What's got me excited about coaching these days!

I've recently started a new chapter in my career as a coach. I'm training to become a Certified Professoinal Co-Active Coach. It has nothing to do with golf specifically, but will make me a better coach and no doubt help my students transform into the golfers that they want to become.

Here's the latest blog from my website:

Co-Active Coaching and Golf

My first experience in teaching golf skills to other people was in the summer of 1998. I helped I guy named Mike conduct his beginner golf schools teaching basic chipping skills. Since then I’ve spent 15 years studying and developing an understanding technique (fixing golf swings), and have worked very hard to understand the in’s and out’s of the mental game. While there is always more to learn, I believe I’m a good swing coach, probably even better mental coach, and have the tools to help any golfer improve, be it a beginner or a tour player. I love what I do and am super excited to have recently discovered something that is making me a better coach, a better person and has me feeling energized about future career possibilities.

A few months ago I was introduced to something called Co-Active Coaching and have since begun the process of becoming a Certified Professional Co-Active coach. It’s very powerful, very cool stuff. A Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, has the skills to evoke powerful transformation in any area of your life where you might seek change or growth. They possess incredible listening and communication skills. Life Coaching, Executive / Business / Corporate Coaching are all applicable using the same set of Co-Active Coaching skills.

To my knowledge nobody has yet combined the Co-Active model with a golf specific program and I’ve got a vision of how well the two will go together. Oh it’s going to be good! I’ve already started to apply many of the basic skills to my every day coaching but my vision is big and will involve very powerful golf programs that will have golfers creating their own vision of fulfillment in golf and taking action towards becoming that vision.

The basis of the Co-Active model is that transformation involves an awareness of a “Being” and a “Doing”. For a golfer, I would explain it this way.

"BEING"
Consider a time or a situation in life when you were at your best. Feeling great, thinking clearly, truly happy, feeling confident, having fun, just being the very best version of you as a human being. Where were you? Who was there with you? What did it look like? What did it feel like? Who were you in that moment? What values were you honoring? Seriously, do that right now. Close your eyes and picture yourself at a time when life was wonderful and you were completely happy and content. Feel it.

Now, compare that person to the one who usually shows for golf. Are they the same person? If so, congratulations! Or are you like so many others and show up to the golf course with the less than best version of yourself. The one who brings expectations, self doubt, tension, fear, frustration, and insecurities along for the round.

What would golf be like if you were always “being” the very best version of yourself, no matter what the circumstances were?

"DOING"
One way of “doing” it would be to stand driving range hitting ball after ball making the same error, slice, slice, slice, slice……. You get wound up tight physically, mentally, emotionally, and by the end of the session you feel drained and head home wondering what it was that you accomplished. (I see golfers do this every day)

Another way of “doing” it would be to have a driving range practice session where you have a very clear purpose for every single shot. Your target is clear, you have a very clear intention on what your swing will be like and what you are going to concentrate on. You execute the shot. You compare the actual experience to what your intention was and make any necessary correction with practice swings before you hit the next shot. You head home feeling energized about what you learned during the session.

Take a look at who you are being when you play and practice golf, connect with the best version of yourself and make a commitment to be that person, regardless of what the situation is. Look at what you are doing and decide what actions you are going to take (practice better, play more golf, take lessons) to move closer to fulfillment.

What is your vision of being a really fulfilled golfer? Who would you be? What would you do? What would it be like?