IGPN spoke to Brian and Seve to find out more about how they work together and what lessons can be learned about creating a successful, effective team of practicioners around an elite performer.

Becoming an Effective Part of a Player’s Team

How did your working relationship come about?

SEVE: Our relationship began when I was a young lad playing for England. Brian was the England squad psychologist when I was about 17.

BRIAN: I remember seeing his name and like many people I thought it was misspelt.  So that was noticeable at first in terms of his name but I remember meeting him as a what was really a young boy of 15 and of course now he’s in his late 20s.

What sort of work did you do at first?

BRIAN: It would of been a typical session with a young junior golfer on the fringe of England recognition with ‘boys’ – what you’re trying to do is get to know somebody and how they approach the game because we’re all different.  Then largely it’s individually based – so for some people it might be very much on putting work and with others it might be their approach off the course.

But for a lot of young golfers, there are their own expectations of how far they want to go in the game and it’s very competitive in the game from a very early age.  What I probably recall from Seve…would be something about expectations of yourself, and of trying to forge a career in the game.

What has your working relationship entailed?

BRIAN: Seve’s always been a quiet individual, keeping himself to himself…I think sometimes with players, when they’re quiet they can be deemed to be unconfident but I would say Seve had quite a quiet assurance about him, which he’s always had.

SEVE: Working with Brian for this length of time has been a real joy.  He has always kept me focused on the process of what I am doing.  After working together for a long time he has become a great friend.  We meet on pretty much an ad-hoc basis from time-to-time and after seeing Brian I’m always left with a sense of calmness, which I love.

BRIAN: The beauty of working with somebody over that extended period of time is that you see him or her through so many psychological transitions – not just in terms of their game, but also as a person going from a young boy into a young adult.  Then they’re developing long-term relationships off the course in terms of their partner, along with other transitions such as buying houses…and all the things that we probably don’t think much about when we look at sportspeople play golf.

At the same time you’re cautious about the fact that you’re not their friend.  When you’ve known somebody for 14 years you get to know them very well but it’s a professional relationship, it’s not a personal friendship relationship.  Therefore we’re both quite disciplined in that way that it retains a professional sense whilst it is in a friendly way.

How do you manage these influential factors with players like Seve?

BRIAN: Work with any player is very individually-based if it’s going to be the most effective because you’re trying to establish a very unique relationship – what makes a player unique, what’s their way of thinking about the game, and how can you remind them of those things when there might be a sense to search for something that’s going to be more effective.

So we retain contact only maybe by text before and after a tournament. When he’s home for a reasonable stretch of time we try and meet up either at Wentworth where he’s based or more locally to me.

Then it’s very much in the moment about what’s on his mind – is it a performance issue or is it somewhere else in terms of lifestyle or his approach that he’s maybe lost his focus – it really comes from him.

SEVE: Since a young age, Brian has helped me to become very strong mentally and cope with any situation that may arise on the golf course.  I think that as time has gone on our relationship has improved and Brian knows how I tick so when something comes up in my game we can deal with it really effectively.

Brian, you’ve seen Seve through all of these various stages of development – is that a challenge to get background and relationship bond with players when you first begin working with them?

BRIAN: Yes, in new relationships getting to know one another, getting to know how someone thinks about their game, their particular issues or the demands/pressures at that point, gets easier as you get to know people.  But by and large, in sports psychology, they’re actually more short term relationships – people come to you with a specific issue and that may last as little as one or two sessions, six sessions, or over six months, but is more fleeting.  I think that this is where it is different from a PGA Professional because although players do change coaches my experience is that they generally do have a bit more longevity than a sports psych.

[Sports psychologist] relationships are generally more fleeting and therefore there’s more pressure on you to be effective over a short period of time, whereas with somebody such as Seve or a longer-term relationship, there’s a sense that you can get into other areas that perhaps they wouldn’t think are performance-related by getting to know the person better.

What is it about Seve and others that set them apart?

BRIAN: They’re all very different in their approach…but my observations of working with the amateur-professional transition in the English game would be that they invest in themselves.

So at National coaching level there would be a number of technical coaches with specialist areas, a physio, strength and conditioning people, and one of the difficulties for players when they turn professional is that all of a sudden that team largely drops off because they’re not at your beck and call as a national squad player.

So all of a sudden the support structure that you’ve experienced and the edges in performance through sports science or through certain technical coaching is no longer there.

I think that when you speak to people who have made ineffective transitions, you find that their team completely dispersed and they really suffered as a result of that.

Whereas I think that with people like Seve, Danny [Willett], Chris [Wood], what they did very well was that they still invested in themselves.  So at a time when perhaps money might have been at a bit more of a premium, they still tried to retain as many people of that core team as they could.

SEVE: I think my professionalism, relentless work ethic and commitment to the game are my strong points.  But they all come from the fact that I’ve always focused on, and invested in, the mental side of my game and made sure I put the effort in to maintain what I’m doing.

Because I’ve known Brian for a while and specifically since I was young, he’s helped me to mature as a person and become very professional in what I do.  We also spent a lot of time in the past looking at goal setting so our work has helped me become very clear on how to achieve those goals.

Brian, how do you fit into Seve’s coaching team?

BRIAN: I’m very rarely at tournaments, the European Tour is obviously a world-based tour now so there’s the cost implications of [travelling to events].  And also I think Seve is ‘low maintenance’ so I don’t think there’s a need for that a lot of the time.

Generally I’ll try and see him play a couple of times a year – clearly the UK ones this year, Wentworth and Woburn, are the easiest, and that’s more observationally.  As I say to him, I’m not looking to intervene at that point; it’s really an observational point to see how he operates because a large amount of his work is based on his reflections.  Also of course there’s a chance at that point to interact more with his team – he has a world-class coach in Pete Cowen, he works with Justin Buckthorp who works with Justin Rose and a number of other players in terms of his strength and conditioning, and I get a chance to meet with his caddie.

He works with Phil Kenyon on a week-to-week basis out on tour…so it gives me a great chance to catch up with their work and the putting work I am doing with him to make sure it’s in accordance with them.

So to get the views of other people who are closely involved with him in terms of their observations on maybe his improvement or areas where there could be more improvement is very useful.

So that’s how it works, but otherwise when Seve gets back after a series of tournaments we’ll either catch up face-to-face or by Skype, FaceTime or phone, whatever’s the most convenient to him.

How do you make yourself an effective part of Seve’s team and manage his expectations of what you hope to do?

BRIAN: There are many sports psychologists that would emphasise the content of interventions and ‘this is what you do’, and often there’s a lot of ‘yes, this technique will enable you to do x, y, and z’.  I’ve always approached it from a slightly different way – I’ve always recognised that the relationship is of primary importance.  So, as somebody begins to trust you and you build rapport with them, the relationship is in a sense also how you help people change their views or beliefs, or how they approach a certain situation.

So I always put great emphasis on the importance of the relationship with any player.  As it is with Seve, that’s easier to say as I’ve known him a long time.

The second part of it is that I try to be open to his needs at whatever point he is at.  Sometimes players give you that themselves.

I would like to think that sometimes I challenge his way of thinking when I think it is unproductive to him, or I present a different story to him that could be equally valid based on his experiences.

Let’s say in terms of expectations, in terms of your progress through the game, you could write a story where you say ‘well Seve’s never won on tour’.  He’s won as a professional, but like many people he hasn’t won on tour yet. They’ll be other people who will say ‘well Seve should have won by now’.  Now of course if that creeps in to your thinking that can put you under enormous pressure.

Where as an equally valid story is to say ‘well actually year on year he’s improving and whether he wins or not is not entirely down to him’.  It’s down to how in any given week, the rest of the field also perform.

SEVE: It’s really important to have a good team of people around you.  I would say that the team would each need to be open-minded and have minimal egos – that way they can work effectively for the player.

————————-

With thanks to Brian Hemmings, Seve Benson (@SeveBenson) and Northampton Golf Club (www.northamptongolfclub.co.uk).

In nearly two decades of working in golf with PGA Professionals and elite players I hear a lot about pressure and see where coaches and players become overly worried about their ‘reputation’ rather than knowing and trusting in their own ‘character’.  Here I witness the limiting beliefs people have about themselves and the perceived consequences of poor results.

Often players will underperform because they feel pressure about how they might be viewed by others if they fail.  This can also affect coaches as they sometimes feel their own reputation is determined by the performance of those they coach, when in reality performance has so many variables, and the coach only contributes in specific ways.

In essence being overly concerned about your reputation creates instability as it is not under your control as it involves the perceptions of others.

Knowing the impact of limiting beliefs should give you the motivation you need to change them for yourself or to help players when you sense this is an issue. A healthy belief puts you into the right frame to have the best chance of success. It is also true that negative beliefs and thoughts have a huge impact on performance, so if we find it difficult to be positive then we must at least learn ways of managing negative thinking to keep it to a minimum and hence give ourselves a chance.

In the previous two articles I have written about the need for effective listening in coaching. Particular words to look out for are must, should and got. For instance, ‘I must make the cut; ‘I should beat this opponent’; or ‘I’ve got to win’. These words reveal very rigid, inflexible beliefs and create unnecessary pressure as they result in patterns of ‘all or nothing’ negative thinking.   It is much better to frame performance beliefs with a prefer approach.  For example, ‘I’d prefer to make the top ten’.

Often these beliefs hinder players’ views of themselves, their golf, and of their potential success.   So in future improve your coaching by listening carefully to the words your players use. They will reveal much about their thinking patterns and the performances that follow.

Abraham Maslow

When players start to look ahead to a new season they are often conscious of renewing efforts to develop their games and achieve their goals.  The difficulty is that players of all standards will often not be specific enough in any practice they do.

Maslow’s famous quote applied to golf implies that if players don’t develop different tools/shots in their game, their development is likely to stagnate as they are likely to always approach situations on the course in the same way. Of course this could also be applied to course management skills and decision-making on the course.

The same could equally be applied to golf coaches and teaching professionals (and psychologists). Broadening one’s knowledge and skill set enables us to consider more variables when trying to improve the performance or enjoyment of the golfers we work with. Therefore, it is important that any coach considers what specific coaching education they might need in order to progress their repertoire of skills, their coaching achievements, the players they work with, or to increase their income.

Therefore, take time to reflect what is in your coaching toolbox? Do you always reach the same conclusions with players and find yourself repeating the same instructions? Coaches in other sports are encouraged to engage in regular ‘reflective practice’ to self-assess their effectiveness. These questions might prompt where your ‘toolbox’ is limited.

Reflective Coaching Questions

• What happened in that coaching session?
• What were you thinking and feeling?
• What was good and bad about the session?
• What sense did you make of the player’s progress?
• What else could you have done?
• If the same situation arose again what would you do?

To return to developing a player’s toolbox, a suggestion might be trying a ‘shot of the month’ short-term goal-setting task to focus their coaching, efforts and practise over the coming months.

This simply requires you discuss with players the goals they have for the coming year, and what limitations they may have that could be improved on each month.  This is not to say all other coaching work stops, but it is usually helpful to target one particular shot in a realistic timeframe. Identify the most important shots or skills, measure their current success in some way, and then agree the thrust of coaching, technical instruction and practice that month to improve that particular shot.

A simple re-test or re-measurement at the end of the month should hopefully show better execution/results and therefore more confidence going into the season.

(Chinese Proverb)

Some believe this ancient proverb originates from Confucius (551–479 BC) who was a teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher.

I have always thought this saying very much applies to PGA Professionals and their players/pupils in that teaching professionals can equip players’ to succeed, however it is the player who will have to take the initiative to apply what they are taught to be successful.

Teachers can only help players identify and develop the skills they need; the professional cannot practise for the player or hit the shots.  Yet I have met so many golfers who feel all they have to do is turn up for lessons and they will improve.

This means that golf professionals provide the coaching environment and instruction for players to learn and progress and can open up a world of knowledge and skills.  But teaching professionals can’t make players learn.  They offer the opportunities, but it is the player’s responsibility to accept the opportunities, and afterwards put in the effort and practice to improve.  In fact I meet too many teaching professionals who take too much responsibility for their pupils’ learning.  So how can coaches impress on players what is needed for learning to take place?

Good to Great

In his best-selling book ‘Good to Great’ Jim Collins cites various reasons why certain companies and individuals make the step from just being good to achieving greatness.  In essence, many of the factors demonstrated that individuals took responsibility for their own development.

Last year in England men’s national coaching, the coaching staff asked the players to do the same – to take responsibility for their own learning and performance.  In other words, the coaching staff would open the doors to learning, but the players needed to decide if they were really going to take control of their attitude to learning.  We challenged the players to individually think through what they needed to do to go from ‘good to great’ in the coaching environment.

The ten factors below were what the players (who went on to become European Men’s Team Champions the same year) cited as being critical to take more responsibility for in their development.

England Team ‘Good to Great’ Factors

1. Ask for what you need
2. Develop decision-making skills
3. Handle the pressure of different situation
4. Develop great time management
5. Develop great organisational skills
6. Preparation is everything
7. Adopt a great work ethic
8. Trust what you do
9. Have goals, plans and structure
10. Listen to people you trust

Of course may PGA Professionals will not be working with national team or tour players, however, human behaviour is largely the same at all levels.  Whilst a beginner or a mid-handicapper might not be striving to go from ‘good to great’ they will want to improve through teaching and lessons and many of the ten factors cited are about habit.

Considering some psychologists estimate that up to 90% of all behaviours is habitual, this suggests that golf teachers and coaches need to stress the learning habits needed to improve at golf, and at the very least emphasise the responsibility of the player in the learning process.

So if you want to see more of your players develop, challenge them to take responsibility for their learning habits!

Dr. Brian Hemmings with England National Coaches:

Graham Walker, David Ridley AFPGA, Paul Ashwell FPGA, Luke Whiting

Wednesday 16th November 2016

Northampton Golf Club

The speakers see this masterclass as an opportunity to share their unique experiences in working with professional, international amateur, county players and golfers of all abilities over many years.

You should attend if you….

• Want to take part in a unique one-day training opportunity with leading coaches who have worked with leading professionals, England squads, and golfers of all levels for over three decades
• Are a PGA Professional and want to increase your mental coaching skills and impact with players
• Are a practitioner/coach working with golfers to develop their mental skills
• Are a sport psychologist and want to learn about coaches application of psychology in learning and performance

What you will gain from the Masterclass….

• Innovative techniques that have been used for player and coach development
• Skills and strategies to build players’ confidence
• A chance to see mindfulness techniques applied to golf
• Structuring practice for maximum engagement
• Creating a coaching environment that challenges and excites players
• A certificate of attendance.
• PGA Professionals will be credited with 25 CPD points by The PGA of GB&I for successful completion/participation of this course.

Fee: £95.00. Fee includes lunch and refreshments. *A reduced fee is available for PGA Assistants. *Please email for group booking rates (3 or more)

**Early Booking Fee**: £85.00. The full amount must be paid by 31st August. Fee includes lunch and refreshments.

Booking Forms & Payment Methods: A booking form with a range of payment options, and extensive venue details can be found at www.golfmind.co.uk/masterclasses-in-sport-and-golf-psychology

Call now to discuss your Masterclass place on 07908 677660 or e-mail brian@golfmind.co.uk.

Download Masterclass PDF (0.3MB)

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.

Similarly, the European Order of Merit at the end of 2000 showed 20 English players in the Top 115, whereas at the end of 2013 the Race to Dubai rankings showed that number had increased 50% to 30.   Having worked with many of the players involved in this successful period in my role as England team psychologist for over 15 years, I observed many successful transitions, and unfortunately, many unsuccessful ones.

The transition from amateur to professional can be one of the biggest challenges for any aspiring player. A transition is defined as ‘the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another’, which suggests it is a process that takes unstated amount of time.   In my work with elite players over the years I have stressed that this process starts whilst they are an amateur, in that the preparation, work ethic, lifestyle and skills of the professional player can be actively worked upon before the decision to turn professional is made.

In combination with my observations and experience, I recently asked a number of England national coaches and professional English European Tour players to reflect on the transition process.  What emerged were very similar views and accounts.

1. Get invites

Playing in professional events as an amateur before the decision to turn professional is made is vital.  A player must be able to see and feel that they can compete strongly in professional tournaments as soon as they turn professional.

2. Invest in yourself

Players need to invest in themselves to develop their skills.  Investment can be in time and money. A player should start to carefully develop a support team around themselves that can elevate their performances.

3. Become a ‘student’ of golf

In order to invest wisely players need to understand their game, their equipment, their statistics – what they need to work on and how to get better.  If golf is to be their career, players need to take an active interest in all things about themselves and their golf.

4. Take on a professional lifestyle and work ethic

Ross Fisher, when in the England team in 2003, personalised the cover of his training diary to say ‘I must think and act more like a professional.’  Being a professional is not just about the opportunity to earn money through playing, it is also about possessing the character, attitude, competencies and work ethic to make the most of the skills a player possesses.  What Ross was referring to was that he needed to pay more attention to some of these behaviours whilst he was still an amateur.  He was amateur in name, but professional in his approach.

5. Travel and play

One of the main adaptations in professional life on tour is learning to travel abroad and play.  This means coping with travel, fatigue and the challenge of getting sufficient rest.  There is also the challenge of learning to play in different climates and on different types of grass and courses.  In recent years through lottery funding in England, national squad players have had a huge advantage in this regard.   Any aspiring player would be wise to start this process in their amateur career.

6. Are they ready?

Players take advice about turning professional from coaches, players, parents, friends, and often, management companies.  The message from successful players was to take advice but to make the decision to turn professional and start that journey when the player themselves feel ready.  Frequently a player may feel they get plenty of sound advice, but fail to remember that advice may not be impartial.

7. Work with a coach who knows

As well as talking to players who are already professional about the lifestyle and challenges of tour life, working with a coach who has knowledge of the skills necessary to compete at the highest level is desirable.   Coaches who have experience through their work with other professionals can often spot when players are chasing rankings in tournaments and over-playing, rather than developing the necessary skills to compete.

8. Learn time-management and self-management skills

Closely linked to lifestyle and work ethic, is the need to develop a greater awareness of planning ahead for practice opportunities, of minimising distractions off the course, fitting in physical conditioning work, and to work with a coach who may often also have a busy diary.   Establishing disciplined patterns of playing, practising, going to the gym, eating and particularly rest are vital to maintain freshness and desire.

9. Can they shoot low regularly?

Too often players make the decision to turn professional based on their best golf rather than their typical golf.  Players that I spoke to expressed there was a need to be able to regularly shoot under par in consecutive rounds in tournaments as this was the likely scoring needed for success in tour life.  If you are unable to do this at the start of your professional life, it is not the place to learn.

Ray Floyd remarked that he was fortunate to have enough talent to succeed early in his career and then was able to keep learning and improving.  Many players turn professional without the skills to have enough initial success.

10. A lonely life

Players would be wise to decide if the life of a playing professional is really what they want, as it requires immense resilience, financial risk, loneliness and ceaseless travel and airports.  Players I have spoken to talk of a tough, demanding, ruthless world where no one is particularly interested in you or your game.  As an amateur you may start travelling and rooming alone to acclimatise to these demands.

*Thanks to Stephen Burnett, Jonathan Lupton, Graham Walker, David Ridley, Seve Benson and Chris Wood for their help in the preparation of this article.

“When I learned how to breathe, I learned how to win”

Tom Watson

Though I have never had the good fortune to meet Tom Watson and talk through his career, my guess as a psychologist is that the quote suggests in the early days of his career he often felt too uncomfortable on the golf course in winning situations, or let frustration undermine his game.

In my work I find that many players think the top professionals must be doing something unique mentally; which isn’t the case at all.  For instance, controlling breathing is one of the simplest, most efficient ways for all standards of golfers to self-regulate high arousal/tension on and off the course and is straightforward to learn.

“You have to control tension.  Just a couple of times I got nervous but I kept it under control.  We all get taught certain breathing techniques by the Swedish Federation to help keep calm, its basic stuff”.  Niclas Fasth

In my time at England national training over the past fifteen years, great emphasis has been placed on teaching individual players simple breathing skills.

For example, focused breathing is great in that it can act as a distraction from negative thoughts, lower heart rate, and act as a positive behaviour in pressure situations.  However, players must be aware that although breathing itself is a natural automatic process, as soon as we shift to controlling breathing it becomes an acquired skill that improves with practice.

To fully obtain the benefits of focused breathing you need to impress on players the need to practise regularly.  This technique involves counting breaths, which also prevent negative thoughts as the mind is occupied by the counting involved.  Simply inhale slowly (normally, not deeply) through the nose to a count of 4, and then slowly exhale through the mouth to a count of 7 – the longer outbreaths induce a more relaxed state.  This is also sometimes called ratio breathing and a player may complete several cycles of this to remain composed.

If practised, a player will soon become proficient at using the technique in pressure situations or when frustrated after errors.  I find that many players like this technique as it is very subtle, and will go unnoticed by playing partners.  Coach your players this technique I am confident they will benefit hugely.

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

Whilst much more is now known about preferences in learning styles and how information is delivered by the coach and received by a player, often there are more simple barriers to improvement within a player that need to be understood if the coach is to be successful.

Here are 5 of the most common barriers to improvement from a psychological perspective and the teaching approach which needs to be taken.

Guidance for the PGA Professional:

Listen carefully to the words a pupil or player uses to explain their needs during coaching sessions to best direct you to your course of action.  You will find players vary in their needs over time, and when working on different skills.   Also if you feel a player is not making progress, take time to consider if you have delivered your coaching message in a variety of ways to aid learning and development.

There are also many other barriers that may prevent your player from making progress in their golf game. In other words, they may know what they need to get better at, but prevent themselves from doing so in any number of ways. Many aspects such as poor practice habits might be modified with help and instruction, but often there are underpinning barriers that need to be identified and challenged.

Physical Barriers may be:

1. Poor sleep habits
2. Poor diet/hydration
3. Poor fitness

Emotional Barriers may be:

1. Low stress tolerance
2. Being inflexible
3. Frequent impatience or frustration
4. Low motivation
5. Lack of trust in others

Mental Barriers may be:

1. Poor concentration
2. Poor time management
3. Slow decision making/problem solving
4. Lack of discipline or follow-through
5. Lack of time alone practising

Guidelines for overcoming barriers:

Often players can bemoan their lack of progress at golf, yet do not really tackle the barriers that really undermine their progress. In raising awareness of the barriers and agreeing on possible solutions, players can often begin to change unhelpful habits that block them moving forward. Many of the skills covered in my online course (see below) will seek to equip the golfer with new skills, but it is useful to simply talk through with your players where some simple changes might be made. Some examples might be:

Expand physical capability by:

1. Keeping a good diet
2. Avoiding late night eating or moderate alcohol consumption
3. Going to bed early/waking up early
4. Exercising daily

Expand emotional capability by:

1. Socialising and having time with friends
2. Having ‘down time’ from golf
3. Thinking of others’ needs as well as your own
4. Having other hobbies

Expand  mental capability by:

1. Planning practice sessions
2. Engaging in physical activity
3. Keeping a practice diary
4. Practising alone on some occasions

Considering Your Spring 2015 Coach Education?

Online Course now also available in German and Spanish

“This online course has to be the best value for money training I have seen from the PGA. I use the activities with my clients and have seen improvements in their game of golf. Working with players and …understanding now more about mindset makes it easier to coach and enhance performance….”

Phil Allen, PGA of GB&I Professional, Holland

In 2012 Brian released a fully online Golf Psychology Coaching Certificate course that is approved by the PGA of GB&I (100 CPD points) and Confederation of Professional Golf, and has been completed with great reviews by over 350 PGA professionals and coaches worldwide.  Go to www.golfpsychologycoaching.com for full details.  The course is full of practical activities and information on assessing mental skills, goals and motivation, attention control, confidence building, and anxiety reduction techniques for the PGA professional to guide players through improving their mental game. The course is endorsed by some of England’s best coaches.  You can complete the course at home so you will have no travel costs or time away from your work.  All you need is a player to work with and the time to complete the course activities.   For a price reduction type in the discount code CPG to reduce the price from £295 to £215.

Golfers who stand up best to the pressures of the game face the same fear and doubt as you and me; the difference is they have learned mechanisms to deal with it.  Here are seven ways to help coach your players in anticipation of when the pressure starts to mount.

 1. COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE

There is a phrase in psychology called the ‘ironic’ process: it means we think about the things we fear most at the times when we least want to think about them.  It is important to realise this process is a natural one.

Golfers often think thoughts and feelings of doubt represent frailty in them in pressure moments; that they are not mentally tough enough.  That is not the case.  These processes are natural.  Accepting this is the first step to dealing with being out of a comfort zone.  Start to feel comfortable being uncomfortable.

2. EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE

Courses are often demanding in length and setup.  Accordingly, with sometimes adverse weather to deal with too, courses are mentally challenging and pressure is an integral part of the game.

In fact, these so-called ‘pressure’ shots and moments are what draws players to the game and are the focus of the post-round debrief.   Golf would be very dull if it were played across flat, open fields.  So instead of trying to play without fear, embrace it as an aspect of golf’s challenge, and one they can have enjoyment trying to meet.

3. REFOCUS ON THE PROCESS

Players who deal well with pressure experience the same doubts as those who do not; the difference is their focus then shifts to what the shot demands.  Even a Tour professional may think about how poor they would look if they missed a short putt – but they will then go through the process of what they need to do to hole it.

Refocusing on the process can lead you from feelings of discomfort.  So to cope with fear, stay with the shot at hand and not the consequences of what may go wrong.

4. CHOOSE REALISTIC SHOTS

Pressure builds when players’ develop unrealistic expectations about what they might be able to achieve.  Get players to make shots as simple as they can when in ‘pressure’ situations by choosing a realistic shot they know is within their grasp.  If Annika Sörenstam could not play a shot sixty percent of the time in practice, she would not even consider it on the course when under pressure.  Get your players to not try to play perfect golf.

5. SHORT SHOTS: KEEP EYES STILL

On tough shots where the target is near, anxiety can cause golfers to ‘peek’ early at the target.  But early shifting of vision toward the target generally causes head movement, which contributes to shoulder movement, which generally causes technical problems and a poor strike/inaccuracy.

In pressure situations where players may be anxious about the shot outcome, get them to keep their eyes still, and the head will take care of itself and also stay still.  Focusing on one point on the ball – a dimple or part of the logo – is a great way to practise steadying the eyes.  Steady eyes mean a calm mind.

6. TAKE THE GUN FROM THEIR HEAD

Many golfers think the 1st tee shot sets the tone for the round.  This cranks up the pressure on them.  Others do it by saying such things as “I need to be no worse than four over after six” to themselves.

This is very rigid thinking and is counterproductive.  Players need to be more flexible in their thinking and shift from “this must happen” to “I’d prefer it to happen”.  Tell them they can deal with a range of outcomes and situations. This thinking will improve their performance, their emotional state and also helps them recognise situations where they are getting on top of themselves and to take the gun away from their head.

7. SLOW DOWN

Most people who do not handle pressure have an image of failure.  Because of this they rush to get the shot over with to get out of the situation as soon as they can.

The rushing is what typically causes problems.  Get them to think in advance of pressure shots and situations, and help them come to terms with these situations by staying with those images.

Get them to imagine looking around, developing a sense of the situation they are in, and gradually seeing themselves as more calm.  Tell them to see that even though they might feel uncomfortable, they are okay with it and they can slow down their thoughts and actions.

‘Players need to know that you care, before they care what you know.’

Players like to know that the coach ‘cares’ about their needs and development.  I believe effective listening is the factor that demonstrates that a coach cares; that you care enough to listen intently even though you are busy.

I have met countless players who describe great coaches as those who are great listeners.  In fact, PGA Master Professional and world famous coach, Pete Cowen, once remarked to me that what set him apart from other coaches were two simple words: “I care.”

How do I listen more effectively?  Psychologists use factual listening.  This involves the application of a specific set of active techniques referred to as summarising, paraphrasing and clarification to gain accurate information, and importantly, to ensure a player feels they have been heard and fully understood.

Summarising

Summarising is the skill of accurately and succinctly recounting the range of information presented by the golfer, highlighting the prominent features of their story, and stating this back to them.

It can enable the coach to gather and integrate various strands of information given by the player, which can then be presented back to them.  The process of presenting information back to the player provides the opportunity for both coach and player to confirm mutual understanding.

Paraphrasing

This is the skill of presenting back what the player has expressed be it in the same or a different order/sequence from the one given by the player.

Coaches can demonstrate that they have listened effectively by providing their understanding from what they have heard, which can be either confirmed and/or challenged by the player.  The different order of presentation of information by the coach provides the opportunity for players’ to ‘hear’ their own statements from an alternative point-of-view, creating the opportunity for the player to arrive at a new personal perspective and understanding.

Clarification

Clarification is a process that the coach may use to ensure an understanding of what the player has disclosed in the way in which the player intended it.

This may include the use of paraphrasing and other specific questions to access the information the coach requires to ensure their own understanding is accurate (e.g. to fill in gaps about facts/events/shots from a recent round or tournament that you need as a coach to fully understand the player’s story).

You don’t need to be a psychologist to be a good listener.  The above fundamental techniques are the cornerstone of building effective relationships with players.

Albert Einstein once said he didn’t teach his students anything; he merely tried to create the right conditions in which they could learn.  Try and incorporate effective factual listening into your coaching and you will be going some way to creating great learning conditions for your players.  Listening intently is a clear signal you care a great deal.

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

Dr. Hemmings has provided a discounted rate for PGA Professionals that are members of Confederation of Professional Golf Member Countries that enables them to get a substantial discount on the fully online programme that is available in English, German/Deutsche and Spanish/Español.

Information on the Programme, as well as the discount code for PGA Members, can be found by downloading the PDF Information document using the button below.

Download Information Document (PDF – 0.4MB)

For more information contact Dr Brian Hemmings at brian@golfmind.co.uk

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A  hugely successful online course for PGA teaching professionals accredited for 100 CPD Points.

This fully online course is packed with practical activities for the PGA professional to guide players through improving their mental game, and is endorsed by some of England’s best coaches. Coaches can complete the course at home so they will have no travel costs or time away from their work. All coaches need is a player to work with and the time to complete the course activities. The course takes on average 25 hours to complete.

Includes material and coaching resources on:

• Motivation and Assessing Needs
• Mental Skills for Golf
• Techniques to Coach

Click Here to Download Information PDF (0.4mb)

Dr. Brian Hemmings & Dr. Richard Cox

Wednesday 21st January 2015

Central Location: Holiday Inn, Rugby-Northampton, J18 of M1, NN6 7XR, United Kingdom

‘Approved by the British Psychological Society Learning Centre for the purposes of Continuing Professional Development’

&

‘Approved by the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland for 25 CPD points’

*Reduced Fees for Postgraduate Students/BPS Stage 2 Trainees/BASES SE Candidates/PGA Assistants*

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