From the unique demands of Royal Portrush to the mental routines that keep a two-time major champion sharp, Ivar shares the behind-the-scenes lessons and practical insights that coaches can take straight to their own players.

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When you think of the absolute pinnacle of professional golf, the name Collin Morikawa is impossible to ignore. Winner of both the PGA Championship and The Open, Morikawa is the epitome of modern professional golf: technically refined, mentally strong, and leaving nothing to chance.

But how does such a top player actually prepare for a major like The Open, with all the unique conditions that a links course like Royal Portrush entails?

Thanks to the special collaboration between Ivar van der Moolen and Rick Sessinghaus, he was given an exclusive glimpse into Morikawa’s preparation.

Sessinghaus, Morikawa’s PGA coach for over twenty years and director of FlowCode Golf, and Van der Moolen, PGA of Holland Member and mental performance coach since 1993 and developer of MTP, have been joining forces for the past year and a half. Together, they share a deep passion: helping golfers of all levels perform better and with more enjoyment on the golf course by strengthening the mental aspect of the game.

The Collaboration: A Mental Masterclass

When Ivar van der Moolen joined Rick Sessinghaus’ coaching team 1,5 year ago, a fruitful collaboration emerged, focused on knowledge exchange and development. This resulted in a unique opportunity: experiencing Morikawa’s preparation for The Open at Royal Portrush up close.

“A fantastic experience,” said Van der Moolen. “It’s impressive to see how a player of Morikawa’s caliber prepares for a tournament of this magnitude down to the smallest details.”

For Coaches: the key takeaway is that mental readiness is not an add-on to technical training — it’s embedded into every decision, drill, and discussion.

Adapting the Game to Royal Portrush

Royal Portrush is not just any golf course. The wind, the rugged terrain, the thick rough, and the changeable weather make it a world-class challenge. For a player who has mainly experience on the American tour, that means serious adjustments.

• Morikawa paid close attention to studying the grass types around the greens — which are significantly different in Northern Ireland than on American courses.
• Putting on slower greens compared to the PGA tour also required adjustment, as did the choice of landing spots from the tee in relation to the bunkers.
• During the practice rounds, Sessinghaus and Morikawa closely examined the influence of the weather and the layout of the course. Nothing was left to chance. Every shot, every lie was evaluated with a view to the most likely conditions during the tournament.

For Coaches: Build adaptability into practice. Create sessions that expose players to variable conditions and require decision-making, not just repetition.

Mental Focus in a Busy Week

In addition to the technical adjustments, there is the mental aspect – perhaps the most important part of preparing for a major. “What struck me,” says Van der Moolen, “is how well Collin sets his mental goals, even during practice rounds. He’s not just hitting balls; everything is done with a clear plan.”

The public wanting autographs, journalists requesting interviews between training sessions, and the constant pressure of being a multiple major winner – these are all elements that can disrupt mental balance. Sessinghaus acts as an anchor in all of this. He ensures that Morikawa stays in his own “bubble” and maintains his focus.

For Coaches: Encourage players to set clear mental and technical goals for every round and training session. This instils intent and keeps practice purposeful.

Details Make the Difference

Nothing in Morikawa’s preparation is left to chance:

• During short game training, specific club choices were discussed and adapted to the circumstances.
• Putting was where the finishing touches were made: how hard should a ball be rolled on greens that are slightly slower than normal? How does the break change in combination with the wind?
• “Even the lesser shots during the practice rounds are analysed and evaluated,” says Van der Moolen. “Not with frustration, but with curiosity. What can we learn from this? How do we ensure that this does not happen during the tournament, and when it does happen, how do we deal with it?

For Coaches: Model this mindset with your students. Review both good and bad shots in training, focusing on “what can we learn?” rather than blame.

Dealing with Expectations

An important part of preparation is dealing with the expectations of others – the public, the media, and even your own team. For a player like Morikawa, with two majors already under his belt, expectations are high.

Rick Sessinghaus helps Morikawa turn that pressure into focus.

• Instead of thinking about winning, the emphasis is on the process and what you as a player and team have 100% control over: preparing optimally, making the right choices, maintaining mental calm, and remaining flexible under changing circumstances. The result is what ultimately matters.
• The process is a prerequisite for achieving the optimal result. And is therefore sacred.

For Coaches: Teach athletes to separate controllables from uncontrollables. Build routines that anchor them in the present task, especially under pressure.

How Coaches Can Apply These Insights

While your players might not be walking the fairways of Royal Portrush under TV cameras, the principles are universal:

• Plan with purpose — give every session a clear focus.
• Train for adaptability — change variables, conditions, and challenges.
• Build mental routines — protect focus in high-distraction environments.
• Normalise reflection — treat every shot as a learning opportunity.
• Focus on process — results follow from great preparation.

These approaches not only improve performance but also deepen player engagement and trust in your coaching.

From Tour Insights to Your Coaching Business

The methods used with Morikawa are scalable for all levels — from juniors to elite amateurs — and can be integrated into your own coaching with the right tools and frameworks.

The Mental Toughness Programme was built for exactly this purpose: giving coaches practical, ready-to-use mental skills resources that help players focus better, stay resilient, and perform with more confidence — while also creating new business opportunities through structured delivery.

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Utilise the Mental Toughness Programme With Your Students and Become an Affiliate Partner

Pay a one time €49,00 for your own lifetime membership, and when one of your students buys the program with your unique code, they will receive a one time €10,00 discount for their year licence and the Affiliate receives a one time €20,00 for every sale!

To learn more and become an MTP Affiliate, visit cp.golf/mtp.

As the conversation around physical and mental wellbeing gains traction, golf’s health benefits are more than just an added bonus; they’re a strategic advantage.

Here’s how you, as a golf coach, can harness the power of Golf & Health messaging to support your business goals, generate new revenue, and connect with wider audiences.

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1. Reach New Audiences with Purposeful Health Messaging

Golf is no longer just for the seasoned swing enthusiast. Its combination of low-impact exercise, outdoor exposure, and social interaction makes it ideal for:

• Older adults seeking an active lifestyle that supports joint health and mobility
• Beginners who may find traditional gyms intimidating or repetitive
• Health-conscious individuals looking for new ways to stay active and mindful

By positioning your coaching services as a gateway to these benefits, you open the door to new customer segments – many of whom may not have previously considered golf.

🟢 Try this: Create a “Health & Golf Taster Session” aimed at beginners or older adults. Promote it through local wellbeing groups, walking clubs, or even local GP surgeries.

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2. Add Depth to Your Marketing and Communications

Yes, golf improves your swing – but it also improves your sleep, lowers stress, boosts brain function, and supports heart health. Those are benefits worth talking about.

Integrating these themes into your website, social media, and email campaigns can help:

• Tell a more holistic, values-driven story
• Differentiate your coaching business from others
• Encourage emotional connections with your audience

🟢 Try this: Share testimonials or short stories from clients who have experienced health benefits through golf, especially those who started for health reasons rather than competition.

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3. Align with Public Health Partners and Unlock New Funding Streams

Many local authorities and charities are looking for partners who can help deliver on community health and wellbeing targets. Golf – especially when led by qualified professionals – ticks a lot of boxes.

By aligning your programmes with these goals, you may unlock:

• New funding streams for health or physical activity initiatives
• Referrals from healthcare providers or local wellness campaigns
• Media opportunities showcasing your work within the community

🟢 Try this: Develop a short proposal outlining how your sessions support mental and physical wellbeing, and share it with local councils, Active Partnerships, or health charities.

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4. Position Yourself as a Wellness Professional, Not Just a Swing Coach

Incorporating Golf & Health messaging into your coaching doesn’t mean changing everything you do – it means reframing the value you already offer. You’re not just improving someone’s backswing; you’re supporting their overall quality of life.

That kind of impact builds stronger client relationships, long-term loyalty, and referrals that go far beyond the first tee.

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Final Thought

As a golf coach, you’re uniquely placed at the intersection of sport and wellbeing. By integrating Golf & Health messaging into your approach, you’re not just helping people play better – you’re helping them live better. And in doing so, you’re building a business that’s more resilient, more relevant, and more rewarding.

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Useful Links:

GOLF & HEALTH RESOURCE HUB

The UK study found that most (72%) of coaches, teachers, and outdoor leaders are not properly trained on sun or heat protection, and 43% feel unsupported in protecting the young people they work with. Rising temperatures and increasing UV risks should raise concern and require action.

The Melanoma Fund conducted the research to mark Sun Awareness Week, 12th – 18th May 2025, and increase understanding of the challenges coaches, leaders, and teachers face around sun safety for the children in their care.

Key findings include:

• 72% of coaches, leaders, and teachers have never received any training on sun or heat protection
• Only 16% of organisations have a separate sun protection policy
• 43% of those working with children outdoors say they feel unsupported or poorly supported by their organisation
• Just 4% believe all the children they work with truly understand sun safety
• 80% of respondents would like access to free or discounted sunscreen
• Over two-thirds reported sun or heat-related incidents, including cancelled sessions, sunburned children, and heat exhaustion

“These findings are concerning, but unfortunately, not surprising. They highlight why we support this sector with free, practical sun safety resources. Although so many leaders are on the case and proactive, these findings are a wake-up call for everyone, including parents who entrust their children to organised outdoor activities,” says Michelle Baker, CEO of the Melanoma Fund.

“With over two-thirds of respondents reporting sun or heat-related incidents – including cancelled sessions, sunburned children, and heat exhaustion—it’s obvious that action is needed,” adds Michelle Baker. “We provide clear, practical solutions that can help address this issue, and ultimately, protect the next generation from skin cancer.”

Sun safety habits begin in childhood, as does melanoma. Just one blistering sunburn in childhood doubles the risk of skin cancer later in life. Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults, which makes it even more crucial that we protect children from harmful UV exposure.

Parents also play a vital role in setting a good example for sun safety. By showing children how to properly apply sunscreen, rather than just smearing it on their faces, they help teach kids how to protect themselves effectively. This is crucial when children participate in outdoor activities.

Outdoor coaches and leaders are uniquely positioned to lead by example and instil sun-safe habits early on. But this new data shows that only 11% of coaches regularly apply sunscreen in front of children, and just 19% wear a sun hat consistently.

To help organisations and individuals address gaps in education, awareness, and support, the Melanoma Fund offers two key resources:

• Sunguarding Course: A free online course that offers accreditation and 3 CIMSPA CPD points, designed to help anyone working outdoors understand and manage the risks of UV exposure.
• Outdoor Kids Sun Safety Code: Aimed at empowering organisations to create and implement sun safety policies specifically for children in outdoor sports and activities, educating both adults and children.

Sport England is focused on increasing participation in youth sports and physical activity, with great success. However, UV risks in outdoor activities remain largely unaddressed. Backed by hundreds of national governing bodies of sport, the Melanoma Fund is pushing for more awareness and action, protecting young participants from these risks to prevent skin cancer in the next generation.

FIND OUT MORE AT MELANOMA-FUND.CO.UK

The Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh hosted the world leading scientific congress over two days of sessions, with experts in attendance from The R&A, Ladies European Tour, DP World Tour, G4D Tour, the Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG) and delegates from over 20 countries.

The conference shared insights on the health benefits of golf, with golfers enjoying a reduction in over 40 major chronic diseases, better well-being and length of life.

Dr Andrew Murray, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the DP World Tour and a Health Consultant with The R&A, was at the forefront of organising the event.

 

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Bigger than ever

“It was a Congress bigger than ever before, with more speakers too, which was fantastic,” said Murray, “It was a great opportunity to get together and then think about the health benefits of golf – how we can promote health through major events, how we can help people be at their best, maximising performance and decreasing illness and injury. Then it’s just about giving everyone the opportunity to play golf.

“I think everyone who attended is very passionate about golf and health, very knowledgeable as well, and I really enjoyed the two days.”

Stephen Gallacher, the Ryder Cup star and four-time DP World Tour winner, was among those who took part in the discussions as delegates learned about the mental fitness of competing at the highest level.

Gallacher, who played for 28 years on the DP World Tour, said, “The great thing about the conference was that it was all about golf, all about the positives of the sport for longevity of life. You can start at such a young age and you can still be playing at such a late age.

“It was important also to discuss how much the golfing world has changed, how much the health side has come into it. It’s changed a lot since I was a kid, like proper advice on nutrition, recovery and hydration. There is so much data and technology to plot their goals. As the home of golf in Scotland, it was also fitting to be in such a beautiful place to talk about it.”

Key topics

Attendees also delved into key topics like injury prevention and management, adaptations for disabled golfers, nutrition, strength and conditioning. Research presented from Finland, Sweden and Scotland highlighted that:

• Golf can provide health enhancing physical activity for people of all ages
• Regular physical activity achieved through golf can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, depression, anxiety and dementia
• Golf also promotes mental well-being, social connections and connection with nature
• Golf has additional benefits compared to walking

Fantastic opportunity

Maree Todd, Sport Minister at the Scottish Government, said, “Regular physical activity and participation in sport is one of the best things you can do for physical, mental and social health. The Congress was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and experience, to celebrate what golf is accomplishing and to understand barriers to participation and how we can work to remove them.”

Dr Julia Kettinen, researcher and Golf Exercise Medicine Specialist, added, “Our research highlights that golf can help people achieve the physical activity they need. Golf also kept senior golfers active during the pandemic and supported their quality of life.

“Even a single 18-hole round can offer significant cardiovascular and cognitive benefits, particularly for older adults, compared to regular walking. Globally, more and more people are playing golf – over 100 million now – which is great for both individuals and populations.”

Improving mental health

Although there is compelling evidence of mental health and wellbeing benefits through golf and other sports, life as a professional athlete can be incredibly demanding, with pressure to perform, much time away from friends and family, and at times intense and unwanted scrutiny in social media and in the media.

The golfing industry has recognised these challenges, and conducted research with the players to implement mental health and well-being toolkits, emergency action plans, mind gyms, and a network of specialists for the players, collaborating with tennis and Formula 1 experts who also have intensive travel schedules.

Dr Phil Hopley, Consultant Psychiatrist at Cognacity, who has been instrumental as Mental Fitness Coach with the McLaren F1 Team on their journey from midfielders to World Champions said, “I felt honoured to be at the conference.

“We’ve all got mental health, but it changes sometimes across the course of a week, sometimes during the course of the day. So we can be flourishing or can be mentally well, or we can be struggling a bit, have a mental health problem or a mental disorder.

Collaborative work

“There are so many mental and physical benefits to participating in sport, and we know how important the mind is to being at your best, be that on the Formula 1 track, playing in the Champions League, playing in a golf major or just in life in general.

“Cognacity are delighted to be working with The R&A and the DP World Tour providing psychology and mental fitness support to players, caddies and Tour staff. The untimely passing of top professional golfer Grayson Murray last year was a painful reminder of how challenging life on Tour can be. That is why the collaborative work that golf is prioritising with IOC mental health experts and the provision of industry leading facilities like the Mental Fitness Centre at the Dubai Desert Classic is so important.”

Alyson Mckechin, Head of Golf It! in Glasgow, was also among the speakers in the impressive surroundings of the Royal College, fresh from recently winning Coach of the Year at the Scottish Golf Awards.

Gallacher, the founder of the Stephen Gallacher Foundation which continues to blossom, summed the sessions up. “Our mission is to help and encourage golfers to live a healthy life and enjoy their golf,” he added. “This scientific Congress coming to Scotland was great as it helps us understand the health benefits, hear about how golf is even being prescribed now in Scotland and further afield, and also look at supporting the mental health of players.

“I have had some incredible highs like winning in Dubai, India and Scotland, and being on the winning side at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, but life in professional sport can be lonely and tough, so the work on mental health is so important”.

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE

• The conference will share insights on the health benefits of golf, with golfers enjoying a reduction in over 40 major chronic diseases, better well-being and length of life

• Delegates will also learn about the mental fitness of Formula 1 drivers and leading golfers, and the challenges of competing at the highest level.

• Delegates will delve into key topics like injury prevention and management, adaptations for disabled golfers, nutrition, strength, and conditioning

The 3rd International Congress on Golf and Health is set to return to the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh on 31 March and 1st April.

The event celebrates the wide-reaching health and wellness benefits of golf with research from Finland, Sweden, and Scotland highlighting that:

• Golf can provide health enhancing physical activity for people of all ages
• This regular physical activity achieved through golf can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, depression, anxiety and dementia
• Golf also promotes mental well-being, social connections and connection with nature
• Golf has additional benefits compared to walking

Sport Minister at the Scottish Government Maree Todd said:

“Regular physical activity and participation in sport is one of the best things you can do for physical, mental and social health. The Congress is a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and experience, to celebrate what golf is accomplishing, and to understand barriers to participation and how we can work to remove them.”

Dr Julia Kettinen, researcher and Golf Exercise Medicine Specialist, outlined:

“Our research highlights that golf can help people achieve the physical activity they need. Golf also kept senior golfers active during the pandemic and supported their quality of life. Even a single 18-hole round can offer significant cardiovascular and cognitive benefits, particularly for older adults, compared to regular walking. Globally, more and more people are playing golf—over 100 million now—which is great for both individuals and populations.”

Stephen Gallacher, 4x DP World Tour Winner, and founder of the Stephen Gallacher Foundation added: “Our mission is to help and encourage golfers to live a healthy life and enjoy their golf. This scientific Congress coming to Scotland is great as it helps us understand the health benefits, hear about how golf is even being prescribed now in Scotland and further afield, and also look at supporting the mental health of players.

“I have had some incredible highs like winning in Dubai, India and Scotland, and being on the winning side at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, but life in professional sport can be lonely and tough, so the work on mental health is so important”.

Although there is compelling evidence of mental health and wellbeing benefit through golf and other sports, life as a professional athlete can be incredibly demanding, with pressure to perform, much time away from friends and family, and at times intense and unwanted scrutiny in social media and in the press.

The golfing industry has recognised these challenges, and conducted research with the players to implement mental health and well-being toolkits, emergency action plans, mind gyms, and a network of specialists for the players, collaborating with tennis and Formula 1 experts who also have intensive travel schedules.

Dr Phil Hopley, Consultant Psychiatrist at Cognacity, who has been instrumental as Mental Fitness Coach with the McLaren F1 Team on their journey from midfielders to World Champions shared:

“There are so many mental and physical benefits to participating in sport, and we know how important the mind is to being at your best, be that on the Formula 1 track, playing in the Champions League, playing in a Major or just in life in general. Cognacity are delighted to be working with The R&A and the DP World Tour providing psychology and mental fitness support to players, caddies and Tour staff.

“The untimely passing of top professional golfer Grayson Murray last year was a painful reminder of how challenging life on Tour can be. That is why the collaborative work that golf is prioritising with IOC mental health experts and the provision of industry leading facilities like the Mental Fitness Centre at the Dubai Desert Classic is so important.”

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE & REGISTER NOW

CPG ANNUAL AWARDS SUPPORTED BY ROLEX

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The CPG President’s Award for Golf Development for 2024 has been awarded to the Golf & Health Project, acknowledging the visionary efforts of the Project’s leadership, in its ground-breaking role in highlighting the significance of the sport’s benefits, and sharing these benefits far and wide.

Since 2016 the Project has worked to provide an academic backing and voice to the benefits that golf can bring and has been significantly driven by current DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe Chief Medical Officer, Dr Andrew Murray, his predecessor, Dr Roger Hawkes.

The Project’s pioneering work to evaluate existing research, identify potential gaps and opportunities for future research activities, and foster collaboration between the wide variety of health-related research projects taking place around the world.

But a primary objective of the Project has been to not only seek academic support of these benefits, but also to help communicate these benefits both in, and out of, the sport.

The promotion of the many psychological and physical benefits – such as golfers live on average of five years longer than non-golfers, and those who play better tend to live longer too – has helped to improve the sport’s image, the reasoning for taking part, and acceptance as a health-enhancing activity.

“I was sat with Dr. Roger Hawkes at breakfast during the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles when Roger shared his thoughts and insights on the health benefits of golf and asked for my support of the project both personally and from CPG,” said CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “I was immediately intrigued and delighted to offer our full support from day one and it is fantastic to see the impact that it continues to make in promoting our sport.”

The award was collected on behalf of the Project team at the CPG Festival of Golf at Saïdia Resorts in Morocco by Dr Omar Malik, Consultant Neurologist at Cromwell Hospital and Golf & Health Project co-founder and Board Member:

“We are absolutely delighted that the work gas been recognised, it’s amazing,” said Malik.

“Considering how important the work has been in terms of shifting the momentum for golf participation then it is so nice to have recognition. Much hard work was done particularly by Roger and Andrew, and we are so happy that it has been so well received, especially by golf’s national bodies around the world.”

The Project has also been a great example of collaboration across the global golf industry with the Project initially receiving significant support from the World Golf Foundation comprising of at the time The R&A, USGA, the world’s various male and female tours, the Masters Tournament and PGA of America, along with support from the Ryder Cup European Development Trust [RCEDT], EDGA and the CPG itself as well.

“We have a lot of people to thank around the world for their support of the Project over the past 8-10 years, both for their financial support that has made it possible, but also their philosophical support in getting behind the concept of Golf & Health and each playing their part in supporting and promoting the benefits identified,” added Murray.

“The ability for us to work together in this way has set an example for all sports and has also resulted in significant developments and activities as a direct result of our friends and colleagues’ efforts in this space.”

For example golf’s joint response to the COVID pandemic, and ultimately a key part of golf being able to get going again during lockdowns around the world, was due in part at least to the groundwork laid in proving the sport can be played in a safe, outdoor environment, combined with the connections already created with policymakers and stakeholders in governmental leadership positions.

More recently, projects are being developed where golf is being prescribed by health professionals as part of recovery and rehabilitation regimes. And in the professional world, much of this work has resulted in significantly enhanced provisions for players across the world’s tours that help to support their physical and mental wellbeing and performance.

To find out more about the Annual Awards and the Festival of Golf visit cp.golf/festival.

Here Ivar looks at some of the key elements involved with mental toughness and how they can be incorporated in to PGA Professionals’ coaching practices…

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In the nuanced game of golf, there’s a maxim that rings true across all skill levels—success on the green is driven by more than physical prowess. It’s about the resilience of the mind and the ability to navigate emotional currents. As PGA Professionals, we understand the pivotal role mental strength plays in the game. But how can we integrate these principles into our coaching techniques, making them tangible and impactful for our students, both amateur and professional?

A golf game isn’t won solely on the driving range or the putting green, but within the landscape of the mind. Consider the wisdom of golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who said, “Golf is 80% mental, 10% physical, and 10% luck.” Anxiety, stress, and lack of confidence can obstruct even the most technically proficient golfer from achieving their potential.

To address these challenges, we must dissect the elements of mental toughness: Anxiety Management, Concentration, Confidence Building, Imagery, Mental Preparation, Motivation, and Relaxation. By understanding and incorporating these elements into our coaching, we can help our students not only confront but also overcome their mental hurdles.

Anxiety Management…

…is crucial for helping golfers stay composed under pressure. As a coach, you can integrate mindfulness exercises into training sessions, encouraging golfers to focus on the present moment, thus reducing anxiety and stress. For instance, during practice, have your students focus on the feel of the club in their hands, the sound of the swing, or the sight of the ball. This can help anchor them in the present, mitigating anxiety about past mistakes or future performance.

Concentration…

…is a fundamental part of golf, where a momentary lapse can make all the difference. To help your students improve focus, introduce exercises such as ‘quiet eye’ training, which involves maintaining a steady gaze on the target (like the hole or a particular spot on the ball) for a couple of seconds before the swing. This practice can improve visual attention and enhance accuracy.

Confidence Building…

…is best achieved through a blend of feedback and self-reflection. Encourage your students to journal their experiences during each game, noting what they felt worked well and what did not. Pair this with positive feedback, emphasising their strengths and achievements, which can significantly boost their confidence.

Imagery or visualisation…

…is a proven technique to enhance performance. Encourage your students to mentally rehearse their shots or play an entire game in their mind. This ‘mental walkthrough’ helps familiarise them with different scenarios, making them less daunting in reality.

Mental Preparation…

…is about setting up the right mindset before the game. Introduce practices like goal-setting at the beginning of each training session, discussing the plan for the day and what they aim to achieve. This provides a clear vision and promotes a focused mind.

Motivation…

…can be stimulated through setting both short-term and long-term goals. Celebrate small wins, such as improvements in swing mechanics or putting accuracy. These victories fuel motivation and show that progress is being made.

Relaxation techniques…

…like controlled breathing exercises can be incorporated into the warm-up or cooldown routines. A simple practice like taking deep, slow breaths can help slow down the heart rate, relax the body, and clear the mind, leading to improved performance.

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Incorporating these elements into your coaching methodology, either as part of a structured development plan or as individual tools, can make a significant difference. Using tools such as the ‘Mental Toughness’ programme provide a structured approach to these elements, offering various exercises and insights building momentum and increasing a player’s dedication to mental training.

As coaches, understanding the power of mental toughness and its critical role in golf allows us to elevate our coaching techniques. By equipping our students with the mental tools to complement their physical skills, we are paving the way for the next generation of golfers, who are not only technically proficient but mentally tough.

ABOUT THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS APP

Unlock your student’s potential with “Mental Toughness,” an online programme designed scientifically to amplify their game. Seamlessly integrating with your technical tuition, this programme offers a targeted approach for each key mental aspect.

From establishing powerful routines and mastering visualization to understanding physical and mental warm-ups—it’s got it all. Help your students devise critical situation plans, manage their control points, and use controlled breathing for relaxation. With an eye on holistic growth, it also aids in creating development plans, factoring in nutrition, rest, recovery, and training. Whether used as a comprehensive guide or for individual elements, “Mental Toughness” is your ticket to transforming your coaching and your students’ game.

For the price of one lesson, your student can benefit from the complete program for one year. PGA Professionals from CPG Member Countries can access an affiliate program that includes a discount for all your students.

Find out more about the Affiliate Program at https://cp.golf/3CpDTfe and more on the App at mentaltoughness.golf

The event is a great way for any PGA representative or PGA Member that is interested in the area of golf and health and the wide array of benefits that it can bring, along with medical/scientific/research professionals, surgeons, doctors, sports medicine physicians, physiotherapists, sports scientists, researchers and students interested in golf, health and performance.

The 2022 edition will take place in Scotland, the Home of Golf, with the kind support of our platinum sponsor, Stryker, at a time where golf has been highlighted to have a wide range of health benefits. Major golf events will be held in Scotland in 2022 including The 150th Open, The AIG Women’s Open and many others. International consensus has recently been published on illness and injury in golf and there will be satellite events at each of the major Scottish tournaments this year highlighting the health benefits of golf.

ATTENDANCE

A range of fees are available to attend the event in person depending on which events individuals wish to join. A Virtual Conference Pass is also available for remote access.

Full information and booking process can be found at https://cp.golf/3QAAPmc.

PROGRAMME

A full programme of events for the two days can be downloaded from https://cp.golf/39DxoKO. Sessions will explore:

• Golf’s contribution to global health, and what is new in golf research
• Illness and injury in sport
• Analysing injuries in golf
• Rapid fire research updates in golf & health
• Mental health and well-being in sport
• Performance nutrition & sports science in golf
• Connecting primary care patients to golf for health
• Why the world should play golf

Please direct any questions you have to outreach@rcsed.ac.uk.

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE & BOOK YOUR TICKET

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FULL PROGRAMME [PDF – 0.6MB]

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER [PDF – 0.1MB]

That’s the view of leading environmental psychologist Professor Jenny Roe of the University of Virginia, who says golf course environments possess many of the natural features – including water, biodiversity, spatial variety and light patterns – that help reduce stress and induce calm.

In a new multimedia editorial feature from Syngenta Growing Golf, broadcast on World Environment Day, Prof. Roe is joined by Olympic golf course architect Gil Hanse, who explains how golf courses can be beneficial for the environment.

VIEW: The new value of golf’s green spaces

The comments come as many golf clubs report strong demand for play and membership following periods of course closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

And it builds on global market research from Syngenta that suggests prospective players are attracted to the game because 1) it is outdoors and 2) offers relaxation and stress relief. (Physical exercise benefits ranked fifth.)

The feature poses the question: in the new normal, post Covid-19, could golf clubs and courses reposition themselves as valuable green space destinations in an increasingly urbanized world?

Mark Birchmore, Syngenta Global Head of Marketing, Turf and Landscape, who commissioned the feature, said: “On World Environment Day, at a time when the globe continues to face the challenges of Covid-19, this is a timely exploration of the deeper value and benefits golf and its course environments offer both people and the planet.

“In a world where access to green spaces is becoming more important and more valuable than ever, this is also an opportunity for golf to reposition and make itself relevant to a larger, more diverse audience.

To read the full article and watch the interviews, click here.

As part of its long-term education strategy and in response to the current challenging climate PGAs and their Members are facing, the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] have announced a new series of free online Masterclass webinars.

The ‘CPG Masterclass Series’ includes a range of online talks and presentations that cover a variety of subjects and topics, delivered by world-class, industry leading experts from their respective fields.

CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, commented: “Like most organisations and individuals, PGAs and PGA Members are being affected in a number of ways by the COVID-19 virus. Whilst policies and guidelines differ across our member countries, we are taking a number of steps and introducing new initiatives to emphasise Togetherness and the sharing of knowledge and information, at a time when being part of a community is more important than ever.

“The CPG Masterclass Series is just one of these steps and we will contain to work with the leaders from across our Member PGAs to roll out others over the coming weeks and months – Stay Safe, Stay Learning”.

Through this increased sharing of knowledge and thought-provoking content, the Masterclass Series embodies the CPG’s guiding principles of Togetherness, Collaboration and Development, and aims to provide both new and supplementary golf education resources for the benefit of CPG Member Country PGAs and PGA Professionals alike.

The initial schedule of speakers includes a focus on the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on golf with Dr Andrew Murray and Dr Roger Hawkes, Project Leaders for the Golf & Health initiative, communication science and its relation to golf coaching with Marie Jeffery, Marketing and student relationship for golf instructors with Jose Vicente Perez, structuring practice and lessons with Adam Young, social media for PGA Professionals with Emma Ballard, along with a variety of other content already scheduled.

Regular announcements of upcoming webinars will be released in due course, with an aim to provide frequent, accessible sessions to enable as many PGA representatives and PGA Professionals to attend.

Further details on the series including the full schedule, speaker line-up, and webinar access details can be found online at cp.golf/masterclass.

If you would like to take part and deliver a webinar then please contact tb@cpg.golf or use the form available on the Masterclass hub page.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

EDGA, the body that supports golfers with physical, intellectual and sensorial disabilities, is keen to use the opportunity provided by the European Tour to raise awareness and grow participation in inclusive golf this week during the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

A number of leading EDGA players will also be present to encourage the spectators at the Inclusive Golf Stand in the championship village. EDGA is happy to work closely with Leuchie House, one of the tournament’s Official Charity Partners and Scotland’s only dedicated respite centre, which offers caring respite breaks to people with long term neurological conditions.

Scottish Golf has also got behind EDGA by ensuring the members from 11 golf clubs in the area have helped to promote the free golf lessons available during the tournament in the build-up to the event.

The European Tour and EDGA will also be conducting outreach programmes in the wider community. This will include a visit to Leuchie House in North Berwick on Friday to provide a modified golf session to patients and carers.

By encouraging people with a disability to try the game at The Renaissance Club and Leuchie House, EDGA is continuing to work towards its stated objective of introducing 500,000 people to golf.

Mark Taylor, Head of Development for EDGA and a qualified PGA Professional, said: “Thanks to all at the European Tour and EDGA’s partners, we have an excellent opportunity here to introduce many new people to golf, alongside our friends at Leuchie House, with Support from Scottish Golf.

“Golf is a wonderful sport for those of all abilities and we have seen so many people who have experienced disability, illness or injury, feeling better physically and mentally by playing golf, including finding new social and confidence-building opportunities, making new friends. We therefore look forward to saying hello to many new and established players with a disability this week, while family members or friends will also receive the warmest of welcomes.”

Find Out More @ www.edgagolf.com

You can find out more and meet the EDGA community across our social media platforms: Facebook: @EuropeanDisabledGolfAssociation, Twitter: @edgagolf, Instagram: @edga_golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is drawing the attention of its Member Country PGAs and their PGA Professionals to a fun and exciting campaign which is helping to raise awareness for golf as a sporting option for people with a disability.

As the first ever Golf and Health Week takes place from 15-19 April, EDGA is to show its support of golfers with disability through a unique and fun ‘pledge and PLAY’ day, completing some 2019 golf holes in 24 hours.

Golf and Health Week is a collaborative campaign, coordinated by The R&A, which will run across digital and social media channels using the hashtag #GolfHealthWeek and include content focused on highlighting the physical and mental health benefits of playing golf and projects being delivered by golf bodies and clubs.

EDGA is an international not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help people with impairment to play, succeed and enjoy golf. The 17th of April is dedicated to golf for those with disability and EDGA is backing the campaign to raise awareness of golf being a viable sporting option for all.

A new EDGA driven ‘pledge and PLAY’ initiative is aiming for players, staff, officials, coaches, volunteers, and friends of EDGA, anywhere in the world, to play a grand total of ‘2019 holes’ on the 17th of April. Look out for #EDGAPledgePlay, before, during and after the 17th April, on social media.

There is no cost to get involved in ‘pledge and PLAY’, simply visit www.edgagolf.com/pledgeplay, pledge the number of holes that you intend to play, log your details, your name, the course you are going to play, the people you intend to play with, and if possible the starting time.

Tony Bennett, President of EDGA and former Director of Education for the Confederation of Professional Golf, said: “A huge thanks to the Confederation of Professional Golf for helping us to promote pledge and PLAY. Their team and members, like all at EDGA, want to see the sport becoming more inclusive. We hope all friends of EDGA will support our pledge and PLAY efforts to play 2019 holes together on the 17th of April, the day when we are marking the importance of the sport for existing and brand new golfers with a disability. Please help us to achieve our goal of 2019 holes – your support is crucial!”

EDGA will have a live ‘Hole Counter’ on the day and as holes are confirmed they will be added to the running total.

Focusing primarily on Great Britain and Ireland, Golf and Health Week will be co-ordinated by The R&A with the support of – along with EDGA – the European Tour, the Ladies European Tour, The Professional Golfers’ Association and the Golf Foundation, as well as national associations including England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf, the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union. A number of other organisations have also expressed interest in supporting the week.

For those who wish to support pledge and PLAY (which is totally free) please visit www.edgagolf.com/pledgeplay now!

You can find #EDGAPledgePlay and meet the EDGA community across our social media platforms: Facebook: @EuropeanDisabledGolfAssociation, Twitter: @edgagolf, Instagram: @edga_golf

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There is a well-known phrase: ‘people leave managers, not companies’. Ensuring your organisation is made up of leaders with the right characteristics, level of self-awareness, potential and ability is fundamental in fostering an environment of high engagement and high performance, both of which are key drivers of business success.

Leadership goes beyond the successful delivery of projects or achievement of strategic targets; it’s about engaging your people on the journey towards realising a vision. We surveyed over 200 HR and business professionals on their views on leadership, engagement and talent, and a host of recommended actions from industry experts that you can implement in your own organisations.

This whitepaper aims to reflect on the relationship between leadership and engagement, covering the following themes:

• The role of leaders in driving engagement and performance through team values
• Psychological methods of defining talent and measuring potential
• The impact of employee engagement upon performance

Click Here to Download the Free Whitepaper [ThomasInternational.net]

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Reuben Conibear

Reuben has worked in the Marketing team at Thomas for just over 3 and half years. As Marketing Executive, Reuben’s core focus is to ensure a high quality experience for Thomas customers at all times. In his spare time, Reuben enjoys kayaking, bouldering and spending time with his friends and family.

Professor Jenny Roe, environmental psychologist and Director of the Center for Design & Health, University of Virginia, says golf is one way of benefiting from a regular ‘dose’ of green space to boost psychological wellbeing and physical health.

“There’s a wealth of evidence, using robust, scientific methods, to show the benefits of ‘green exercise’ – exercise in the natural outdoors – compared to exercise indoors, including the gym,” says Prof. Roe [pictured].

“When you step into a green space, there’s a number of things that happen with both your physiology and your psychology. Your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in – the system that’s associated with relaxation – and your stress physiology actually changes. You literally manage stress more efficiently when you are in a green space.”

Prof. Roe’s insights appear in a new multimedia article titled ‘Golf Saved my Life’, published by the Syngenta Growing Golf campaign, highlighting golf and mental health issues and telling the story of young US golfer Sam Gerry, who reveals how playing golf saved him after depression left him suicidal at age 14.

Recent research from the USA and the UK demonstrate the widespread need for stress-reducing activities. A 2018 study* by the UK’s Mental Health Foundation revealed that in the previous 12 months, 74% of people had felt so stressed they had been overwhelmed or unable to cope. In the same study, almost 10% of respondents said they were stressed “all of the time”.

A Gallup poll** in the USA showed a similar trend, with only 17% of respondents saying that they rarely feel stressed.

Research also shows that women tend to report more stress than men, with one recent poll demonstrating a 78% to 66% difference***.

Syngenta’s worldwide research report, The Global Economic Value of Increased Female Participation in Golf, demonstrates that the very things that attract women to the game align with Professor Roe’s insights, as well as with general stress-relief advice from institutions such as the UK’s National Health Service and the USA’s American Heart Foundation.

In the report, five of the top factors that piqued women’s interest in golf were:

1. Being outdoors
2. Relaxation or stress relief
3. It presents a mental challenge
4. Spending time with family or friends
5. It presents a physical challenge

Download the report: www.growinggolf.com/register

The R&A, one of golf’s governing bodies, is also highlighting the issue, and will launch the first Golf & Health Week (April 15-19, 2019), a dedicated campaign to raise awareness of the health benefits of golf for people of all ages and abilities. One day of the week will specifically concentrate on the game’s mental health benefits (April 16).

Prof. Jenny Roe adds: “I think to get out and play golf you are really helping manage your mental health in a very holistic way.

“Contact with nature allows us to recover from brain fatigue, reduces our stress levels and improves our mood. In turn, improved mood is linked to what’s called the ‘broaden and build’ hypothesis, with an increased capacity for creative thought and cognitive flexibility that can – potentially – lead to new thought-action repertoires on and off the golf course, and improved performance.”

For More Information Visit GrowingGolf.com

The first ever Golf and Health Week will take place from 15-19 April and will aim to encourage golfers, non-golfers and lapsed golfers into taking part in the sport.

A number of health-related themes will be promoted during the week of the campaign, including:

• Monday 15 April: Fitness – professionals and amateurs
• Tuesday 16 April: Mental health (including dementia)
• Wednesday 17 April: Disability golf
• Thursday 18 April: Golf for everyone – featuring various health projects (e.g. Parkinson’s, loneliness, stroke and other programmes that can benefit health)
• Friday 19 April: Club level – focus at golf clubs (e.g. fitness, food, drink, gym classes)

The collaborative campaign will run across digital and social media channels using the hashtag #GolfHealthWeek and include content focused on highlighting the physical and mental health benefits of playing golf and projects being delivered by golf bodies and clubs.

Focusing primarily on Great Britain and Ireland, it will be co-ordinated by The R&A with the support of the European Tour, the Ladies European Tour, The Professional Golfers’ Association and the Golf Foundation, as well as national associations including England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf, the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union.

A number of other organisations have expressed interest in supporting the week, including EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), the Confederation of Professional Golf and Golf Australia.

The campaign is also to be backed by professional golfers including Annika Sorenstam, Brooke Henderson, Padraig Harrington and Zach Johnson, who are ambassadors for the Golf and Health Project.

The dedicated week builds on the work of the Golf and Health Project, which since 2016 has studied the many and varied health and wellbeing benefits of golf, considered any risks and had research published regularly in international, peer-reviewed journals.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “It is important that we continue to promote golf as an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities and demonstrate that playing golf can provide significant benefits for the health and wellbeing of those who participate in the sport.

“We are working closely with our affiliated national associations and partners to produce an engaging and inspiring campaign which will drive interest in playing the sport and encourage people to take advantage of the health benefits that golf can bring.”

To drive interest and encourage activity in the days before the dedicated week, golfers will be asked to tweet their steps achieved and calories burned from any golf they play, again using #GolfHealthWeek. The week then finishes on Good Friday at club level, with golfers to be encouraged to head for the fairways over the Easter holiday weekend.

Last year, a global consensus amongst leaders in public health, public policy and sport backed golf in the race to tackle physical inactivity and the prevention of illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer of the breast and colon.

Evidence linking golf and health, commissioned by the World Golf Foundation and supported by The R&A, was presented at Westminster following research led by the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Previous research has also highlighted that those that play golf live five years longer than those that don’t play, while the sport has been shown to have self-esteem and self-worth benefits.

Find out More @ RandA.org

Photo Credit: Getty Images

As the first ever Golf and Health Week takes place from 15-19 April, EDGA is to show its support of golfers with disability through a unique and fun ‘pledge and PLAY’ day, completing some 2019 golf holes in 24 hours. 

Golf and Health Week is a collaborative campaign, coordinated by The R&A, which will run across digital and social media channels using the hashtag #GolfHealthWeek and include content focused on highlighting the physical and mental health benefits of playing golf and projects being delivered by golf bodies and clubs.

EDGA, a supporter of #GolfHealthWeek, is an international not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help people with impairment to play, succeed and enjoy golf. The 17th of April is dedicated to golf for those withdisability and EDGA is backing the campaign to raise awareness of golf being a viable sporting option for all.

A new EDGA driven ‘pledge and PLAY’ initiative is aiming for players, staff, officials, coaches, volunteers, and friends of EDGA, anywhere in the world, to play a grand total of ‘2019 holes’ on the 17th of April. Look out for #EDGAPledgePlay, before, during and after the 17th April, on social media.

There is no cost to get involved in ‘pledge and PLAY’, simply visit www.edgagolf.com/pledgeplay, pledge the number of holes that you intend to play, log your details, your name, the course you are going to play, the people you intend to play with, and if possible the starting time.

On the 17th, all EDGA asks is that you enjoy your game, confirm the number of holes you played and send a photo/video of you and your partners as you play the course. If you like you can send a few words about your day (you will have the option to upload a photo, video or short story to the EDGA website). EDGA will have a live ‘Hole Counter’ on the day and as holes are confirmed they will be added to the running total.

Tony Bennett, President of EDGA, said: “We at EDGA are delighted to be supporting Golf and Health Week. This dedicated campaign to raise awareness of the health benefits of golf is a wonderful opportunity for golf to send a strong message that golf is good for you. We hope all friends of EDGA will support our pledge and PLAY efforts to play 2019 holes together on the 17th of April, the day when we are marking the importance of the sport for existing and brand new golfers with a disability. Please help us to achieve our goal of 2019 holes – your support is crucial!”

Focusing primarily on Great Britain and Ireland, Golf and Health Week will be co-ordinated by The R&A with the support of – along with EDGA – the European Tour, the Ladies European Tour, The Professional Golfers’ Association and the Golf Foundation, as well as national associations including England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf, the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union. A number of other organisations have also expressed interest in supporting the week.

For those who wish to support pledge and PLAY (which is totally free) please visit www.edgagolf.com/pledgeplay now!

You can find #EDGAPledgePlay and meet the EDGA community across our social media platforms: Facebook: @EuropeanDisabledGolfAssociation, Twitter: @edgagolf, Instagram: @edga_golf

FIVE KEY POINTS

1. Our brains are built to learn the best when we’re operating at the edge of our abilities, outside of our comfort zones, and when we make a lot of mistakes.
2. Understanding that we can improve our abilities (having a growth mindset) is the key to learning. The most successful people in the world have this all figured out. They’re master learners, or as we like to call them – “Butt Kickers.”
3. Most of us struggle with learning because of our fear of failure, looking bad, and resistance to change. This mostly comes from a part of the brain called the amygdala aka “The Lizard Brain.” The Lizard Brain acts as an internal force driving us to have a fixed mindset.
4. The Lizard Brain is the brain of a wild animal. It’s hardwired to seek safety, avoid risks, and to fit in. This protected us back in caveman times, but now it keeps us from learning as much as we could.
5. As much as we would like to, we can’t kill the Lizard Brain. However, we can learn to dance with it and use it as a compass to show us we’re on the right path.

SPECIAL THANKS

We would like to give a HUGE shout out to Seth Godin for helping us out with the interview. He’s been one of our biggest inspirations through all of this and it was an absolute honor to speak with him. Thanks Seth!

Also, he just published one of the most unique and inspiring books I’ve ever read. Grab a couple of copies of Your Turn HERE – You’ll absolutely love it!

FREE POSTER

Screenshot it, download it, copy and paste it – it’s yours! Use it as a reminder of how learning really works. Feel free to post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Launched last May in London, the Charter set out to inspire an industry-wide commitment to developing a more inclusive culture within golf globally. It is designed to encourage actions that enable more women and girls to flourish and maximise their potential within the golf industry at all levels.

Over 100 organisations have committed to the #WomenInGolfCharter since its launch last May🏌️‍♀️

Find out how you can help The R&A’s drive to increase the number of women and girls participating in our sport👉 https://t.co/v8fRCFZv4R ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/2l7E78yNhB

— The R&A (@RandA) February 13, 2019

To date, 107 organisations have given their commitment to the Charter, pledging to build on current initiatives and develop new projects to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf and becoming members of clubs, as well as giving women wider opportunities to enjoy careers and volunteering in the sport.

These include national federations such as Golf Canada – which held its inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit last year linked to the staging of the CP Women’s Open – Golf Australia; New Zealand Golf; the Italian Golf Federation; England Golf; Scottish Golf; and Wales Golf.

Other organisations who have adopted the Charter include the PGA TOUR; the European Tour; the Ladies’ European Tour; the Professional Golfers’ Association; the Golf Foundation; the Confederation of Professional Golf; the European Disabled Golf Association; the ANNIKA Foundation; IMG; VisitScotland and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf.

Mastercard, the official card of The Open, is also the first R&A Patron to sign up. Various other organisations offering their support include the Association of Golf Writers and GOLFNOW.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are encouraged by the number of organisations who have recognised the importance of the Charter for the sport and pledged their support.

“It is a positive start but we need an industry-wide commitment to the Charter and support for measures that will foster a more inclusive culture within the sport and enable women and girls to reach their full potential.”

While achieving the commitment of national federations and organisations was one of the first aims of the Charter, the process for clubs and regional bodies to sign up is also now gathering pace.

Conwy, which will stage the 2020 Curtis Cup in Wales, is the first golf club to sign up to the Charter.

Boldon, based in Tyne & Wear, is the first English club to sign, followed by commitments from Open venues Royal Portrush, St Andrews Links Trust and Carnoustie Golf Links.

Fulford, venue for the Girls Under 16 Amateur Championship, has also committed, along with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Blairgowrie, North Berwick and Royal Dornoch.

“Gaining the support of national associations and organisations was the first phase of our plan,” added Slumbers. “We have also worked closely with them to collectively agree a process to support individual clubs in adopting the Charter and gain real momentum.

“The national body is the point of contact and will directly liaise with clubs in determining commitments to the Charter should a club wish to become a signatory.

“We would like national associations, with the involvement of clubs, to set targets for participation and membership as we look to increase the number of women, girls and families playing the sport.”

Overview of Women and Girls developments in 2018

• In 2018, The R&A provided an initial three-year funding package of £375,000 to its affiliates in Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to support the appointment of new development managers to work on increasing participation by women and girls
• The funding is part of The R&A’s plans to increase its overall investment in women’s, girls’ and mixed golf to £80 million over the next ten years, with the Charter underpinning this work
• In Ireland, junior girls’ membership was up nearly 1%, as was overall female membership – the first time the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union (ILGU) has seen an overall growth in membership since 2008. The Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) and the ILGU recently agreed to form a new body, known as Golf Ireland
• Within England Golf, participation among women and girls increased from 15% to 17%, while the Girls Golf Rocks programme grew from 15 counties and 72 clubs in 2017 to 21 counties and 98 clubs for 2018
• Across Great Britain and Ireland, over 25,000 women and girls from over 1,100 clubs played in The R&A’s 2018 Coronation Foursomes
• In February 2018, Golf Australia’s plan to challenge female participation was launched – ‘Vision 2025: The future of women and girls in golf’
• New Zealand Golf has expanded investment into She Loves Golf – an initiative aimed at changing the perception of golf for women and inspiring participation
• Oman Golf launched a ‘Go Ladies’ beginner programme to illustrate the global appeal of the Charter in developing countries
• The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association has launched a ‘Women in Turf Care’ programme to encourage more female greenkeepers
• The Professional Golfers’ Associations’ #WeLoveGolf campaign and TopGolf teamed up to drive women’s interest in trying out golf, with almost 100 women having the chance to hit their first golf ball in a fun and friendly environment
• Mastercard will partner with The R&A across various areas, including STEM Education to develop an evergreen golf version of their Girls4Tech proprietary curriculum that inspires girls to pursue careers in STEM
• Syngenta, one of the first organisations to sign up to the Charter, is taking actions centred around research, diversity and growing the game, particularly around boosting psychological well-being through golf
• A new and engaging golf campaign, aimed specifically at encouraging more women to travel to Scotland to play golf, was recently announced by VisitScotland. The #HerScotland campaign will be used to help raise awareness of The 2019 Solheim Cup
• On the European Tour, men and women competed side-by-side in 2018. The Trophée Hassan II and Lalla Meryem Cup were held simultaneously at the same venue in Morocco, while Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Mel Reid, Carlota Ciganda and Catriona Matthew competed in the second edition of GolfSixes, the latter alongside Thomas Bjørn in a ‘Captains’ Team.’
• In addition, the men’s and women’s competitions ran side-by-side in the Vic Open in Australia last week. Furthermore, the European Tour is actively pursuing initiatives to enhance and promote diversity in their workforce.

Find out More @ RandA.org

At the global forefront of psychometric assessment innovation for over 35 years, and with a with a presence in over 60 countries, Thomas are passionate about empowering organisations throughout business, sport and education to make confident people decisions.

Their psychometric assessments are straightforward to understand, quick to use, but more importantly have scientific validity at their core and are provided in 56 languages.

Derek Redmond, Group Performance Director at Thomas International commented, “Thomas International are pleased to announce their official partnership with the Confederation of Professional Golf, to become the Official Supplier of Psychometric Assessments, where we will work closely with the Association to help support the development of their people and teams and ultimately, contribute to the continued success of the organisation.”

“We have already had the pleasure of working with Thomas International in the past couple of years as we continue to develop our own business and services,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“The formalisation of our relationship with Official Supplier status will allow the great team at Thomas to take their work with not only our Association, but also our 38 PGAs, to the next level. These tools and services are going to provide the insight into what makes people successful, measuring areas such as behaviours, personality, high potential and engagement that will empower the PGAs and help them to advance their organisations and Members.”

Since its inception in 1981, Thomas has paved the way to achieving excellence with its clients to transform organisational, team and individual performance. Years of research drive powerful results to help organisations recruit, retain, develop and lead their most important assets –people.

The announcement coincides with Thomas International’s Development Consultant and Gold Medal-winning Paralympian, Naomi Riches MBE, and Global Account Manager, Jonathan Smith, hosting a workshop at the 2018 Confederation of Professional Golf Annual Congress at Costa Navarino in Greece.

The workshops saw representatives from across the 38 Member Country PGAs, along with other partners and suppliers, and various Federation and golfing organisation representatives, hear about the role that psychometric profiling played in Riches’ rowing career, helping her to understand more about herself, before delving deeper into the ways delegates can learn from this and assess its use in their own roles and organisations as a whole. .

For more information visit www.ThomasInternational.net

Evidence linking golf and health, commissioned by the World Golf Foundation and supported by The R&A, was presented this week in London at the 7th Congress of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH). The biennial scientific meeting is widely regarded as the world’s flagship physical activity and public health event attended by more than 1,000 delegates from 60 countries.

Recognition that playing golf has significant physical health and wellness benefits and can provide moderate intensity physical activity to persons of all ages, comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Global Action Plan for Physical Activity. The Global Action Plan targets one in four adults, and four out of five adolescents (11-17 years) who are insufficiently active and charts how countries can reduce physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 15% through 2030.

The scientific consensus for golf is evidenced in research led by the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Findings reveal that playing golf is associated with a range of physical and mental health benefits, and further collaborative efforts to improve access for the sport are needed.

New studies are underway to discover if playing golf improves strength and balance, contributing to a key public health goal of fall prevention in healthy aging and into conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Marking the close of the ISPAH Congress, public health practitioners, policymakers and golf industry leaders were hosted at a satellite event in the Palace of Westminster by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf.

Steve Brine MP, UK Minister for Public Health and Primary Care said, “Governments need active partners in sport to help reduce the levels of physical inactivity that are evident in society today and it gratifying to see that golf is using its global presence to make a difference.

“Golf has various health benefits for people of all ages and I look forward to working with golf, other sports and stakeholders to help get more people, more active, more often.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Golf is working hard to encourage more people into the sport who will realise its many health benefits. With 60 million golfers spanning six continents, golf has found common purpose in working with public health practitioners and policymakers to optimise the health benefits of playing the sport.

“We recognise the importance of the WHO Global Action Plan for Physical Activity and we will work with our affiliates and partners around the world to help improve health and well-being through golf”.

Professor Fiona Bull, WHO Programme Manager, Non-Communicable Disease Prevention said, “NCD is responsible for nearly three quarters of all premature deaths globally, including 15 million deaths per year in people aged 30 to 70 years.

“The new WHO global action plan and the implementation toolkit ‘ACTIVE’ aims to help all countries improve the environments and the opportunities for all people to be more active. Golf is a popular sport for men and women and it is great to see golf’s global leadership recognising health priorities and identifying ways golf can be more accessible to more people. I took up golf in my 30’s but thought it was a very technical, expensive and elitist sport.

“Thankfully a 6 week ‘come and try course’ showed me how easy it was to enjoy golf as a beginner and how active playing 9 holes can be!” I am looking forward to seeing how golf can attract many more girls and women to enjoy the sport and be more active and healthy”.

Annika Sorenstam, Major Champion and a global ambassador for golf and health said, “As the recent international consensus statement highlighted, golf is great for your health for people of all ages – playing the sport and even spectating. Given the health benefits, we must work together to make golf more accessible if we are to achieve our sport’s full potential.”

The 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Healthto guide action by people, policymakers and the golf industry was published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A further Golf and Health Scientific Meeting will be held at Mytime Active, High Elms Golf Course, Bromley on Thursday 18 October 2018, a club promoting healthy lifestyles. Researchers from Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA will discuss their respective projects and the future direction of research on golf and health.

Find out More @ www.golfandhealth.org

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As Thomas International continues to roll out the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI) worldwide, a vast amount of data is being collected and analysed alongside a great deal of data about workplace and leadership outcomes.

These results were presented in a symposium at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal [read more about it here]. This represents one of the largest HPTI studies done to date, including nearly 10,000 participants.

One of the defining features of the HPTI is it’s optimal trait levels for leadership. The HPTI goes beyond identifying personality traits and provides clear guidelines for identifying high potential leaders based on their personality traits. The recent studies confirm and reinforce the importance of personality traits for leadership.

The Process

Good scientific research involves thorough testing to build on theories and collect large amounts of data. This helps to confirm findings and improve the knowledge and understanding of the topic under investigation. Thomas International have been testing and validating the HPTI with workers around the world to ensure HPTI results and reports are valid, reliable and useful in workplaces around the world.

This process ensures the HPTI is a scientifically validated tool, and allows the continuous development of additional knowledge and resources to improve the utility of the HPTI in practice.

One of the papers presented at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal looked at the results from a study of nearly 10,000 participants. Alongside the HPTI, various workplace outcome variables were also examined. The results demonstrated that the theoretical underpinnings and psychometric properties of the HPTI are valid and useful for North American populations.

Key Findings

First, the items and personality traits tested by the HPTI can be used in workplaces in North America. This research also involves a localisation process for the HPTI, so population norms and optimal levels of traits tailored to North American workers, leaders and businesses.

Second, this is the largest study to date examining HPTI traits at different levels of leadership. The results show very significant differences in HPTI traits at the different levels of leadership. The results confirm the importance of HPTI traits for leadership, and show the importance of HPTI traits increases with leadership seniority.

The chart below show increasing levels of each personality trait in each leadership category. This is a clear pattern which shows how important optimal HPTI trait levels are in leadership, and senior leadership in particular.

The results also show a greater spread between some traits. For example, those not in leadership tend to have average Ambiguity Approach levels. Senior leaders show substantially higher Ambiguity Approach which is essential for the level of complexity and uncertainty they face in their work.

Competitiveness, on the other hand, shows a relatively narrow spread. Although Competitiveness rises slightly higher at more senior levels of leadership, the differences are relatively modest. This is consistent with previous findings that extreme levels of competitiveness can be counterproductive in leadership positions.

Overall, this clearly shows the importance of HPTI traits in leadership and highlights that the HPTI traits are even more important in senior leadership. As HPTI research is conducted around the world, the research results clearly and consistently demonstrate how important HPTI traits are for leadership potential.

Implications for Business

HPTI personality traits are incredibly useful in assessing high potential at work for three reasons (discussed in more detail in High Potential: How to spot, manage and develop talented people at work).

1. Personality is stable

Personality traits are relatively stable from early adulthood into later life. It is a consistent pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. This means personality is a very useful early indicator of potential at work.

2. Personality is rooted in the brain and biology

Personality comes from neurological processes and structures. That means personality is essentially hardwired in the brain, and very difficult to change except in cases of extreme psychological intervention. Unlike factors such as motivation which can change day-to-day or year-to-year, personality is a useful long-term predictor of both performance and potential.

3. Personality traits interact

Personality traits do not exist in isolation. The traits interact to form a whole, overall personality structure. Having high or low levels of one particular trait will influence how all other traits are experienced and expressed. This means it is important to look at all the HPTI personality traits in combination. The research described earlier in this article reinforces how important all of the HPTI traits are for overall leadership potential.

Getting a full picture of a person’s personality traits provides important information about making decisions related to identifying, managing and developing high potential at work.

Read more about each of the 6 traits of high potential in leadership and how the HPTI can support you in recruiting and developing your (future) leaders.

To find out more about the real-life applications of the HPTI, please get in contact on info@thomas.co.uk or call us on +44(0)1628 475 366.

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Ian MacRae

Ian has been an organisational psychology consultant for over a decade and is the director and co-founder of High Potential Psychology Ltd. He is the co-author of High Potential: How to Spot Manage and Develop Talented People at Work and the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), a measure of leadership potential, which is available to Thomas clients.

When team members work well together, there is little they cannot accomplish. Looking at the bigger picture when it comes to your teams, such as their behavioural and emotional preferences and the impact they have on each other, can greatly increase your chances of developing a high performing team.

Patrick Wright from the Rugby Business Network (RBN) uses Thomas assessments to do just that. Thomas tools allow them to gain a deeper understanding of an individual’s preferences, something the RBN have used to develop athlete performance, enhance transition programmes and ultimately deliver results.

Developing self-awareness in the USA 7’s Rugby team

Mike Friday, Head Coach of the USA 7’s Rugby team, has been working with Patrick at the RBN to embed Thomas assessments into the team’s training programme in the lead up to the Rio Olympic Games, in order to improve consistency in performance through greater self-awareness amongst team members.

As a high performance sporting team where effective communication is crucial to successful performance, the team needed to develop their understanding of each other. As a result, they implemented Thomas’ Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) to identify their strengths, limitations, motivators and communication preferences; helping team members and coaches to tailor communications to individuals, so as not to misinterpret them and stifle learning.

The PPA compatibility report was also used between players, coaching staff and the management team. The reports uncovered a number of potential challenges to effective team relationships, which allowed them to put timely strategies and development plans in place to help individuals to modify their behaviour to the preferences of others.

The players also noticed an immediate impact after implementing Thomas assessments. Madison Hughes, player and captain of the USA 7’s Rugby team comments, “The Thomas PPA helped the team take a different perspective on communication with each other. In particular, it helped us realise the different ways people see things and therefore that with each individual, different approaches are necessary.

Mike concludes, “it has been very insightful working with Thomas International. It has encouraged open communication within the squad and has created a foundation for us to create winning performances on the pitch and to be a more united squad off the pitch. I would highly recommend teams looking to find the edge in high performance to explore this approach.”

For more information, visit ThomasInternational.net.

Photos provided by Mike Lee/KLCFotos

What this example demonstrates is the power – and danger – of negative thinking. Research into negative thoughts has shown how they lead us to dissociate from the outside world and turn our focus to one thing only: the thing that is making us feel angry, scared or bad about ourselves. As a result, we stagnate.

Positive thoughts have the opposite effect, opening our minds to see a whole range of possibilities and therefore welcoming new ideas and perceptions. Barbara Fredrickson, a professor at the University of North Carolina and researcher of positive emotions, believes thinking positively can even have long-term benefits. In her ‘broaden and build’ theory she describes how the broadening of our sense of what is possible generated by positive thoughts can lead us to develop new skills and so progress in life.

For some of us, looking at things from the bright side is something that comes easily; others find it harder. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, though: thinking positively is something that you can train yourself to do.

First of all, you’ll need to start making a conscious effort to not give in to negative thoughts. Recognise when you start dwelling on the bleaker side of things and put a stop to it by asking yourself what you could do to make the situation better. Then start setting actionable goals for yourself – reaching them will empower you.

The next step is to foster positive thoughts. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. While positive thinking creates positive emotions, this process also works the other way around. This means that doing things you love, that bring you joy, can help you to think more positively. Think, for example, of a time where you engaged with something you are passionate about: perhaps you went to a concert or saw a film you really loved. Did you feel inspired afterwards? Perhaps it even led you to actively pursue a goal related to that passion?

Or you can try something new. Meditation has been proven to help cultivate positive thoughts, while a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality showed that writing about positive experiences can have the same effect.

Thinking positively means getting out of your head and looking for solutions. It’s something you may have to practise to get better at, but ultimately it can open doors that you may otherwise have walked right past.

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: Huffington Post; National Centre for Biotechnical Information

Composite Graphic Credit: iconicbestiary / Freepik

Their staff explains how they do it:

This interview was the inspiration behind The Growth Mindset Playbook (a page dedicated to laying out the best ways to teach and implement growth mindset).

I’d like to give a huge S/O to Karch and his staff for being so incredible these past few years – I can’t explain how much they’ve helped the Train Ugly mission!

If you’d like to see the crew in action and learn more about their approaches, check out:

THE TRAINING THE GAP CONFERENCE

With Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia on the rise, ‘brain-training’ is very much in vogue among retirees and younger whippersnappers alike. As game developers have been quick to appreciate, preserving healthy cognitive function means maintaining sharpness across all the right areas, from memory and recall to problem solving and planning. There’s enough there for a bi-annual upgrade and then some.

Video games aside, there are plenty of equally as efficient but less costly ways to keep your grey matter firing on all cylinders. Here are some top tips for successful cerebral conservation:

1. Learn something new

Be it the cello, Ancient Greek or Chinese calligraphy, teaching yourself a new skill is a great way to keep the old brain cells ticking over. A recent study of retirees showed that a challenging mental activity one a week reduced the risk of dementia by 7%.

2. Get physical

Work the rest of your body while you’re at it. Research suggests that 30 minutes of exercise three times each week can reduce dementia by 40% and cognitive impairment by 60%. The secondary benefits should also be obvious.

3. Food for thought

You don’t need a PHD in nutrition to know some foods are better for the brain than others. Indulge in vegetables, nuts and fish – staples of the Mediterranean diet that promote blood-flow to the brain. Drink plenty of water and stay off the junk food!

4. Take a load off

From catching enough ‘Z’s each night to meditative techniques, giving your brain some much-needed down time is essential in reducing wear and tear. It will also help you maintain skills such as problem solving, concentration and memory. Aim for 7.5 to 8.5 hours a night for optimum brain function.

Whether happily retired or gainfully employed, whatever your age, looking after the stuff upstairs should be a top priority. The good news is that keeping your neurotransmitters nimble needn’t cost the earth and can slot fairly easily into your day-to-day lifestyle.

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: Forbes; NPR.com; Time

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.

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

This topic came up as we were recently discussing the results of some of our competitive clients.  It seemed we kept coming back to this commonality in describing our students who were experiencing the most success.  Obviously, they perform well because they are all highly skilled, but the players that seem to have an unwavering belief in their abilities– keep achieving— sometimes even beyond the level that their current skills would predict.

We love the queued up clip below of the current World Number 1 communicating an amazing sense of belief in himself and his abilities.

“They had no chance.”

“Who’s playing for second place?”

This steadfast outlook on his ability to perform manifests itself in a few key characteristics:

• a willingness to take on meaningful challenges
• a propensity to exert maximum effort in training
• a persistence in the face of setbacks

These traits allow the self believers to navigate the ups and downs of golf and better manage the stress inherent within competitive golf.  Psychologist and motivation expert, Albert Bandura, referred to this belief as Self Efficacy. Here is how he describes performers with high self efficacy:

Alternatively, we sometimes encounter highly skilled and technically proficient players who lack this Self Efficacy. They approach competition with anxiety rather than the exhilaration.  These are the players who, despite having robust skills, aren’t able to parlay them into maximum output. How often do you see a player approach their performance with trepidation and expectations that are not in alignment with what they are capable of? Why is that?

It may seem obvious, but so much effort is spent on refining skill and technique that it’s easy to omit this essential component to performance from our lesson plans.  And sometimes it’s worse than merely omitting— sometimes we prepare for an event in a way that inhibits self-efficacy and belief.  Spending too much time on technique in our interactions leading up to an event rarely fuels a belief in their skills ‘as-is’.  Instead, this approach may allow for a bit of doubt to creep in as the performer wonders what iteration of their mechanics will show up when it counts.  This is a really difficult roadblock to avoid, especially if performance wanes in the lead up to an event.

So how can we build belief?

One of the most difficult things to do, as coaches, is to persuade a performer to believe more in their abilities. And that’s because players need something more tangible– to see it, not just hear it. They need proof. While we certainly try to build it and protect it through how we communicate— ultimately that belief has to be earned.

In our experience, the best source of Self Belief is the memory of previous accomplishments. To that end, we work closely with players to build a success inventory – a storage box of instances that demonstrate to the player, that they are capable to excelling in a variety of situations.

Think of an athlete who struggles to perform.  If we know the person well, and know what they need to be successful, we can get pretty creative in creating situations where these accomplishments can be earned – and their memory bank can get filled.

Through reflection, we found a very common pattern – the occasions in which the people we work with reported the most confidence and performed best in events, closely matched the time in which we presented them with tasks aligned most closely with the ‘Build Efficacy’ quadrant of our Task Design Matrix.

These tasks – ‘Moments of Mastery’ – allowed the athletes to train in similar-to-play conditions under  achievable outcome demands.

In looking closer at the anatomy of a Moment of Mastery, our end goal is to craft a task that creates assurance for the athlete– once complete, they know their skill is on-point and ready.  We want them to be able to recognize a situation and refer back to the training they have completed and know, with great certainty, that their skill set is more than capable of producing the outcomes that they want – and need – in that circumstance.  This performance state serves as a stark contrast to the uncommitted, uncertain performer who just isn’t sure if they can pull a certain shot off.  If that’s the perceived belief, they SHOULD be nervous and anxious!

Although it sounds simple, there is an art to it.  Knowing how hard the task needs to be to get them engaged and exerting effort while also keeping the difficulty at a level that is likely to produce a successful performance is quite difficult, as it is often a moving target and a very thin line to walk.  However, it is the means by which this ‘swagger’ is earned, and it is something that expert coaches are able to do with practice and careful planning.

This is obviously made more difficult when the player attempts to create a Moment of Mastery with a technique that isn’t producing the desired results.  That’s when, as coaches, we have to scale difficulty and possibly even put certain aspects of technique in isolation, so the performer can mentally ‘check the box’ and move on.  While this ‘isolation’ technique may not align with how a player best learns in the long-term– it’s worth doing at times if we know it will have a positive effect on their perceived competence.  For an example of successful players training his way, visit the putting green of any tour event Mon-Tue and witness players going through their technique checks with any number of training aids in a noticeably superficial environment.

On these occasions, we prefer a stable, unrepresentative setting despite the stigma that often comes with these ‘blocked practice’ activities.  If, in that moment, it will help an athlete believe in themselves more, we won’t hesitate to go there.  Even if it’s a bit manufactured and unrepresentative– skill acquisition science be damned!

CREATING MOMENTS OF MASTERY

There are two things that we need to be aware of when designing Moments of Mastery.

• The goal is to boost a player’s perception of their ability to be successful under the gun.
• The boost comes from them being able witness their success in the first person, repeatedly.

With those action items in mind, we need to provide a task that has three distinct characteristics:

• Low to moderate relative difficulty.
• A like-golf environment.
• Repetition.

These three aspects of the training task – difficulty, instability, and time on task – work together to create an environment that has the potential to inspire motivation and perception of one’s abilities as it offers the possibility for the performer to be successful, in similar-to-play situations, often. Provided the outcome standard that governs success is in alignment with their skill set, these tasks serve as a catalyst to the creation of confidence.  Here is an example:

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

In this instance, the athlete received certainty that what he is training, he is able to recall when he needs it and that the outcomes are very good.  Again, it sounds very simple, but the more we can create these moments, the more moments of success they have in the memory bank to reference during competition.

In addition to providing opportunities to see success, we can further promote their sense of ‘I-Can-Do-It-ness’ by keeping track of their performance.  Logging skills assessments or statistics, can show tangible proof of progress against early versions of themselves.  What will happen to the athlete in the screencast after we point out a drill that at one time seemed very difficult, but now they complete with ease?  This is another great source for self-belief— it’s a great way to promote their sense of ‘I-Can-Do-It-ness.’

While we don’t claim to be sports psychologists– we realize that our interactions need to impact performance state in equal measure to skill.  Exploring the motivational and psychological underpinnings of how we coach and train should be a priority for all coaches.  Luckily there are experts in golf like Pia Nilsson, Lynn Marriott, Dr. Bhrett McCabe, and Dr. Rick Jensen who share their insights generously.

If you feel researching this topic could improve your coaching– our friend Cordie Walker is putting on the Unlocking Performance Virtual Summit.  Some of the brightest minds in golf, including the ones listed above, will be sharing their thoughts.  We would highly recommend checking it out!

Another great source is James Sieckmann’s new book, Your Putting Solution.  Not only does he cover the technical components of putting in comprehensive detail, but the second half of the book is essentially a master class in how to coach, build belief, and train more effectively.

And after you check out those great resources, we hope you’ll engage us in further investigating this topic in the comment section.  What activities do you use to create similar ‘Moments of Mastery’?  Describe a task that you use that seems to evoke a strong sense of ‘I can do it’ from your students.  We would love to compile a database that we can all learn from and use in our coaching.

 – COREY LUNDBERG & MATT WILSON

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.