GOLF PSYCHOLOGY

“Lessons Learned in Match Play”

Dean Sunseri, MA, MED

            PGA Tour Professional John Riegger was in town for a few days to work on his swing mechanics with Ron Gring in route to play in Doral.  John is a great player with a nice balance of mechanical and mental skills.  I asked John to play a round of match play at Steelwood against Tommy Clement, a local tour professional who is on the rise.  Tommy and I have spent the last month actively working on enhancing his mental skills, and a match play opportunity against a seasoned veteran on the PGA Tour was an invaluable opportunity to work on those skills.  John Riegger graciously agreed, and we met out at Steelwood on a Saturday afternoon.

            The first thing Tommy noticed was the rhythm of preparation that John had during his warm up on the practice tee.  One could tell that the process of methodically hitting balls, handing his clubs to his caddie, Eddie, and slowly gearing up for the first tee, was an automatic pre-game ritual.  I caddied for Tommy, and kept his focus on his own process of preparation, and encouraged him to allow the fact that he was playing against one of the top golf players in the world to fade into the background of his mind.

            The match started with a birdie by John Riegger on the first hole, going one up, yet on the 3^rd hole Tommy hit a beautiful approach shot and made birdie to bring it back to even.  John stayed focused on his game and eventually got some momentum, and won the match 4 with 3 to play.  After the match Tommy and I reflected on some of the lessons he learned playing with John Riegger.

            “I was amazed at how smooth and natural the relationship between John and his caddie, Eddie, was during the rhythm of the round.  Not only the way they worked together, but also the consistent rhythm of his pre-shot routine,” mentioned Tommy.  As John approach each shot, you could see an increase of intensity and focus as the pre-shot routine progressed, and what stuck out for Tommy was the consistency of this process.  Tommy later mentioned that it inspired him to commit to his pre-shot routine, and not deviate from it during competition.

            I told Tommy before the match that John has a steady exterior expression or a poker face, and after the 5^th hole Tommy said, “He really does have a poker face!”  What is the advantage of a steady exterior?  “It can be a bit intimidating, because it is hard to tell what is going on with him,” Tommy said.  During match play, the steady exterior can be a nice advantage because the opponent does not receive the cues to react and take advantage.  It is similar to the way Ben Hogan approached golf.  Hogan appeared to be focused on one thing, executing a good swing and getting the ball in the hole, while he appeared to be oblivious to the other players or the crowds.  It would take a major distraction to divert Hogan’s attention from the simplicity of his single-minded focus.

            Tommy mentioned that he admired Riegger’s ability at shot making.  “Every shot he appeared to be confident about hitting it well,” said Tommy.  His attitude, body posture and expression gave the impression that he was confident about hitting a good shot.  This confidence is probably a by-product of intense preparation, time, experience and success, yet it is one of the subtle intangibles that you see when you watch a Tour Professional performing.

            I was very proud of Tommy throughout the match.  His major accomplishment was that he did not have two errant shots in a row throughout the round.  Each time he hit a shot outside his intention, he was able to fully let it go and focus on the next shot, without the previous shot impacting the present.  This was a great breakthrough for Tommy.  John and his caddie Eddie mentioned that they were very impressed with Tommy’s short game, and how he did not appear to be intimidated by the match.  Tommy admired the qualities in John Riegger such as focus, confident shot making and a rhythmic routine, and I was excited to witness these same qualities emerging in Tommy’s game.  I know that John Riegger and Tommy Clement are going to reach new heights in their career, and it was a nice experience of coaching on that Saturday afternoon. 

Tommy told John, “How about we bet buying the other lunch the next PGA event that we are both attending?”  John laughed a bit and said, “At a PGA Tour event, the food is free.  How about the loser serve lunch to the winner?”  They agreed.  Tommy owes John, and he needs to serve him lunch at a PGA event, yet what a small price to pay to play with and learn from one of the best players in the world.

Dean Sunseri, MA, MEd, is a specialist in Sports Performance Psychology and has coached Golf Tour Professionals, NFL Football Players, Professional Baseball Players and Professional Hockey Teams.  He can be contacted at ds@ihaveavoice.com or 251-626-5454.