Norman: In Two Minds at British Open
IN: Golf Psychology | by Andrea Furst | 05 Aug 2008
There are many opinions being thrown around about the performance of Greg Norman at the 2008 British Open. Despite being in two minds about what actually occurred between his ears throughout those four days, and particularly on the last day, I think the mind wins either way.
Here are two perspectives that focus on his mental game and the strength of his mental game.
Many golf enthusiasts will comment that Norman has a history of choking in majors. At times, it seems that he is remembered more for these human errors rather than his other tournament wins.
We hear comments and read headlines about the “Great White Choke” but those comments mainly come from people who have never experienced what it is like to be overwhelmed by the experience of performing in something special.
I don’t think we can be so certain about this being such a negative characteristic for an athlete to hold. We all don’t have to think too hard to name several other high profile athletes in a variety of sports that have fallen victim to wanting something so much that they can let it get away.
For a brief review of choking please read my iseekgolf.com article – ‘The lure of the special result’, where it provides some insight into whether choking is in fact an experience to be look down upon.
Jim Loehr, a sport psychologist in the US, explaines choking well in relation to other commonly experienced emotions in sporting competition.
Think of a bulls eye target like on a dartboard. In the middle of the target is the bulls eye, which is the “Ideal Performance State”; where an athlete feels, thinks, and acts the way they want in order to get their optimum performance.
There are three layers of circles outside of this bullseye. The outer layer is when players give up, the second layer is when players get angry, and the first layer is when a player chokes. According to Loehr, choking is actually the closest emotional experience to an athlete’s IPS.
I frequently refer to Loehr’s bulls eye – as my experiences with a variety of elite sports is that only those athletes in contention really choke.
It also appears that Greg Norman’s mental skills have stuck with him throughout his years of playing golf. Sport psychologists and believers of the mind’s influence are always emphasising how mental skills are learned and trained in a very similar way to technical and physical skills.
Norman’s mental skills were exemplary during his prime years as an international touring pro and one would have to say that these skills have not deserted him. Perhaps mental skills are just like the habits that I keep talking about – they will stick if you dedicated yourself entirely to the pursuit of mastering them and integrating them into your game.
Norman showed us at the British Open that his mind is still one of the best in golfing history. With the depth of professional golf ever increasing he demonstrated how his mindset that he trained and implemented throughout his playing career paid off amongst the new wave of today’s touring professionals. His achievements outside his golfing game are also a valuable indicator of just how switched on his mind is.
So, whatever slant you decide to take on what happened to Greg Norman in the 2008 British Open please consider these two perspectives. Both of which point towards the enormous contribution that training your mind to be disciplined can have on your success as a golfer, at any level.
One perspective is that he did indeed choke but the upside of choking is that he was in the mix – please remember that – and he did come third at 53 years of age.
The other perspective is that his trained brain got him to third position in a British Open after only playing in a two majors in the previous six years, his mind still remembers what to do because he has those habits well formed.
Most of us will never 100% accurately know, but hopefully your appreciation for exactly what the Great White Shark achieved will be a little clearer.
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