GAME IMPROVEMENTISSUE 175 APRIL 2015The small,almond-shapedpart of your brain calledthe amygdala is thetroublemaker, pushingyou around on the golfcourse and causing youto lose your cool.”times. What was supposed to be a simplelittle shot onto the green careened out overto the other side and into the grandstand,hitting a middle-aged lady in the leg.“Are you done, mate?” one fan screamedat me from the top of the grandstand as thecrowd’s hero came into view. I took my dropand made five more clumsy shots beforethe agony ended.Can You Keep it Together?How many times have you heard broadcasterssay during a golf tournament, “If Tiger orPhil or Stacey or Michelle can control his (orher) emotions today, they can win this event.”That applies to you and me too: If you don’tcontrol your emotions, you won’t win.If, too often, you find that you can’t,you can blame it on the fact that you arewalking around the golf course with a brainthat hasn’t made significant advancementin 10,000 years!When survival was the every-day priorityand reacting to threats was a constantreality, this brain was a caveman’s bestfriend. But you’re a golfer, not a caveman,and your brain can’t differentiate betweena life-threatening situation and a four-footputt for par and your best score of the year.The small, almond-shaped part of yourbrain called the amygdala is the troublemaker,pushing you around on the golfcourse and causing you to lose your cool.Even if you play like Rory McIlroy on onehole, an amygdala hijack can make you playlike Charles Barkley on the next.When the amygdala hijacks your brainand your emotions override your neocortex—thethinking, rational part of yourbrain—to respond to the threat, your abilityto reason and think logically are reduced.Your working memory becomes less efficientwhile your blood pressure, adrenalineand hormone levels rise. It can take 3to 4 hours for the chemicals to clear yoursystem, with the possibility of more hijacksbeing triggered along the way, during theexact period of time it takes to play a typicalround of golf.So an almond-sized piece of your braincan undo all of your preparation and sabotageyour (and my) golf score.Overcoming the Brain HijackMost of us need help to identify our triggersfor an amygdala hijack and to develop strategiesto overcome the resulting surge ofhormones that reduce control of our mood,motivation and fear. At one point in my professionalgolf career, I had the kind of helpthat could have turned my game around. Ididn’t realize its importance at the time.It was at a tournament in Victoria, BritishColumbia, Canada. A caddie I’ll call Brian—which happens to be an anagram for theword “brain”—was assigned to me. As soonas I met him, I knew there was somethingdifferent about this caddie.Brian could tell I was frustrated from along, unsuccessful year, and there were allsorts of things bothering me on the golfcourse—most of them beyond my control.When I would get in a bit of trouble, or startranting and raving about something I coulddo nothing about, his calm voice wouldpoint out the futility of complaining aboutthe weather, the state of the rough, a poorlie, and get me to focus on my routine andmy game.Brian made a point of getting to knowme. When I started to dip emotionally aftera poor shot or a bad bounce, Brian remindedme that things would balance out andthat I needed to keep moving forward. Helearned about my habits and my character,and he had some useful things to say whenI needed help. I can remember very clearlywhat Brian said to me on the first holeduring the last round. “Just play like JohnHaime and you’ll be fine!”That week was my best result of theyear. I started with reasonable scores of 71and 68 in the first two rounds, to get intogood position in the tournament. I slippedto a 73 in the third round. But before thefinal round, Brian inspired me on thepractice tee with some insightful commentsabout what he thought had happened theday before. I went on to finish the tournamentwith my best round, a 67.I never saw Brian again after that week,and my golf game continued the downwardslide I had created. But the lessons of thatweek in Victoria stayed with me, teachingme that emotions run the show in golf.Jack Nicklaus, the greatest player ofall-time, says that golf is about emotions andadjustments. Brian understood my emotionsand helped me make the adjustments—tomy emotions, thoughts and game—thatwould enable me to play at my best.How Do You Fare withEmotional Golf Hazards?How would you have done in my place thatday on the course with Greg Norman at yourheels and the crowd anxious and excited to see him?New York Times science writer Daniel Golemanand others have proven that intelligenceabout emotions is twice as important as technicalcompetence and IQ combined in determiningwhether someone’s performance will be average oroutstanding.Emotional Control is Likea Muscle You Can BuildThousands of young elite golfers and coaches worldwideare building emotional muscle and seeingresults in their golf game—and in all parts of theirlives. PGA and LPGA Tour Coach Steve Bann has hadimpressive results with his students using tools likethe Emotional Intelligence Sports Inventory (ESi). Hesays, “Both Stuart Appleby and Nick Flanagan hadimmediate tournament success as a result of implementingthe recommended strategies after takingthe assessment to measure their emotional muscle.”So what’s keeping you out of the golf “zone”?You know that you play better when you “playwithin yourself” or play within your own “zone” asexperts call it. So, if you know this, what’s keepingyou out of the zone so much of the time?Why is it that, when you hit the ball great on thepractice tee and leave with a feeling of “I can do this,”jitters and fear set in when you are arrive at the firsttee? Why, when you hit a poor shot do the negativefeelings stay with you for 3, 9 or even 18 holes? Thereare many examples of emotional hazards you needto be able to navigate in your golf game.A lack of awareness can push you to do thingsyou can’t do in your game. How many times haveyou tried to do things on a golf course you knowyou can’t do—but tried them anyway and endedup frustrated and frazzled?Your Keys to BuildingEmotional MuscleEmotions are the engine in the vehicle of performance,and the skills associated with buildingemotional muscle are indispensable to achievingcompetitive advantage for golfers.If you want to enjoy the game more, activateyour potential to bring your game to the next level,and be more effective in everything you do, spendABOUT JOHN HAIMEsome time building your emotional muscles.While emotional muscle is built with time andpractice, here are a few simple keys to get youstarted:1. KNOW YOU! It is normal for a golfer who slicesthe ball to stand up on the first tee with water onthe right and start the day with a wet ball! Clearlyunderstand your own strengths, limitations and triggersin the game. What do you do well, what is notso comfortable for you, and what bothers you andtriggers a negative reaction?2. CREATE YOUR OWN EMOTIONAL CAD-DIE. The most important voice in golf—andyour life—is your own. Golfers can get personalwith their own self-criticism. Instead of critiquingperformance, you may choose to attack yourselfpersonally with negative comments. Thisstirs negative emotion. Everyone knows howa great, supportive caddie, like Brian, whohelped me in Canada, can help your game.You need to create your own EmotionalCaddie to go everywhere with you.This voice inside you must be shapedto be your biggest supporter.3. DOUSE THE FLAMES WHEN ITGETS HOT. Tame the amygdala withthe 90-second rule. The ability to noticewhat’s going on as it arises, and to slowdown before you respond, is a crucialemotional skill. Brain experts tell usyou have about 90 seconds beforeemotion really bubbles up. So,when you feel the emotion building,step back, take a breath andgive yourself a 90-second window.This awareness will help you controlyour feelings and soften them beforethey damage your game or your life.4. STAY IN THE MOMENT TO STAYCALM. The future and past are distractionsfor you and stir emotion. Unfortunately,on the golf course there is little youcan do about either one. Your destiny liesin the present moment. While the future iswhere your goals and achievements live, youachieve them through playing in the present.John Haime is a world-class specialist in the area of performance and oneof the world’s leading authorities in Emotional Intelligence as it relatesto performance in sport. He is the Author of You Are a Contender! BuildEmotional Muscle to Perform Better and Achieve More … in Business,Sports and Life – a bestseller in the U.S. and Canada.60 61 ASIAN GOLF
GAME IMPROVEMENT Black Hat Golf TipsISSUE 175 APRIL 2015It’s hot and Thailand, once again, iscelebrating Songkran Festival! Anabsolutely fun and exciting traditionof splashing water on each other.Think about it…over 60 millionwater and splashing it at each other!I’ve always liked this tradition becauseit serves two basic purposes. It’ssimple to do and the body becomescool!With that said, I’ve had manymessages from students that still use thebucket drill as a reminder on how to improvetheir golf swing!With the Masters being played thismonth at Augusta National, I would like toencourage golfers to “Master” the simpleteachings of the bucket of water! It canmost definitely improve your golf game!Here’s how.Players are always enthused by the ideathat learning the game of golf can be simplified.They immediately connect the ideaof “simple” with success and faster learning.Helping them see the continuity betweenABOUT TONY MEECHAIputting, chipping, and the full swing is a bigstep toward simplification.When we toss a bucket of water, itteaches the golfer two simple lessons.Firstly, when holding the bucket at anaddress position, the body is normally setup naturally. The player doesn’t stand toowide or too narrow. The bucket is in a verynatural position. Taking this understandingwith a golf club in hand, it’s very importantto hold the club in a natural position withoutstanding too wide or too narrow. Keepit simple and natural!Secondly, when moving the bucketfrom right to left, the brain is focused on thebucket and moving the inanimate objectbackwards and forwards. The bucket is in anatural finish position that allows the waterto be splashed towards the target. With agolf club, it’s no different.It is very helpful for a player to conceiveof the swing as a motion that is circular andtravels around them versus a motion thatgoes “up” on the backswing and “down”on the forward swing. We want a golferto understand that the backswing and theforward swing is part of a circular motionjust like when we toss a bucket of water.If you can M-A-S-T-E-R this understandingand apply it to your golf swing motionwith a golf club, you will avoid many hittingproblems.I highly suggest you become moreaware of your swinging motion and focuson swinging the club to the target like youwould when tossing a bucket of water!Trust me! Your golf game will improvein no time!Born and brought up in the United States, Tony Meechai won his first golf tournament at the age of nine. He began working in the golfindustry when aged 15 and competed in various Mini Tour and PGA Tour qualifiers after turning professional in 1994. Armed with a Bachelor’sdegree in Business Administration from New Mexico State University and a degree in Marketing and Professional Golf Management, he hasmade a name for himself in Asia over the past decade, during which time he has served as Director of Instruction at Thailand’s Heartland GolfSchools and Springfield Royal Country Club as well as presenting tips on numerous region-wide golf television shows. Recently, he founded theTony Meechai Golf Academy that combines a curriculum including academics and golf education for aspiring Tour professionals. Programmesare in conjunction with international institutions throughout the world. For further information, please visit www.tmggroupasia.com oremail to tony@tmggroupasia.comwww.tmggroupasia.com62 63 ASIAN GOLF
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