I just back from Riviera Country Club, and am now back at my office here at Rollins College. First of all, congrats to Steve Stricker: he is such a great example of perfect thinking in golf. He gets it done the way I urge all fearless golfers to get it done. In fact, in many ways, I believe Steve’s game is a better model for most golfers than Tiger’s. He is one of the top 5 players on Tour with a wedge in his hand, and he is a great putter of the golf ball. So many young golfers want to keep hitting it further and further, and the #2 player in the world keeps hitting it short and straight … wedging it close … making putts … AND WINNING GOLF TOURNAMENTS!

What I find so impressive is that he came back from 337 in the world rankings five years ago, and is now ranked 2nd. It just shows that excellence is a process, and that golf is a cyclical game. You have to believe that, and understand that, in order to get through lows of your own. When you understand that adversity is built into golf, you don’t get frustrated when it visits you. You simply work through your adversity, with patience and confidence. There is no “avoiding” the lulls in the game; there is only learning from them.

As I pointed out in Fearless Golf, golf is not a game of one player against another, but rather a game where you take your game and play it against the golf course. You can’t try to play someone elses’ game. Steve Stricker captured that sentiment perfectly in his post round press conference. Here is what he said:

“No, I don’t allow that. We all know who the best player in the world is, and I went down that road when he came out on TOUR. I tried to compare my game to his back in ‘96 or ‘97, I guess, and it’s just — he’s just — there was no comparison for my game to his back then. You know, he does what he does, and I do the things that I do, and that’s what I’ve gotten down to is I just try to do what I’m good at, and that’s sometimes not the flashiest thing in the world. It may be grinding it out, making putts or getting it up-and-down, but it’s my way, it’s my style, I guess.

I’ll just continue to do what I do, and that’s practice hard and work at it and try to improve. That’s all I can ask.”

A great lesson in fearless golf from a great thinker and a great guy!

Until next time,

Dr. Gio

This week, Camilo is playing well at the Qatar Masters and two University of Florida players who earned their PGA Tour cards this year – Matt Every and Billy Horschel – are both playing well at Torrey Pines.

So far this season, there is a really great lesson that I’ve been reinforcing in all my guys. Namely this: Most of you know that Geoff Ogilvy won the first event of the year at Kapalua. During that tournament he missed a total of 17 fairways which is a LOT of missed fairways. Nonetheless, he had a wedge in his hand 14 times for the week and managed to make 14 birdies. What’s the lesson?

First of all, golf is not about perfection. You can hit poor shots but still have great results if you’re thinking well. The second, and massively important lesson, is to work as much on your short game and wedges as you do on your full swing. That simple fact plays out year after year in golf on every level. A great short game makes you a match for any opponent. If you ignore your short game and wedges, it really doesn’t matter how “good” your mechanical swing is (trust me, I’ve seen thousands of technically perfect golf swings … but what gets golfers to the winner’s circle is what they do from inside 110 yards).


They’re called “scoring clubs” for a reason.


Until next time,
Dr. G

An article that I wrote linking golf strategy to business strategy was published in the Financial Times yesterday. So far we’ve gotten a LOT of traffic from the article with a lot of people seeing the parallels between sport psychology, the mental game of golf, and business. For those interested in having a look at how fearless golf principles may apply to business, you can go here:

http://bused.discussions.ft.com/forums/Soapboxforum/lessons-from-golfs-level-playing-field

On the golf front, this is a very exciting time of year for those interested in the mental side of golf. On the PGA Tour, many players are fighting for their professional lives. For those unfamiliar with the rules, only the top 125 players on the money list are exempt for the 2010 season. Those outside the top 125 have 3 tournaments to move inside the top 125, while those in the 100-125 range are fighting to stay inside that number. Talk about a mental game!?

While this is happening, there are thousands of golfers around the country gearing up for Q-school. The top 25 at the end of a grueling 3-month, 3-stage competition get to play the PGA Tour next year. Talk about pressure!

It’s interesting because those who have played well this year will likely be taking the next couple of months to rest and get a break from golf. Those mentioned above are feeling enormous amounts of pressure to compete and perform well. That’s where a great sport psychologist can help … and THAT is why I spent last off-season creating the Fearless Golf DVD.

Over the past few years the field of performance psychology has generated an enormous amount of research and understanding about how the brain / mind affect physiology, muscle tension, thought patterns, and ultimately … performance. And our challenge at Fearless Golf is to take all that research and make it understandable and applicable for golfers at all levels. So far the results have been amazing! 10 Professional wins this year is something we are all very, very proud of here at Fearless Golf.

Some of the things I’ll be recommending to those guys playing Q School and PGA Tour will be 1) the importance of routine 2) learning how to “underreact” to adversity since the experience heightens all the sensations 3) soft hands since pressure situations increase tension levels …

Of course, those are generalizations. Truth is, I have a different relationship with each of my clients and we work on specific things that improve them individually. Nonetheless, if you love golf – especially the mental side of the game – there is no better time to be at a golf course watching either a Q School event, or a PGA Tour event. I’m off to Texas, then Arizona to help guys deal with the pressures of both!

Until next time …

Dr. Gio

Orlando, FL  (October 5, 2009) – Matt Kuchar’s win at the Turning Stone Resort Championship resulted in the tenth professional win this year for Fearless Golf. With Heath Slocum’s win at the Barclay’s Classic, two of those ten wins came on the PGA Tour.

Fearless Golf is a mental conditioning program developed by Sport Psychologist Dr. Gio Valiante. By combining research from diverse fields in performance psychology, Dr. Valiante has created a program that has had measurable results with golfers at all levels. Fearless Golf is based on the principle that golf is as much a mental game as a skills game.

“Dr. Valiante played an instrumental role in my win,” said Matt Kuchar.

Kuchar first began applying Fearless Golf techniques in 2002, and days after won his first PGA Tour event, the 2002 Honda Classic.

“It’s exciting to see that, when Fearless Golf gets applied properly, my golfers get great results. Matt is one of the mentally best golfers I’ve ever met,” said Valiante. “He’s a great example of Fearless Golf!”

The Fearless Golf program teaches golfers to get rid of the extra baggage that clutters their minds, which allows them to remain clear and focused on their way to playing fearless golf. Other players who have worked with Dr. Valiante include Chad Campbell, Stuart Appleby, Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Bryce Molder, and Heath Slocum.

Fearless Golf is now available on a 3-disk DVD set which teaches golfers of all skills levels how to build their confidence. The set can be purchased for $99.95 plus shipping. Shot in high definition, Fearless Golf Academy DVD is narrated by golf historian Peter Kessler, and includes insights from tour winners such as Appleby, Tommy Armour III, Matt Kuchar, and Camilo Villegas. The strategies work for men and women – young and old – at all skill levels.

To learn more about Dr. Gio Valiante’s Fearless Golf System, or to purchase the 3-DVD set, visit www.fearlessgolf.com.

Dr. Gio Valiante’s new Fearless Golf Academy DVD allows golfers to build their confidence and focus their attention.

Dr. Valiante has trained the minds of some of the best golfers in the world with his mental conditioning program, Fearless Golf. In fact, Dr. Valiante’s golfers have accumulated over 30 victories on 4 worldwide tours from such players as Heath Slocum, Justin Leonard, Stuart Appleby, Chad Campbell, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Justin Leonard, Bryce Molder and Matt Kuchar.

By combining research from diverse fields in performance psychology, Dr. Valiante has created a program that has had measurable results with golfers at all levels. Fearless Golf is based on the principle that golf is as much a mental game as a skills game.

“My program teaches golfers to get rid of the extra baggage that clutters their minds, which allows them to remain clear and focused on their way to playing fearless golf,” said Dr. Gio Valiante, a professor and researcher at Rollins College.

In the Fearless Golf Academy DVD, viewers are part of a foursome being taught by Dr. Valiante; and are instructed to focus their attention, regulate their motivation and intensity, keep their composure, and protect their confidence.

“The new DVD is meant to be infotainment. It’s informative, entertaining, and interactive,” said Dr. Valiante. “My biggest challenge is that I don’t have time to get to everyone who requests my help. Therefore we shot the video so that viewers would feel as if they were being taught by me in person. Even the drills are hands-on.”

Shot in high definition, Fearless Golf Academy DVD is narrated by golf historian Peter Kessler, and includes insights from tour winners such as Appleby, Tommy Armour III, Matt Kuchar, and Camilo Villegas. The strategies work for men and women – young and old – at all skill levels.

Dr. Valiante’s new 3-disk DVD set is available at a price of $99.95 plus shipping. Also included is a bonus DVD with 12 drills. To learn more about Dr. Gio Valiante’s Fearless Golf System, or to purchase the 3-DVD set, visit www.fearlessgolf.com.

About Fearless Golf. Dr. Gio Valiante’s groundbreaking research resulted in Fearless Golf Academy DVD and Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game (Random House, 2005). Endorsed by the game’s top players, Dr. Valiante provides a vision for competitive golf that allows golfers to remain fearless, focused, and committed to each and every shot they hit. Dr. Gio Valiante is currently a professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida . He serves as the mental game consultant to the Golf Channel, Golf Digest, and the University of Florida . In addition, he has worked with many of the game’s top players including Camilo Villegas, Stuart Appleby, Justin Leonard, Chris Dimarco, Chad Campbell, Heath Slocum, Notah Begay III, Charles Howell III, Tommy Armour III, Bryce Molder, Matt Kuchar, and many, many more. Fore more information visit www.fearlessgolf.com.

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