Path to PGA & Beyond - Rick Sessinghaus - Mental Growth In Golf Beginner to Pro

Rick is a real veteran of Golf with literally decades of experience and his coaching has helped junior, collegiate, and professional golfers get to new levels in their game. One of the people he has helped in their journey of improvement is Collin Morikawa, with three PGA Tour wins – including the major 2020 PGA Championship.

In this episode we started off by discussing the integration of challenging yourself (growth mindset) while still playing to your strengths. This all in the context of development in the context of long-term perspective, starting as a junior all the way to the PGA like Morikawa. You can also expect some key practices that you can implement straight away on the green. Especially relating to the topic of responsibility and control. We finish up a short tease of how to integrate technology into your training and Rick’s personal practices. As always I hope you enjoy this episode.

0:29 Introduction

3:21 The Paradox of Growth Mindset & Playing to Your Strengths

6:06 A Growth Mindset on Negative Emotions

7:32 How to Combine Creativity & Growth Mindset in Training

10:41 Development as Player Youth to Pro

13:02 Setting Expectations of Development

13:50 Differences in Physical Progression

15:26 How Are You Talking To Yourself?

18:07 Flipping Anxiety To A Strength

20:22 Coachability - Improve Your Ability to Grow

23:46 The Locus of Control - Dealing With Variability & Control

26:08 The Purpose of A Routine

28:07 Where to Take Responsibility And Where Not

31:23 Practicing with Mental Pressure

32:08 Key Tools to Take to The Green

38:12 How You Define & Relate to Pressure

41:00 The Benefits of Pressure

43:28 Flow State - Pressure and Relaxation

44:17 Coping With Anxiety & Pressure - Relaxation Exercises

48:20 Self-Talk & Cognitive Strategies

51:26 The Ability To Control Flow - Baseline & Triggers

54:08 Why Are We Playing to Begin With?

57:04 Incorporating Technology Into Your Training

1:00:11 EEG - Working With Brain Wave Activity

1:02:18 Crutch Vs. Integration

1:03:34 Rick's Favorite Mental Skill

1:05:42 Rick's Activity for Mental Recharge

1:07:40 Final Thoughts from Rick On COVID

1:09:24 Where To Connect With Rick