Q: What does it mean to play more Intelligent Golf?
Q: How often do you work with your students?
Q: How long does it take to gain mastery over the mental aspects of golf?
Q: If I decided to work with you, what would happen next?
Q: You’ve got my interest. So how can I learn more about Intelligent Golf?
Q: What does it mean to play more Intelligent Golf?
A: Simply put, playing more Intelligent Golf is about developing the mental skills to play this game at the highest level you are capable of achieving at any given point in your game. It’s about learning how to play smart golf. This is accomplished by teaching you the very mental skills that successful touring professionals have learned about and incorporated into their own games. These skills take work to achieve but they are skills that ANY golfer can learn at any level. You may not be able to drive a 354 yard par 4 like Tiger, but you absolutely can learn to think like he does. As you can imagine, having that type of knowledge will knock serious strokes off of your game.
A: Great question! Here’s a short answer: there is no better time than NOW. One of the ways that we know that someone is ready is based upon their enthusiasm to learn something new. There is an old saying: “If you are asking a question then you may very well be ready for the answer.” You are asking now and, my guess is that you are ready now.
You cannot start early enough. As long as a child has verbal and listening skills, he or she is ready. Consider this. Although a young Tiger never asked his father for ideas on how to develop the mental side of the game, Earl actually started to teach Tiger mental skills at the age of three. In the early years Earl had many methods of teaching Tiger how to develop resilience in the face of adversity.
When Tiger was just 8 years old his father introduced Tiger to a man by the name of Jay Brunza. Jay was a fun guy to talk to. He and Tiger developed an excellent working relationship. Jay became Tiger’s caddie and worked with him for quite a number of years when he was a junior. Jay was on his bag for all three World Junior Golf Championships as well as all of Tiger’s United States Amateur Championships.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Jay is a psychologist. Tiger may have been the first competitive golfer to have a therapist on his bag. Earl Woods was a very smart man!
A: The best answer I can offer you is a combination of both. Like most coaches, our goal is to help you realize your maximum potential as a golfer. Some coaches have a very specific “system” that they use with all of their students. My initial program for evaluating where you are is similar to other coaches. Once the initial evaluation is complete, my approach is somewhat different. For example, I do not believe in the “one size fits all” philosophy of teaching. Golfers are human beings and as such there are no two golfers who think alike, share the same beliefs, play alike, look alike, have the exact same experiences, well, you get the picture. While I do believe that there are certain common mental tasks that each golfer must gain a degree of mastery in, it is important to respect the uniqueness of every single student. To that end, my experience has demonstrated time and again that my job is to mold the instruction I offer to meet the specific needs of each student – not to mold my students into a “system” that may or may not work for them.
As I mentioned earlier, several years ago I had to opportunity to work with Butch Harmon and took several individual lessons with him. One of the reasons that I liked working with Butch was that he didn’t undertake to do a complete overhaul of my swing so that it would look like everyone else’s. I think that this is one of the keys of Butch’s success in addition to his incredibly engaging personality. He meets you where you are and teaches according to what you need without unnecessary extraneous analysis. He explains things in common language that is easy to understand. I always endeavor to do the same.
I now work with Ron del Barrio, Anthony Kim’s swing coach, because he is local to where I live and because he is also one of the most innovative teaching pros I have ever met. One of the principle reasons I also work with Ron is that he works with me. Yes, he does have a system of teaching but Ron incorporates a tremendous amount of flexibility into his teaching system that takes into consideration the specific needs of his students. He also encourages his students to experiment with their swings so that they can “own it”. This fits well into my own philosophy of learning and teaching.
Q: How often do you work with your students?
A: Again, that answer is as varied as are my students. Some of my students want to progress at a rapid rate and they may ask me to work with them for several hours each week for extended periods of time. Others prefer to work at a slower pace and want more time in between sessions while attempting to gain mastery. The only correct frequency of sessions is what ultimately works for you. Trial and error is needed to discover this. Also, as student’s needs change we simply adapt their training accordingly.
Q: How long does it take to gain mastery over the mental aspects of golf?
A: The answer to this question is the same as answering the question of how long does it take to master your swing mechanics? The answer is the same for both questions: as long as it takes, which for every golfer is an entire lifetime. Some are discouraged by this answer because they want immediate and permanent results with minimal effort. I live in the real world and in the real world it takes commitment, patience, and perseverance.
Having said that, any student can learn the basics in a relatively short period of time. Developing them to the point where you can rely upon them to hold up under pressure takes a little longer. The ultimate answer is that there is always something new to learn in this area so be patient, sit back, and enjoy the fact that you get to spend the rest of your golfing days exploring this and every other aspect of the game.
A: No. One of my students called me a couple of weeks ago and was complaining that his game had been off for about a month. I explained to him that most golfers go through one or more cycles each year when they are playing better than other periods of time. We talked some more and I asked him further about some specific aspects of his thinking that he had learned during our sessions. We discovered that he had reverted back to some old ways of thinking. After about 10 minutes he realized that he was not using the new thoughts that had been so successful for him. He honestly admitted that he had become lazy in his thinking and had taken for granted that he was using his new mental routines. Upon realizing this we reviewed some key lessons and his game is now mentally back on track and his performance on the course is reflecting this. When we first met he was a + 1.6 and advanced to a + 2.7 within two months. He had reverted back to a + 1.2 and within less than two months he is now a + 2.9. So remember this: being aware of your new mental skills is like being awake. Not being aware of these skills is akin to being asleep…so stay awake!
Q: If I decided to work with you, what would happen next?
A: If you lived local to the region we would meet and you would complete an initial self assessment. This assessment gives me an idea of who you are, what your level of experience is (recreational, competing amateur, teaching professional, mental coach, touring pro).
Typically we would then go out on to the course for an 18-hole playing lesson which gives both of us an opportunity to observe your strengths – which we build on, and your weaknesses – which we seek to eliminate. After the first teaching lesson, we would then debrief the round and together we would begin to develop a Plan of Action in order to set achievable goals with the aim of taking you to the next level of performance and enjoyment. I would also provide you with articles I have written as well as additional readings from acknowledged experts in the area of golf psychology.
If you live outside of Southern California, I am available to travel. And, certainly, you are invited to come to Los Angeles. If travel is not an option, we can arrange for telephone consultations and follow those up with emails.
As time goes on and you reach each new level of mastery, we would then build upon your new mastery of mental skills as a stepping stone to take you to yet another new level of performance. Learning how to develop mental mechanics is work but it also needs to be fun. Otherwise, what’s the point?!
Q: You’ve got my interest. So how can I learn more about Intelligent Golf?
A. Please feel free and encouraged to contact me via e-mail, my contact page, or at my offices in Los Angeles at 310-208-3105. Typically I return e-mails and phone calls no later than the next business day, but usually much quicker if I am in town.
Again, many thanks for your interest in Intelligent Golf.
Gary “Doc” Brown, Ph.D.
Golf Performance Specialist
Los Angeles
(310) 208-3105