Doug's Golf Profile
Mind Factor Certified Coach
I am a Certified Mind Factor Coach, trained by Dr Karl Morris. The Mind Factor is a practical approach to sports performance coaching that understands the role of the mind in sport and how to get the very best out of individual players and teams. Karl has worked with over 100 European Tour professionals including Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen. You may remember the "red dot" trigger on his golf glove that helped Louis to win the British Open at St Andrews - did you ever wonder about the significance of that "red dot" and how it could help you?
I will not be teaching you swing mechanics - I am not qualified and there are many gifted PGA professionals who can teach you the mechanics of how to hit the golf ball. My focus is on the more neglected of the two things you are trying to control - your mind.
Where does Doug's interest in Golf Coaching come from?
I am interested in all sports and focus particularly on Golf because it is the sport I have played longest, most consistently well and have personally experienced the impact of taking control of my mind. I first played golf using my grandad's brassie and some old golf balls in a school field in Glasgow at age 7 or 8, and have been fighting the bad swing habbits I picked up ever since! I had my first lesson from a PGA Pro in my thirties with a handicap of 9 and realising that I was not going to get any better without help. I joined Mill Green Golf Club in Hertfrodshire when it opened in 1993 and over the 20 years I played there, my swing improved by working with the Pro, Ian Parker, who helped me fight those bad habits and introduced me to Neuro Linguistic Programming methods to help me improve my thinking on the golf course. My handicap came down to 2 and has been consistently at that mark for the last 7 or 8 years despite less and less time to practice. I have enjoyed success at club level, winning the Club Championship and being runner up on 7 occassions. I have won more than my share of match play events including the Summer Doubles, Mixed Doubles and the Summer Handicap Matchplay Cup 6 times and been runner up twice. I moved club to Essendon Country Club in 2013 and started to work with PGA professional James Jankowski. I won the summer singles matchplay in 2015. In the Herts Scratch League I have a winning record over the 20 years I have played in it.
What facinates me is the difference between playing at my best with mind and body in synch (in "flow" or in "the zone") and the occassions when I am unable to achieve this. My golf swing is essentially the same yet the execution and the outcomes were very different - effected by indecision, loss of confidence, focus on my mechanics or the outcome etc. I have worked on my golf swing mechanics over the years and am a better stiker of the ball now than when I statred, However I believe that the decisive factor at any given time through my golfing life is how well I control the focus of my mind. This experience and my love of golf have lead me to learn more about the neuroscience and psychology of golf and to use this to help you achieve your golf and sporting goals.
