Managing Minds

Monty’s Pain at Winged Foot in 2006

Paul McCarthy — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:08:18 +0000

Colin Montgomerie, in his autobiography: Monty, laments: “I’ll never get over the pain of Winged Foot” (the course on which he missed out on his fifth and possibly last chance of major glory). Colin referred to the “pain” of Winged Foot. This noun, pain, often lies as the heart of other issues in our lives. In a sporting context, we often associate pain with sport injuries but the pain of ‘psychological loss’ often lingers much longer than physical pain. The physical injuries heal but the scars of mental or emotional injuries take much longer to heal if they are untreated. In some instances, we forget about the pain of loss; the pain of losing something that was never ours in the first place. But sometimes, we live with the pain or pain of regret far longer than we deserve. Many journalists refer to Monty as: Colin Montgomerie, the best player never to have won a major. It is a kind gesture but has a sting in its tail. Yet, there is a lesson in Monty’s pain for all of us: His counter-factual thoughts after the event were: “If I had [stopped, regrouped, and started all over again], I would have won the US Open”. Perhaps he would have won, we will never know. What we do know is that Monty, given the chance again would have done things differently. Let’s keep Monty’s advice foremost in our minds.

Golf In The Real World: Ian Poulter

Paul McCarthy — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:44:19 +0000

Ian Poulter opened with a 7-under 65 at Sawgrass in Florida. In 9 holes, he hit six birdies. The putts rolled it as they have before. But in the past year and a half, other elements of his life (e.g., the arrival of another child, building a new house, etc.) swamped Ian’s time and by his own admission, his golf game suffered. But all these dealings are part of real life. The onlookers might argue that some of these dealings are more important than golf (e.g., birth of a child), some less important than golf (e.g., building a home); however, these matter to different degrees for different people. At the very least, the more we pack into our lives, the more difficult it is to focus on one thing only. Successful golfers are famed for their single-minded approach to golf so success requires lots of planning. Knowing the responsibilities that golfers have, perhaps means more planning in preparation for the golf year is needed as well as recognizing that less might mean more in the long run.

Why Do You Dress Me In Borrowed Robes?

Paul McCarthy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:29:13 +0000

The question above asked by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He felt he was given a title that was not his or at least due as he saw it. The Masters at Agusta bestows a green jacket to the victor, a green jacket that is coveted the world over. In the days before the tournament, bookmakers offer odds on the likelihood of various golfers wearing this jacket or presuppose who might be dressed in ‘borrowed robes’. The players who have not won a green jacket need to resist the temptation to think too far ahead about what might be. Yes, they are there to win it but it is secondary to the job that they need to do to get their arms in the green jacket. Taking care of oneself, one’s game and the undulations along the way requires great skills. Let’s hope that the golfers are thinking only about doing what they can with what they’ve got right now.

‘Mum, it’s only a game of golf”

Paul McCarthy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:17:57 +0000

What makes great champions? Well, lots of different things. But one thing in particular is the ability to overcome setbacks time and time again. Last year, Rory McIlroy lost what most people thought was his Masters. He had one arm in the Green Jacket teeing off in the final round but his game fell apart when he needed it so badly on the back nine. The nature of the performance on Masters Sunday was enough to scar any golfer psychologically for a long time. Perhaps it is Rory’s strength of character that allowed him to overcome that loss quickly (he won the US Open a few months later). He cried after that loss – the first time in a long time. His parents were upset for him, especially his mother. But he consoled his mother the following day by explaining “‘Mum, it’s only a game of golf. That’s the way it goes’.” It is exactly this coolness that one needs to put golf in its place so that it matters when it matters and then it’s over. Then you move on. Rory moved on like all great champions and knows what lays ahead of him at Agusta tomorrow.

Can Padraig Harrington Regain His Form For The Masters?

Paul McCarthy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:02:25 +0000

Nobody has won more majors that Padraig Harrington in the past 5 years. Nobody has won more majors that Padraig Harrington in the past 5 years. It was worth repeating that sentence because Padraig knows it and perhaps needs to remind himself that he won when no one expected him to win. But now his world ranking is close to 100 rather that 1, something that does not sit well with him. So why is he playing so erratically? Looking at the details, it seems that Padraig Harrington’s putting is leaving him down when he needs it most. Strangely, all the measurements of length, roll, rhythm and strike tell him that he is putting perfectly. But there appears to be more art than science to putting. He certainly needs to ‘read’ the putts in a way that allows him to trust his assumption of length and line. This is subjective; he has no numbers to rely upon only the visual information from the putting green. It’s time Padraig reminded himself that no one has won more majors in recent years and he putted best by trusting himself. It’s a great skill to practise.

One Of These Golfers Is Doing His Own Thing

Paul McCarthy — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:58:20 +0000

Every professional golfer wants to win the Masters at Agusta. Every professional golfer wants to wear the coveted Green Jacket when the competition ends on Sunday afternoon. But the question remains, how do professional golfers prepare to deliver their best performances when it matters most? That’s a question that a sport psychologist can answer. Remember, it is not just preparing for one day but for four consecutive days of competition. Ian Poulter wants to prepare by doing what feels best for him rather than take advice from others who have been there and worn the jacket. Sometimes advice is necessary and sometimes it isn’t. One interesting point raised by Ian Poulter was about sport psychologists. He said: ”Why pay somebody 10 per cent of what I earn just to tell me how good I am? (Peter Dixon, The Times, Tuesday 3rd April, 2012). On the one hand, Ian perhaps is not sure exactly what sport psychologists do but on the other, not knowing what a sport psychologist can offer means that when they can help him, he might not avail of their services. For instance, Ian Poulter was leading the field after 36 holes in 2010, but finished tied for tenth place on Sunday afternoon. He explained that: “It was my first tee shot on Saturday that spooked me. It was not the norm and it freaked me out. I hit it way left and then I hit a couple more to the left during the first six holes. My normal miss would be slightly right. It unsettled me and I started chasing, which is not me” (Peter Dixon, The Times, Tuesday 3rd April, 2012). It is moments like this one that the sport psychologist can help the golfer. The sport psychologist can help the golfer cope with the unexpected and get back to the ‘present’. Let’s hope Ian has learned from his experiences.

How Many Putts To Win The Masters?

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:30:25 +0000

Do you know how many three putts Tiger Wood took when he won his first Green Jacket? None. That’s right, no more than two putts were needed to win the title back in 1997. He even finished on Sunday afternoon 12 shots ahead of the field. He became, by two years, the youngest winner in the history of the tournament. But he also had averaged 323 yards off the tee, which helped him hit short irons into some of the par 4s. He made the game his own in 1997 at Agusta.

Was Tiger Let Down By Hank Haney?

Paul McCarthy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:27:25 +0000

Hank Haney’s new book, The Big Miss, reveals much about the relationship between Hank Haney, and former World No. 1, Tiger Woods. Many stories have emerged before its official release date about Tiger and his foibles; perhaps ones that are no different any other member of the golf community. But what lies at the heart of this story? And does what you share with your coach remain between you and him or her. More importantly, what should be held in confidence? These questions are difficult to answer because of peoples differing moral responsibilities. I suspect that this book will sell very well indeed and the royalties would be welcomed. We have a diverging story here because on the one hand, we know very little about Tiger Woods – much of his life remains hidden. On the other hand, he is entitled to his privacy. But those in the public eye are usually pressed for more details than most and some are financially rewarded for those details. At the heart of this story is the broken trust between two people. We can but speculate why this might have happened but more importantly, what might other golfers consider about what they share with others. If there is a lesson in here, it is that you learn to share less and less until eventually you share nothing; when you share nothing, you have little trust or friendship and one wonders how successful one will be with a coach where there is no friendship or trust.

So What Happened To Padraig Harrington?

Paul McCarthy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:15:32 +0000

Last week at the Transitions Championship on the PGA Tour, Padraig Harrington opened with a round of 61, leaving him ten under par. His subsequent rounds were in the seventies: 73, 72, and 71. What can explain performances that range from excellence to average over a few days? Padraig Harrington has been criticized for tinkering with his swing over the past few years and perhaps there is some sense to that criticism. He changed coaches from Bob Torrance to Pete Cowan but one wonders what changes it will bring? What was wrong with the swing that won three major championships in 13 months? I understand clearly that as Duke Ellington sang: “It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing”. But perhaps the real strength of a golfer is getting going with what you’ve got. Walk along the driving range at the major championship and you’ll struggle to find two swings that are alike. What you will see is unique swings and relatively few winners among many golfers. The key then is doing the best with what you’ve got. Be honest with yourself and your strengths and believe strongly in your mental game. If you don’t have a mental game, it’s time to start thinking about building one. That mental game will bring you lasting success on and off the course.

Luke Donald Does It Again As World No. 1

Paul McCarthy — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:53:59 +0000

Luke Donald is once again, the world no. 1 in golf. Rory McIlroy has handed over the mantle but will no doubt fight to regain that accolade. So how did Luke Donald win back his no. 1 position? From a psychological perspective, what makes this an interesting situation is that many people have questioned Luke Donald’s position as the best golfer in the world, but it is a foolish question for a few reasons. First, by the statistics on the PGA Tour website, Luke is exceptionally accurate off the tee, hits a high percentage of greens and rolls in over 75% of putts from 7 feet. He trusts himself when it matters most and that leaves him with the confidence to execute the shots he needs under pressure. Few golfers can put themselves in position to roll in a birdie putt on each hole but Luke Donald does that with an excellent short game built on the confidence that he is playing within himself at all times. There is a lesson for us all in there.