Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

short list). He called and asked me what psychologically allowed a golfer like Ed Fiori to withstand the pressure that Tiger puts on golfers. I suggested that because Fiori wasn’t playing Tiger, he probably didn’t feel the pressure, so he had nothing to withstand except the challenging course in front of him. In recalling the experience, Fiori said,

    I never watched Tiger hit a golf shot. I never saw a drive or an iron shot. I always looked at somebody in the crowd. I couldn’t get caught up in Tiger, because I didn’t want to see how hard he was swinging or hitting it because it’s a different game, his and mine. You know, it would be intimidating to watch him and play with him. I played with him, but I didn’t watch him. Maybe that’s the secret.

    Though Fiori’s answer was short, it does provide a clue about what it takes to be a first-rate competitive golfer. His observation about playing with Tiger but not watching him is insightful. In fact, I think that focusing one’s concentration on challenging the golf course while blocking out the play of other golfers is one of the keys to not only beating Tiger, but to consistently winning on the PGA Tour, the mini Tour, or in a local match with friends.
    The difficulty lies in the fact that golfers too often look at a tournament like a horse race, when in fact they should look at it like a dart game. The media, fans, and friends can look at it like a horse race, like they do when they see Phil vs. Tiger or Ernie vs. Tiger or Vijay vs. Tiger. But in fact, the golfer has to think of an event, any event, as himself vs. a golf course. On that note, it is worth recalling that the word “compete” is rooted in the Latin competere, which means “to strive together” or “to seek together.”
    Evidence that golfers play their best golf with a mastery orientation exists both anecdotally and scientifically. You’ll see examples throughout this book of how successful mastery golfers responded to pressure situations. What comes through in these stories is that playing the golf course, and shutting one’s mind to things other than that golf course, is a key component of playing one’s best. The psychological reasons that this is so effective, and probably why Ed Fiori was able to “beat” the budding superstar Tiger Woods head-to-head, are many. The obvious answer is that, when playing the course, one is playing against a constant, not against a variable. The difference between playing golf against a course, and playing golf against another player (and his fluctuating score), playing golf against the scoreboard or against the scorecard is akin to a marksman shooting at a still target or a moving target. Keying your approach based on others means that as the well-being of other players changes, even shot by shot, you are forced into being
reactive
, which leads to indecision, hesitation, and self-doubt. Same with basing your approach on whether you bogeyed or birdied the preceding hole. When this is your approach, your confidence rises and falls and you are subject to either dwelling on the past or worrying about future developments instead of immersing yourself in present realities.

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    words of a champion: chad campbell

    Chad Campbell won the 2003 Tour Championship with a course/tournament record 61 at Champions Golf Club, one of the toughest courses in golf. Through 16 holes he was 11 under par. Two birdies coming in would have given him a coveted 59. When asked by a reporter after the round at what hole did 59 start creeping into his mind? Chad responded like a mastery golfer solely focused on playing a golf course as well as he could, one shot at a time. He said after the third round:

    It sounds funny, but I never really knew exactly how many under I was. I knew obviously I was playing good, but it doesn’t really matter how many under you are. I kept trying to hit good golf shots and trying to keep making birdies.

    Finishing off the victory, Campbell had to turn aside the emotions of a player trying for his first win and he had to accomplish such a feat while facing the most accomplished field in golf. Wilt under the pressure? Hardly.

    I knew if I played a good round I would be in there in the end. I just tried to stay focused and play one shot at a time, not really let myself think about it. It’s hard to do, especially knowing that you have a little bit of a cushion on that back nine. And I just tried my best not to think about it. I think I