Dr. Gio,

I wanted to say thank you for all you’ve done the last 3 years. I have improved so much in that time, been through many ups and downs, but it’s amazing to see how far my game has come. You told me the first time we met: “I can’t explain to you the DEPTH of belief needed to play this game”. Every day I start to understand, and gain, that depth more and more. At 2nd Stage this week I believed, like I’ve never believed before, in my game, in my routines, in my game showing through over the 4 days.

I was singularly focused on my routine. Target, deep breath, soft hands, alignment, soft hands. AND deep breath to close out the shot. (I actually take about 3 or 4 while walking to my next shot). I know we don’t chat as much as you do with other players, but despite that, I have put our work, and my mindset at the very forefront of my approach to golf.

Thanks for all you do, and looking forward to what lies ahead, continuing to deepen my belief in myself and my game.

For readers of this Fearless Golf Blog, I’d like to draw your attention to three things in this message: 1) great golf is not only about the “things” that you believe. It is also (maybe even more importantly) about the DEPTH with which you believe the things that you believe. 2) Having a singular focus on a routine is really important. As you’ve seen in the Fearless Golf DVD, that routine has been designed to counteract the variability that takes place around a golfer. More important, the routine is NOT about doing the same things in the same order. More accurately, it is about DOING THE SAME THINGS IN THE SAME ORDER WITH THE SAME RHYTHM AND TENSION. The focus for competitive golfers should typically be 90% process, and 10% results and positioning. 3) Post shot routine (accepting, shutting the routine down) is SOOO important for being free going forward.

Good lessons for all our members from the trenches!

My very best to you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dr. Gio

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