given the available resources.  No one is concerned with the ‘right way’ to execute a skill, they just look to the top performers to serve as a model to follow.  While skilled performance can eventually come as a result of this play, the sole intention is fun– not improvement like so many of the activities that we design for them.

ACTIONABLE:

• Promote autonomy by allowing juniors to be active participants in the learning design.  I’ve haven’t seen anyone do this more effectively in golf than Kate Tempesta.  The video below is one of many in which she shares the practical application of this idea– this is one of my favorites.  A cardboard box and a coach who is willing and able to nurture creativity and autonomy as a means to develop skill and inspire participation.

CONFIDENCE

Moving past the primary igniters of interest – Connection and Play – expanding an athlete’s confidence becomes critically important to sustaining motivation and participation.  Moreover, as coaches, confidence represents an exciting possibility, as it’s a factor we have a significant influence on.  Specifically, the way in which we communicate and interact with young athletes has a significant impact on their self-efficacy, self-esteem, and experience (fun or not fun).

What we want to focus on is Self-Efficacy.  In its most basic form, self-efficacy is an individual’s perception about their ability or competence.  Although there are many different sources from which athletes can increase their self-efficacy, the most powerful are instances in which an individual has to overcome a mild form of adversity to achieve a goal.  Jane McGonigal calls them ‘epic wins’.

“The most effective way of creating a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences. Successes build a robust belief in one’s personal efficacy… Some setbacks and difficulties in human pursuits serve a useful purpose in teaching that success usually requires sustained effort.  After people become convinced they have what it takes to succeed, they persevere in the face of adversity and quickly rebound from setbacks. By sticking it out through tough times, they emerge stronger from adversity.” (Bandura, 1994)

Coaches should leverage gamification and challenge point framework to help design appropriate activities – activities that require the learner to dig in (just enough) such that they have to extend themselves to accomplish the task.  What they get is a quick shot of ‘I can do this’ and consequently, their self-image and level of confidence, increase.  Additionally, the feedback you give to the athlete should focus on the effort they are making, and should provide enough encouragement to help them push past the challenge that the activity provides.  This one-two coaching punch paves the way for growth and accelerates ignition.

ACTIONABLE:

• Ensure that you scale the task demands and difficulty to the skill level of the learner.  Be very aware as to how much success or difficulty participants are having with a given activity and modify tasks accordingly.
• When giving feedback, praise effort, reinforce the positive aspects of what they are doing, and provide them with one thing that they can do differently.  This also helps to promote a growth mindset.
• Celebrate success! Allow young golfers to get excited when they experience success.  As much as you want to get them to persevere through the right amount of difficulty, ensuring that they get to enjoy their ‘mastery moment’ makes it more likely that they will continue such behaviors.  It also tends to lead to a little more fun for all!  Fist pumps should be HIGHLY encouraged.

SKILL

Rather than a final stage of motivation that we have to fulfill, SKILL represents the top of the motivational pyramid that represents a by-product of sustained participation.  As with Maslow’s Hierarchy, ‘one must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.‘  Well, in the Junior Golf Hierarchy of Needs, self actualization is replaced with Skill.  Once we have met the young athlete’s requirements for connection, play, and confidence– in all likelihood they are inspired to participate long enough to develop some level of skill.  This could be enough skill to continue a lifelong recreational relationship with golf, or for some, those previous steps have motivated them to work hard enough to develop a skill level that leads to more competitive pursuits.

A junior will learn the skills when they are ready to.  By taking an interest in growing their motivation, we, as coaches, can set the stage for continued participation and eventually, skill development.   More importantly, however, are the effects of sport on the rest of their lives.  By making a point to help each child grow their self efficacy, establish positive social connections, and develop a sense of mastery, such characteristics transcend golf and filter into other areas of their lives, ultimately leading them to become better learners and people.  As such, this is work that matters– to ourselves, the golfers we encounter, and the game we love.

— Corey Lundberg & Matt Wilson

One of my previous jobs was at Precision Golf in Surrey, UK, as Marketing Manager. During that time I learnt some useful lessons about how to promote/market custom fitting as a service that I will share here.

1. Focus on Improvement

Ultimately the biggest benefit a person will get from having their equipment fitted to them is improvement of their game – they should be better able to play to the best of their ability knowing that the equipment they are using is not holding them back.

But improvement means different things to different people – make sure you look at all the benefits they could get. It could be that they achieve better performance, which could ultimately lead to a drop in their handicap. But equally the most important thing to someone could purely be the ability to enjoy their game – increased likelihood of hitting good shots or doing what they plan to do might not necessarily make them score massively better but it might allow them to have more fun. Speak to your clients to find out what their motivation was and align your marketing with these.

2. Promote Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Whether you have PGA Professionals or professional club fitters carrying out your fitting sessions you should shout about their knowledge, their certifications, their amount of experience and successes. Framed in the correct way, shouting about all of this does not have to be big-headed, but can be a genuine reflection of the service you can offer.

3. Case Studies

As has been shown throughout many areas of marketing and advertising, you can say how good you are as much you want, people will still give value to the views of their peers over what you say.

Case studies are a great way of showing how your services have benefitted people just like your prospective customers. Focusing on different types of players (e.g. male/female, pros/amateurs, etc.) allows you to develop examples of how you have helped people before and the types of benefits they can achieve.

This shows that you can practice what you preach and there are real-life examples of people who will support that.

4. The Gift of Choice

Tell people about how many options you have to offer them. Clients interested in custom fitting want to know how many options you can offer them because this is a good indicator of how specific you will be with their specification choices.

5. Show You Care

Something I think many custom fitting outfits could improve upon are their aftercare services. If a customer is engaged enough to want to have their clubs tailored to them then it is likely they will want this to continue in the future, especially in order to get the most out of what are often substantial investments.

Do not just sell a custom fitting session – combine it with a follow-up appointment of some kind – even a 10 minute check when they have received their new equipment and have had a chance to get used to it. You can promote that a) you care about their game and b) they will get the most out of their investment.

If you have any other ways of promoting your services then I would love to hear about them – you can contact me at aw@CPG.com.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

The Association’s flagship Championship takes place for the sixth time from the 10^th to 13^th October at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria, the popular Peter Harradine designed 18-hole, par 72, championship course that has become an international favourite on the Association’s schedule.

Confederation of Professional Golf Member Countries allocate events, such as National Championships or Order of Merits, to act as their qualifiers for the Championship, whilst each of the eligible winners from the other Confederation of Professional Golf Championships and Sanctioned Events also qualify to compete.

2013 Champion, Federico Elli (PGA of Italy), will return seeking his second coveted title, along with fellow Italian Andrea Signor.

The PGA of France’s Mickael Altmeyer joins the field as one of the three victorious Professionals from the 2015 International Team Championship, whilst fellow countryman, Laurent Poncelet, makes his third appearance at the Championship this year.

Darren Bragg (PGA in England) and Georg Schultes (PGA of Austria) also earned their spots with wins at the 2016 Golfbreaks.com Pinehurst Pro-Am and 2016 Mercedes-Benz International Pro-Am respectively.

2016 PGA of Holland Professional Champion, Ralph Miller, also returns with the aim of going one better than last year’s second place at Pravets, and will be joined by last year’s tied-ninth Professionals from the PGA in Scotland, Craig Ronald and Graeme Brown.

Thomas Hansen and John Drummond will represent the PGA of Norway, and after finishing tied-fifth in the Welsh National PGA Championship, Stuart Runcie will take his place in the field as a PGA in Wales representative.

Andrew Raitt finished in second place in the PGA in England qualifier, the Titleist and FootJoy PGA Professional Championship, with Stuart Brown finishing in tied-third place, each earning their ‘passports to Pravets’.

For more information visit http://eur.pe/2016PGAProChamps

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.