Rochester Region, NY Chapter of the EWGA

Sports Psychologist Shannon Walton will speak at the 2010 Chapter Kickoff Event of the Rochester Region, NY Chapter of the EWGA.

Sports Psychology Consultant Shannon Walton, M.S., will be our featured guest speaker at our 2010 Chapter Kick-Off on Saturday March 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, at Midvale Country Club.

She’ll be speaking about positive self-talk.

Shannon graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the topic and how self-talk affects women golfers. Enjoy!

Q: Why did you decide to go into sports psychology?

A: I discovered the area of sport psychology in high school and knew immediately that it was the perfect fit for me. Sport psychology combines two great passions of mine, sport and psychology. I have always been very competitive in multiple sports and really enjoyed the psychological side of things. Being involved in sports all my life and looking back when I was younger competing at a high level I definitely could have used sport psychology training! Even now I use the techniques and tools myself and enjoy finding new ways to help athletes improve their performance and gain that edge over their opponents.

Q: At our kick-off, you plan to speak about the importance of positive self-talk. What’s the importance of positive self-talk in sports in general?

A: Positive self-talk is a key component of creating a tough overall mental game. Everything I teach is rooted in the positive and focusing on athlete’s strengths. Being positive is crucial in building and maintaining confidence as well as motivation. It is the foundation of a strong overall game as well as it is central to many of the techniques and tools I use.

Q: What’s the importance of positive self-talk for golf in particular?

A: Golf, like all individual sports, revolves around the player. How the golfer approaches the tee, a shot that went off the fairway or a difficult shot are a few examples of key self-talk moments in the game. Think about every moment as being interconnected, the thoughts will creep into other areas and all of sudden your game is either going really well or quickly slipping downhill. Being able to utilize positive self-talk will in turn affect all areas of the game and give the golfer a sense of control over their game.

Q: In your practice, do you find that women are similar to men when it comes to self-talk habits or tendencies?

A: In some aspects yes and others no. For example, women tend to internalize (eg. “It’s me”) their mistakes while men externalize (eg. the weather).  Women also tend to get down on themselves quickly and the negative self-talk piles up more. Emotions are also likely to get involved where as men are more practical and analytical. Men and women are the same though in that both genders have issues with negative self talk and it is a difficult area to change.

A: How do you find working with golfers?

Q: I have worked with quite a number of golfers and find working them quite enjoyable. Most golfers already have a good understanding of their game and know what they need to work on which helps focus our plan of action. The golfers I have experience working with also have done a great job of implementing the tools and techniques we created and have seen the improvement in their game. Also the sport of golf provides an easy and efficient working environment for me as I can be with the player as they play 9 or 18 holes which provides immediate feedback and support.

Q: Do you have any stories you can share about how working on “the inner game” has helped your golf clients?

A: I do! One college athlete had anxiety and nerves before his tee shots in his college tournaments as well as issues recovering from mistakes. We created performance routines for his shots and a routine for recovering from his mistakes and those routines significantly helped his play. Another examples was a golfer who would “duck hook” his drives almost every time. We worked on relaxation, controlling his emotions and focusing on the correct cues before his drive. By the end of the season he significantly reduced his “duck hooks” and also was more relaxed and composed if something went wrong which was rooted in his self talk as well as relaxation techniques.

Q: What’s the most important thing golfers should know about the mental game?

A: The most important thing that golfers should know is that you have complete control over your mental game unlike most everything else. The mental game is tied right into the physical game therefore directly affecting your play. How you approach the round even before you arrive, walking up to the first tee and your response to errors are just a few examples of areas that you control. Many golfers do not realize that they have this power and just one small change in a positive direction can affect their game.

For additional information about Shannon Walton, please see her website, The Ultimate Mental Edge.

CORRECTION: This article originally listed the kick-off times incorrectly. The correct times are 10:00 am – noon.