Staying in the moment

It's been a busy few months for me lately, really my only regret this summer is the fact that i neglected my blogging. So here we go, time to start up again and hopefully enjoy it as much as i did last time.

The one difference this time is that i will be trying to talk specifically about concepts which will benefit my 3rd year project. Titled something like this...

Self-talk/ REBT and sports performance: The influence of positive and negative self on golf putting and performance.

Although in its early stages, i am very much looking forward to this year. Being able to conduct my very own piece of research on a topic which actually interests me is fantastic and gives me a lot of responsibility and also an insight into hopefully how my career will pan out in the not so distant future.

Back onto this blog 'staying in the moment', some might question, well what is staying in the moment?

This is something that me personally and I’m pretty sure that most golfers have experienced at some stage on the course.

From a personal point of view, mine was recently. Playing a round with a few mates and i was 6 over through 10 and i really felt focused and in full control of my emotions and my game was following suit, until one bad hole where i hit my first ball out of bounds and mis-cued my 3rd shot of the tee, i then ended up walking off the hole with a triple bogey and this continued for another 2 holes. So i had gone from being 6 over after 10 to 12 over after 12.

But what is interesting, is the contrasts in emotions between being in the moment compared to when i wasn't. When things were going well i was full of confidence, addressing the ball especially when driving with only one outcome in mind, hitting the drive straight down the middle. To summarise i felt in full control of my actions and emotions, this compared to when things were going bad is very interesting, i vividly remember addressing the ball on the 14th thinking just make good contact, I’ll accept that. Now this isn't on a different round, this is the same round where up till the 10th my fairways in regulation % was probably the highest it’s been since i started playing. So that’s how much of an impact being able to stay in that moment can have on your golf performance.

Bob Rotella uses the example of Keegan Bradley and Padraig Harrington is his book 'the unstoppable golfer' to explain the importance of staying in the moment.

Rotella talks about Bradley when he won his USPGA championship showing patience and maturity for a 25 year old, Rotella states that Bradley was able to stay in the moment and more importantly stay in control of his emotions. When he says staying in the moment he means that all of his focus was targeted towards his next shot and outcome and controlling all the factors that Bradley himself could control.

Padraig Harrington's is slightly different he came to Rotella after missing the cut "i know now that i can win majors... i know i can handle my mind and emotions. I had my head where i wanted it to be on every shot today. I know i can do it" and he did so winning 3 majors and two British opens. All of that context above was after he'd missed the cut as well not won the tournament so 'staying in the moment' doesn't mean that you have to win, this is all dependent on how much importance you place on your own game, you might break 100 for the first time or might have the worst round of your life, but if you felt that you were able to control your emotions on the course then you will soon start performing better. Also what is a good tactic to take onto the course with you, always take something positive from your round, and try it next time you play? This is a good tactic and it uses self-evaluation and appraisal as it encourages you to look for positives in your performance not matter what the outcome was.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this piece.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Lyle Kirkham