The 3 Minute Golfer – Grant Donovan PhD
As a graduate from the University of Western Australia, I taught sports psychology and statistics at the university while completing my doctoral program back in the 1980’s. Yep, stats and psychology - two things that make everyone’s eyes glaze over pretty quickly.
In the early years, I spent time helping a bunch of athletes, including golfers, tennis players, footballers, gymnasts and Olympic sailors improve their mental skills. Then I swapped out the sweat for air conditioning and began working with corporate leaders and their teams, which was an easy switch given business is really just another competitive game people play.
My corporate experience focused on helping organisations develop high performing work cultures. It’s amazing how well an organisation can perform if it has empowered workers and an environment where every person is engaged and treated well. Unfortunately, that only represents a small proportion of workplaces across the world. The rest are petri dishes for the disengaged and mentally stressed….but back to the golf.
I began playing golf regularly at around age 50 and have always enjoyed watching the extensive range of golfing styles in action….both hitting styles and mental styles. So, after discussing the mental side of golf with numerous playing partners, it seemed like a good time to broaden the discussion to a wider community and, if possible, raise some money to help others with their mental health. I live beside the Cottesloe Golf Course in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated and relaxed capital city in the world. A place where it’s easy to stay well and play well because no-one is really watching……except for a Quokka or two.
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Why The 3 Minute Golfer
As a sports science student back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I took part in a study to measure the length of time the ball was actually in play during a 6-hour cricket match (for US readers, think of a baseball game). The answer was, unsurprisingly, minutes rather than hours.
And so it is with golf. A player spends four to five hours on the course, but their ball is only in play for a matter of minutes. The time that requires laser-focused concentration is less than two seconds per shot. Blink, and you’ll miss it - literally.
On a good day, the average 18-handicap player takes 90 strokes, and at 2 seconds per shot, that totals up to just about 3 minutes of real play. What your mind does in those crucial three minutes plays a major role in determining your level of success.
Golf is an easy game to play….but a tricky one to master. All you need for success is a bit of hand-eye coordination and a little focus. Oh, and perhaps a mind that loves a challenge and enjoys failure.
Moreover, The 3 Minute Golfer needs hyper-concentration for less than half a second per shot. So, it’s not the swing that gets you…..it’s the thinking about the swing that’s the real challenge, and The 3 Minute Golfer is here to help.
