Fore Thought
By: Bob Skura on 10/12/09 08:53 PMErnie Els and Mike Weir teamed up in the Friday Four Ball of the 2009 President’s Cup matches to win a point for the International side. In his post-round interview Ernie said, “I was just along for the ride. Mike made all the clutch putts and really won the match for us.” Weir, speaking more objectively about Ernie than Ernie could about himself had a different evaluation. He said, “Ernie’s being modest. In reality the two of us hammed and egged it perfectly and his birdie on #17 turned out to be the difference.”
Ernie’s modesty is fine for on-air interviews, but isn’t suitable for a person trying to improve his golf game. Edward de Bono, the world’s leading expert on thinking techniques, says that if our objective is to improve performance we should conduct an evaluation after every activity. The proper process is to reinforce what we did well and replay our failures as we would have liked them to have played out. That sets a pattern for success in our brain even if we didn't experience it.
Tiger Woods has hit his share of practice balls during his career but he has also practiced de Bono’s evaluation technique to perfection. Countless times while riding home from junior tournaments Tiger and his father would conduct post-game evaluations of Tiger’s performance. This wasn’t lecturing or cheerleading. It was an objective exchange of ideas about what went well and what to do better. For those who tend to think that Tiger is some oddity born with talent oozing out of his pores this is one more illustration of how many things he did correctly before his talent rose to the surface.
So how can you, the average or aspiring golfer, incorporate de Bono’s evaluation technique into your development program? Well, you could do it with a family member or your coach. If you’re on a college team and your coach is too busy to help everyone, create a buddy system with a teammate. The two of you can take turns being a sounding board for each other and you’ll both benefit.
Of course finding another person to work with isn’t all that easy which is one reason most golfers don’t do it. The best players on tour do it though by enlisting the help of their swing instructor, caddy or mental coach. If you aren’t able to find a person to work with on a consistent basis the next best thing is to talk yourself through the evaluation from the first hole all the way to the eighteenth. However, you’ll need to talk out loud if you want to maximize the effect.
Young people are more likely to take this advice seriously than older people. In fact older people are more likely to mentor players on their way up rather than pay attention to their own development. But a person in his 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s who wants to continue to improve must make use of every technique available. So no matter what your stage in life or handicap level you would do well to establish an evaluation process for yourself if you’re really serious about becoming a better player.
Bob Skura is the author of the award-winning book, How Great Golfers Think – Perfecting Your Mental Game. For more information visit: www.howgreatgolfersthink.com
