Managing Minds

Darren Clarke Is Working To Fulfill His Ambition

Paul McCarthy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:51:28 +0000

Darren Clarke admitted recently that his Open triumph will inspire him to further glory. But will a major win, have a major effect on his future? Following his Open win in Royal St. Georges last July, Darren struggled to display the form that secured him the Claret Jug. Two finishes within the top 50 in seven European Tour events between his Open win and the end of the year suggested that the mindset that was his aide in Royal St. Georges was not supporting him during these months. When we look beneath these results, we find that Darren was working especially hard with all the commitments around golf, which goes to show how much golf requires total commitment to allow one to excel. But the most interesting admission by Darren was that he aims not to be so hard on himself “My other big aim is not to be so hard on myself… I’m a perfectionist” (Peter Dixon, The Times, Monday 23rd January, 2012). Being a perfectionist, however, does not mean that a golfer has to be “hard” on himself or herself. It is the double edged sword that cuts the life out of a golfer’s goals, ambitions and confidence but also set the golfer apart from most other golfers. If a golfer is practising to get better, then that practice is to be applauded. But if a golfer is practising to avoid playing poorly or attain standards that are far removed from the reality of good golf, then that golfer is doing himself or herself a disservice. Golf is a game to be enjoyed; it ought to be seen in this light, a light that will sustain a golfer when all others are consumed by their doubs.

German Engineering At Its Best in Shanghai

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:14:56 +0000

Martin Kaymer did what we expect of only a few golfers at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai. He trounced the field with a final round 63 and won a most coveted European event. He found himself six shots behind Fredrik Jacobson coming to the 7th hole but came back in 29 with 9 birdies on his card. You might wonder what Martin has got over the others and one fact is clear: he has an unshakable sense of focus, especially when the pressure is mounting. He doesn’t deviate from his game plan and though he admits being nervous, when he commits to a shot, there is nothing else in his mind but executing that shot to the best of his ability. He is confident and confidence is one’s ability to persist at a task and recognize each task as a challenge. Martin Kaymer sees everything as a challenge. He spoke about the challenge to win the Race to Dubai and wrestle it from Luke Donald. He said: “He [Luke Donald] deserves to be No1 in the world. It will be very difficult to catch him but that is what the sport is all about, to challenge yourself, challenge the other players that you play with week in, week out. And of course I will try to give him a hard time” (Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian, Monday 7th November, 2011). Great feats are possible when you believe in the challenge.

Sergio’s Will Of A Champion

Paul McCarthy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:26:19 +0000

During Sergio Garcia’s slump, when he dropped his world ranking position from number 2 to number 78 within two years, he explained: “When things started to go a bit wrong, I collapsed. I lost the will to fight (Patrick Kidd, The Times, Tuesday November 1, 2011). But it is the will to fight that brought him back to number 18 in the world rankings and two consecutive wins on the European Tour in October 2011. That “will” is the one that helps a golfer to try different strategies, to train differently and harder, to work through problems on the golf course, especially those weaknesses that are holding a golfer back. That “will” is the belief that my ability, whatever it may be, will not stop my progress. It is knowing that you will only fail when you start to blame other people or other things for not succeeding. Sergio’s will to do better and never accept defeat is giving him the rewards he deserves. The darker times help him see the brightness of the good times.

Darkest Hour Before The Dawn For Sergio

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:36:31 +0000

Sergio Garcia has just won two European Tour events back-to-back. In fact, it has been three years since he last won a golf tournament. His golf had, in performance terms, gone from bad to worse. He found himself outside the top 70 after being World No. 2, a few seasons ago. As recently as a few weeks ago, he even doubted he would ever get back to his best and from those darkest moments, he produced two exceptional victories on the European Tour. Though some might argue he had home advantage, he still had to perform better than the field of exceptionally talented golfers on two separate occasions. When we think we have reached rock bottom, we often discard the expectations we have of ourselves. Golf just becomes a game of hitting one shot after another. We”re not too bothered about the outcome, we just relax into hitting the shots and accepting the outcome. At this disinterested level, we start to perform our best. Our narcissism declines, our focus inclines. We become detached from results and attached to flow; to see us strike the ball with ease and acceptance. This is the golf we have witnessed from Sergio Garcia in the past two weeks. Allowing himself and his body to do what is necessary – what it knows it is capable of doing. The calmness is palpable and the results speak for themselves.

Could A Different Putter Improve Your Putting?

Paul McCarthy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:42:06 +0000

Strange as it may seem to some golfers, the putter you use can influence how many putts you hole or at least the putter you believe you are using. Not only would you hole more putts with this putter but the size of the hole actually looks bigger to you. This insight emerged from a study by Charles Lee at the University of Virginia among 41 amateur golfers. They were split into two groups. Only one group was told that the putter they would use in the experiment belonged to the professional golfer, Ben Curtis. After all the participants were shown a putting mat, they were first asked to estimate the size of the hole using the elliptical tool in Microsoft paint. Then, they all took 10 putts on the mat. Participants who believed they were using Ben Curtis’ putter perceived the hole to be larger than those in the other group. Most importantly, they also sank more putts than the other group. What you believe matters!

Yardages, clubs and emotions: The Emotional Caddie

Paul McCarthy — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:58:20 +0000

Many golfers have a unidimensional view of a caddie’s job: he or she carries the clubs and tells the golfer about the yardage, wind speed and lines. But this view is too simple; it doesn’t do justice to the caddie’s immeasurable value on the course; directing, guiding, advising, supporting, and assuring the golfer at all times. The caddie is many things: An emotional caddie, a motivational caddie, a confidence caddie, a humble caddie and so on. If we take the emotions of the golfer as a starting point – they may be raging at one moment and tranquil at another – yet, this is something the caddie cannot discount because he or she knows the merits and demerits of an emotional roller-coaster on the golf course and when it snatches defeat from certain victory. The caddie must guard against this happening and must somehow seize control of the reins for both their sakes. We don’t know enough about caddies and their value in the professional lives of golfers, but we do know that their social support is a prerequisite for victory on and off the course.

What Makes Tom Lewis Different?

Paul McCarthy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:01:16 +0000

Tom Lewis is a talented golfer. Not many people would disagree with that assertion; however, they might suggest that he’s like many other golfers in his age group. That maybe so but I’ll qualify that point with one difference – perhaps it will be a major difference – he thinks differently. When he spoke about his fellow competitors, he said “They’re all good players out there, but I tell myself I’m just as good” (Peter Dixon, The Times, Tuesday, 18th October, 2011). Not only that, however, his perception of competition is qualitatively different because he continued “They’re all on the same score as me at the beginning of the week”. What is most impressive about what he said is that these thoughts were foremost in his mind. The idea that someone would ask these specific questions prompts the responses that dominate in his mind. In other words, I tell myself that I’m a good golfer, then I believe it and when questioned, I explain why I’m a good golfer. Thinking correctly is something that can be learned but to master it, you must practice it consistently. It seems Tom practices what he preaches.

What Does Pete Cowen See in Tom Lewis?

Paul McCarthy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:44:26 +0000

Tom Lewis won the Portugal Masters last Sunday. You might not think that is amazing but please remember that tournament was just his third as a professional golfer. A talented amateur golfer, he has earned all the plaudits showered upon him over the past few months. His golf coach, Pete Cowen, said “He’s got that steely determination… It’s winning that counts and he loves putting himself under pressure. You don’t see that in many kids, but you see it in him” (Peter Dixon, The Times, Tuesday, 18th October, 2011). It’s only natural to see how much we can lose in competitive golf. After all, most people lose many more times than they win; however, when you seeing golf as a challenge, a challenge to improve and master skills, the landscape changes. Where there was doubt, we only see hope. Where there was a bogey, we now see par. It is up to us to choose to see our fears as challenges and excel where others did not think we could.

Bud Cauley’s Wisdom Beyond His Years

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:45:48 +0000

When Bud Cauley compared playing amongst the best professionals in the world with college golf, he said: “It’s still just between your ears and still golf, it’s really nothing too different, if you don’t make it different.” (Karen Crouse, The New York Times, 11th October, 2011). Fans, journalists and the public often think differently about golf than most golfers. In a way, golfers have to find a way to think that helps them minimise the challenges they face whilst maintaining a focus on doing the simple things well. Bud Cauley’s advice to himself and others is simple and effective. Golf requires us only to pay attention to the demands of the shot at hand, nothing more. If Bud Cauley adheres to his own wisdom, he’ll have a glittering career in professional golf.

Tom Lewis Takes Matters Into His Own Hands

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:06:08 +0000

Tom Lewis recently turned professional. He did so after the Walker Cup victory which meant he had to win a substantial amount of money on the European Tour using invitations offered to him to gain playing rights for the next year and in the process, avoid Qualifying School. Tom said “I was really dreading going to Qualifying School at the end of the year” (Patrick Kidd, The Times, Monday, 17th October, 2011). The only way to avoid Qualifying School was by winning enough money to keep his playing rights or by winning a European Tour event – he did the latter, and in some style. What’s most remarkable is the manner of his victory. His shot execution and putting on the back nine touched the impeccable heights we associate with the worlds best. Tom, by the way, was playing in his third professional Tour event. In some ways, it is only after setting a standard that the weight of expectation rises; however, Tom seems humble enough to know what he needs to do to play his best when it matters most. He relied on his caddy, Colin Byrne, and together, they masterminded a sublime victory. Colin Byrne, asked only of his charge that he play sensibly and conservatively, which he did and secured victory.