“I’VE NOT HAD A SWING THOUGHT DURING AN EVENT SINCE 1998”
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington is a disciple of Dr Bob Rotella and believes he would be nowhere near the golfer he is without sports psychology.
When did you begin taking an interest in sports psychology?
When I was 18, I lost the Irish Youths Championship at Dundalk. I was two ahead with three holes to play and, since the last three holes are relatively easy, I assumed that I had it won. Out of nowhere, I dropped three shots in the last three holes and lost. I couldn’t understand what went wrong, so I went to see the top mind coach in Ireland and discovered that I relaxed, lost my intensity and so lost my focus. We imagine that you never did that again ...
Actually, I had the exact same feeling when I was two ahead after the third hole in the four-hole play-o at the 2007 Open. I felt the temptation to relax. But, because of the loss when I was 18, I fought the sensation and maintained my intensity by putting pressure on myself. The walk to the 18th tee at Carnoustie was 50 or 60 yards and I kept saying, ‘I haven’t won, I could lose this.’
Aside from intensity, what have you worked on with sports psychologists?
I’m always working on something, but a good example would be my attitude on practice days, which involves considering questions like, ‘What do I think about golf?’ And ‘What does golf mean to me?’ Getting a realistic attitude to golf outside of golf, which is about ensuring I have some balance to my life and don’t over practice. Looking at how I approach each shot, which covers my decision-making and routine. And discussing how I react to the shots I have just hit.
Mentally, what is the biggest challenge for top-level golfers?
There are so many issues. I know players who damage their games by going back to their hotel rooms and brooding after a bad round. And I know of players, especially amateurs, who spend all winter practising, then go out drinking the night before an event or a medal. They can’t handle the pressure of failing without an excuse, so they give themselves something they can blame. That’s a defence mechanism and a form of choking.
What’s your biggest hurdle?
I find it really dicult to do good practice. I refuse to not practice, but by and large Tour driving ranges are exceptionally boring. As a result, after 20 minutes of working on the right stu, I lose focus and end up practising the wrong stu. In the old days, this wasn’t an issue, as you hit your shots and then walked down and spent 20 minutes picking up your balls, which gave you a chance to reflect on your practice and prepare for the next session. Now you don’t have any time to reflect, as they just bring you another basket of balls. That has hindered sports psychology. When I do my own practice, I pick up my own balls so I have time to reflect and re-focus.
What’s the key to shutting your brain o during rounds?
If you think you can shut your brain o, you have a problem. The reality is that the brain has two sides and you are always going to be in one of them. In an ideal world golfers could go from one side to the other with the ease of turning on or o a switch, but that’s not how it works. It used to take me three weeks to get into a position where I would be in my right brain and have a chance of getting in the zone.
When were you last ‘in the zone’?
People think you are in the zone whenever you win a tournament, but that really isn’t the case. One of the most sublime golf course experiences I’ve ever had was when I was in contention in the final round of the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot. I was also in the zone for my Open wins at Carnoustie and Birkdale and for some of my US PGA win at Oakland Hills, but that would be about it. I’ve won lots of tournaments but can count the number of times I have been in the zone on one hand.
So what was the mental key to winning all the other events?
When I get under pressure down the stretch my focus completely changes. People will have seen it over the years. It has been said that I get ‘mad eyes’, but from my perspective I just feel like I get into a state where I don’t care about losing. On a Thursday morning, when I am trying to not mess up, I will care about losing. On a Sunday afternoon, when I am in contention, I won’t.
What’s your view on swing thoughts?
Since I began working with Dr Bob Rotella in 1998, I have never swung a golf club in a professional event thinking about my swing. I always just try to focus on the target.
Even when you’re in the process of making swing changes?
Yes. When you’re playing a competitive round you just want to hit the shots. It can be dicult though because every time you work on your ball-striking, there’s a good chance that you’re damaging your routine and mental side. Suunto used to make a watch that timed your swing and I remember using it when I was making some alterations. I thought I was doing the same thing on the course and the range, but on the range my swing would be 1.2 seconds and on the course it would be 0.89 seconds. That is what conscious thought does. It makes golfers get stuck over the ball.
What is the best way to get over this?
Rather than consciously working on my technique, I began to do drills on the range. The thought process behind this was that forcing myself to swing dierently by doing the drill was fine, as it meant my subconscious brain was doing it. This sounds unnecessary, but the more you practice the more likely it is you are going to start thinking about your golf swing and that is what you want to think less about on the course.
Do things written or said by the media ever get into players’ heads?
Some do and some don’t. I have more than 20 runner-up finishes on the European Tour, and at one point journalists were trying to make a big deal of this. As I tried to explain, you could have grouped those into a number of categories. Some I messed up, some I played great to finish 2nd, some I was just beaten by a better golfer on the day. People like to think that certain scenarios are given, but when you finish second there are lots of experiences going on.
How often do professional golfers choke?
One I constantly see is when a player is on the 18th hole with a 15-foot putt to get into the play-o. He or she knows that the commentator will be all over them if they leave it short, so they hit the putt three-feet past in a bid to look good. The commentator will say that they “gave it a great run”, but for me this is choking, as they have been so anxious not to leave it short and look bad that they have hit the putt at a pace where it has no chance of going in. The goal is not to leave it short or hit it past; it is to hole the putt. So the media might tell you that you’ve done well by hitting it three-feet past, but for me you have choked.
Do you feel like your knowledge and understanding of sports psychology has made you a better golfer?
Oh, 100 percent. I would be nowhere near where I am as a golfer without sports psychology. Every time I pick up a book, even if it is a bad book on sports psychology, I either learn something new or am reminded of something. Some players don’t know or care why they are or are not good under pressure, but my personality could not handle that. I have to know why, so sports psychology has been a huge, huge benefit to me.