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AASP Newsletter - May 2019

Practitioner Corner: Competing Under Intense Pressure: "10 Lessons Learned From the Masters"

Cory T. Shaffer

Cory T. Shaffer, PhD, CMPC, Synergy Performance, Greenville, SC

The first week in April 2018, I had the honor and pleasure of living out any true sport fan's dream by spending a few days behind the scenes and inside the ropes at one of the most prestigious sporting events of the year: The Masters. It’s difficult to appreciate how special The Masters is until you’ve had the opportunity to walk the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club and revel in the natural beauty of the course and feel the buzz of excitement amongst the patrons. If you’ve been, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. I was afforded this opportunity because a young player with whom I work made his first appearance at the Masters, qualifying as an amateur, and asked me to spend Monday and Tuesday on the course with him in preparation for the tournament that would begin on Thursday.

My time in Augusta was, for lack of a better term, awesome. I arrived at Augusta National early Monday morning and met my client and his caddie (one of his college golf coaches) at the designated practice area, where I was able to go “inside the ropes” and be on the range with them. For the next two days, my client practiced and played, signed autographs and met his media obligations, rubbing shoulders with the world’s best. We ate in the caddy shack with the other players and caddies and got an inside look into how some of golf’s greatest are off-course with no cameras present. On Wednesday morning before I left, my client and I sat down and debriefed his first few days at the Masters. We discussed some of his experiences, my observations, and the plan for the remainder of the week. That discussion was full of simple, yet powerful, observations and notes, which I’d like to share with you below. Here are my “10 Lessons Learned” from the Masters.

Lesson 1: Have a Plan (but be adaptable)

It was difficult for my client to find other players with whom to practice during Monday and Tuesday’s practice rounds because it was clear that those who had been to Augusta before had a plan – they knew who they were playing with and when. The best players in the world had a plan for how to prepare and stuck to it. We had a loose structure and plan of what we wanted each day to look like and how we wanted to deliberately practice, but we also quickly realized that we had to be adaptable if we were going to get quality work in.

Lesson 2: Be Willing to Ask Questions

My client and his caddy were able to learn quite a bit from other players and caddies, but only because they were willing to ask questions and seek guidance from those who were more experienced. Had they not asked, it would have limited their learning opportunities. Asking for help requires humility, and unfortunately, many athletes’ egos get in the way of seeking guidance. People are always willing to help, but you must ask!

Lesson 3: Watch and Learn

My client didn’t always have to ask questions to learn from others – sometimes, all he had to do was carefully observe others to get some education on the course. These players, some who had played the Masters for years and years, served as models of how to manage the course and get the most out of a practice round. How often, though, do we get caught up in our own heads and forget to learn from what’s in front of us?

Lesson 4: Share Your Wisdom

One of the most impressive things about watching more experienced players and caddies was how willing they were to share their wisdom. Many players/caddies at Augusta have been going for years – decades even – and their willingness to help others was refreshing. There was a certain level of respect and a joyful camaraderie amongst the players that was almost surprising. Even though they would be competing against one another 48 hours later, they seemed to want to work together to figure out how to best manage the difficult greens and challenging shots throughout the course.

Lesson 5: Manage Your Energy

The week of the Masters is exhilarating and full of excitement. So much attention is put on the tournament and the players, that they are constantly being pulled in multiple directions. Between getting ready to play the tournament, spending time with friends and family, and attending media and social obligations, staying focused on what they need to do to play their game can be a real energy drain. Disengaging from a day at Augusta was just as important as engaging and putting in quality work. Getting rest, prioritizing sleep, and properly fueling are integral for success in any endeavor, especially at the world’s most hyped golf tournament.

Lesson 6: Take Care of Your Body

On Tuesday morning, my client and I went to a local gym to get a light workout in before we hit the course for practice in the afternoon. There we saw one of the top golfers in the world with his trainer, getting an early morning workout in before his day on the course. It was impressive to see how these guys took care of their bodies. Standing next to some of the top golfers in the world, it became evident how important it is to stay in shape. Their bodies are their livelihood, so they take care of themselves.

Lesson 7: Build Your Team

Everyone playing in the Masters has a team around them. Yes, everyone has friends and family who provide unwavering support, but I’m talking about a performance team – a group of specialized individuals who are in place to help that player be at his best. I saw strength coaches and trainers, swing coaches, putting instructors, sport psychologists, and many more. Nobody gets anywhere on their own, including the top players in the game.

Lesson 8: Never Stop Learning

My client’s caddy told a great story about spending some time with Bernhard Langer’s caddy. Langer has been playing the Masters since 1982 (and is a two-time winner), and his caddy has decades of experience as well. Each year, the caddy went to each green on the course and would roll golf balls in several different directions of where previous years’ hole locations were, just to get a feel for the greens and to check and re-check his numbers and reads. Talk about preparation! He was displaying a commitment to learning and preparation from which we can all learn.

Lesson 9: Know You Belong

For my client, when playing in the Masters as an amateur up against the best players in the world – and some of the greatest players of all time – it was important that he knew that he belonged there. He had earned his right to play in the Masters and needed to remember that he was good enough to be there. My job was to reinforce that he maintain his focus on his process and preparation, and use positive self-talk to stay in the right mindset. It was important that he knew that he belonged and didn’t try to be someone else – all he needed to do was be himself!

Lesson 10: Do What You Do

The message throughout the week for getting my client prepared to compete was for him to just do what he normally does – to focus on the moment, instead of the magnitude of the moment. We tried to treat the week as “normal” and as consistent as we could. Though this was certainly difficult at times, maintaining a similar structure to a week he would have at a college golf tournament, provided a sense of comfort and some confidence, since he knew he was getting himself ready and not trying to do too much. He didn’t need to do anything different or special just because it was the Masters – he needed to trust his process, trust his preparation, and trust his game.

Despite another solid day of preparation on Wednesday, my client, unfortunately, missed the cut after the first two rounds of play. However, he did not let the outcome define his success and felt that his time at the Masters was full of positive takeaways and lessons learned. This growth mindset paid off, and the following week he applied those lessons to help him make the cut in his second PGA tour event. I am grateful to him for letting me be a part of such a special experience at Augusta National, and I will cherish the memories and the lessons learned from the Masters and apply them to my work with other clients. I am hopeful that this was not our first and last trip to the Masters, but that we will continue to learn and grow from the experience. I am already looking forward to the day that I get to go back to Augusta. After all, it is “a tradition unlike any other…”

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