In a series of chats and conversations with performance coach Jamie Edwards, we are going to look at a few small shifts in thinking on and off the golf course that can have an impact not only on your scores but also on your life. They say that golf is a great mirror to life. …
In a series of chats and conversations with performance coach Jamie Edwards, we are going to look at a few small shifts in thinking on and off the golf course that can have an impact not only on your scores but also on your life.
They say that golf is a great mirror to life. And if it’s a great mirror to life then the quest is not the perfect golf swing but the ability to deal with the time when the game is not perfect.
Having worked with 1000’s of golfers both professionals and amateurs across Europe and the Middle East I kept hearing the same thing in seminars at clubs.
I kept hearing the same stories about what gets in the way. How there was no time to play or practice because of work, because of resources.
The putter needs changing…. again. It’s not working.
The greens are too fast… or too slow.
The practice ground was too far away from the clubhouse.
The weather was too poor.
Lots of stories or as I say… Lots of excuses. Yet excuses are well-planned lies.
As most players have the potential to talk themselves out of a playing well, they scratch their head as to how to resolve it.
You will find that as your golf game gets better, and your desire improves most players tend to focus on the external factors.
Swing and Scores. Ball striking. Yet whatever level you play and for whatever reasons you play this great game looking at the INSIDE factors will have a huge impact on your experience.
SMALL SHIFT BIG IMPACT
Notice I said EXPERIENCE and not results. In fact, today, EXPERIENCE comes before results. In the retail world this is important. Think of your favourite shops, brands, holidays. EXPERIENCE leads to OUTCOME.
ALL golfers do this! Even the top guys. Results are the focal point of the game, the industry and maybe your industry at work. Professional sports and the real world tend to focus on the end goal. Yet you only must listen to the players in all sports and the topics about life today and the word that falls off the tongue is HOW people EXPERIENCE their golf and even their life, with the result being a by-product.
And this game is no different. Some of the recent crops of top players such as Rickie Fowler, Sergio and others who have had life-changing experiences off the course have acknowledged that their perspective has changed on it.
Learn from their words and don’t wait.
Focus on the experience you are having rather than the results.
Questions create experience.
What could go wrong today? What if I… What will happen if… even if these are not the start of your pre-breakfast thoughts to the day or your pre-round thoughts. Most people if they start questions like this they usually lead to poor questions?
For the next few rounds, apply these questions on the drive to the golf club or even to the next meeting you have this week.
What could I enjoy about this round today? Or this meeting today?
Make a mental note of what you could enjoy.
What do I need to LET GO of JUST for today?
Maybe expectations about the round or performance. Could be the memory of the last round you played or what someone has said about your game that you have held on to.
In a series of articles both here and online at onparmagazine.co.uk, we will feature a way of developing your mental game that integrates your scoring and your thinking.
‘Wedgeology’ is about the psychology of scoring and making your practice pay off. And whilst recently over the past two decades or more since Tiger introduced new ways to develop… the mental side of the game has had different billboards saying do this or think this.
For me, it’s quite simple.
When you play well. It’s not your golf. It’s the approach to your golf. And so, it’s true about the opposite.
Developing Skills especially Under Pressure like Molinari, Donald, Mickelson, Tiger. Wedge Skills that simply become the Mental Antidote:
We will be addressing:
Every year is going to be YOUR YEAR. That’s Your intention. This is THE year. If you are passionate about your game. Whatever level you play at. If it intrigues you and draws you in. Then let’s help you draw out that potential.
Write the word weight. W.E.I.G.H.T Why WEIGHT. Heavy. The Truth is heavy. Yet the paradox is that when you know the truth you feel like the scoring game weight has been lifted.
Some of these will make you flinch and cringe. Yet if you are going to improve. Getting to the truth of how and more importantly why you want to improve is more important and rewarding than the how.
How is about external factors and yet if you understand why you want to improve it becomes the fuel for everything else.
And by the way.
I am saying you can improve with Limited time. Limited access. Yes, it’s possible. It depends on what you are working on.
Just thinking about improving will not improve your game. WEDGEOLOGY will.
A business client once asked could I help him with his golf game. He was struggling.
I asked him, “What’s your business handicap?” He looked at me strangely. I said, “You know what I am alluding to!”
“Five” he replied coyly.
I replied “You are being modest. It’s more like plus 5”
When I asked him what his business would be like if he played BUSINESS with the mindset he had in golf he replied “All over the place. I always hold on to mistakes and never let them go… sometimes for weeks….
“And if you played golf with the mindset you have in business what would your golf be like?” I asked.
“Amazing… because in business when I make a mistake I just move on. It’s done. Can’t change it. But can deal with it.”
What many of you will start to realise when you are changing your approach to your game on and off the course is that you will find you have mental skills in one area that you can apply to another.
Not all of them. You can move the ball forward and you can DO your job. My guess is that you can DO golf. That’s not the question though. Everyone is trained to DO something.
The big question when you are coming from behind, keeping your score going, staying in the round, recovering from a couple of poor holes or looking to close out the club champs. When the challenge comes will you default to the question EVERYONE asks.
What do I do?
Brain….”I don’t know”
The big question is….
“Who are you going to BE?”
Brain… “Calm… Courageous. Excited. Composed….”
Then “What are you going to DO?”
That’s a small shift that will have a big impact. Try it….
Jamie Edwards is one of Europe’s leading performance coaches. An identity he has established through his ability to help players and organizations create the results they aspire to. His work has been tested at the highest levels of the sports and business such as the Rugby World Cup, the Ashes, Ryder Cup, World Cup Skiing, Extreme Sports and the Premiership and provides mental training for players at the All England Tennis Club and coached many PGA Pros.
His WEDGEOLOGY golf workshops and personal development trainings for staff and teams have been experienced by clubs such as Close House, Abu Dhabi National, Wentworth, Royal Lytham, The Wisley GC, Walton Heath, Gleneagles, Emirates GC to name but a few.
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