I found myself in an interesting situation. I took my first golf lesson in years. As a golf professional I was always hesitant of someone else teaching me. With the advent of cameras and computers I was fine by being my own coach. With my career shifting to mental game coaching for touring professionals and other athletes I noticed that I was great being the coach, yet had a difficult time being the student. I have rededicated myself to playing golf at a high level again. I am doing this for a few reasons. One, I love playing golf with my advanced students and being able to give them a game. Two, I enjoy playing business golf with prospective clients and if I play well it helps. And finally three, I miss playing competitive golf. Now I am not saying I am going on the PGA Tour, but being a member of the PGA of America they provide local events for golf professionals like me who like to get the competitive juices flowing.

When I work with clients I ask them what their goals are and if there are any challenges that need to be overcome. I was now the student being asked those same type of questions. I shared my goals of winning a couple of local events and that my challenges where swing mechanics driven. I was honest with my teacher and he did an evaluation of my skill set and we went to work. Having the tables turned was fascinating for me as I haven’t had a golf coach in 7 years. I found myself vulnerable to what he was going to say about my game. It was funny; I was there to seek improvement yet my ego didn’t want to be told what was wrong. I now know how my clients feel.

I will keep everybody updated on my quest of my performance goals.