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Golf Performance Coaching Success Stories
Luke - A College Golfer
THE CHALLENGE
Luke was a good college golfer; however, after his junior year, his stroke average bumped up to 77.6. It was disappointing for him; he worked hard on his game and didn't know where to turn.
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Luke, a college golfer playing for Winthrop University, loves all aspects of the game of golf. He worked hard on his game. He traveled to top instructors to get the best training in the country but ran into a roadblock with his game after his junior year of playing college golf. His game was getting worse in tournament play, and he wasn't getting along with the coach.
Then, one day, his dad saw an article on the front page of the business section of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
THE SOLUTION
Luke and his dad would attend an assessment together. Dan used some of the tools that he had developed with Performance In Motion to help Luke realize how the mental game was affecting his performance. Luke realized how fast he could change his performance by changing his mindset.
His dad was encouraged to attend so that he could provide the right support for his son, and they developed a common language to communicate. After the first session, Luke was challenged to play the game differently by playing nine holes with three clubs. This was simply to prove to Luke that he had the ability to score low, and he did by scoring three under. We had set up a three-month coaching process in which Luke attended the full Discovery.
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THE BENEFIT
Luke developed a clear intention through the Discovery process with clear goals and a clear vision. He set out to win two tournaments that fall and did it!
THE CHALLENGE
Since first picking up a club at a very young age, Kelly has shown incredible potential as a golfer. Her physical ability was natural, with a grip, stance, and swing that were sound from the start.
Kelly had been diligent and disciplined about the game for more than a decade and had become one of the top high school golfers in Minnesota. But eventually, her game began to regress. Her scores worsened and stalled in the high 80s, which everyone knew was nowhere near where she was capable of scoring.
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Kelly’s swing seemed less fluid, and her temper flared easily. Her body language was negative. “I couldn’t let go of the bad shots, and then I started to react to them even before they happened,” she said. “The harder I tried in practice, the worse I was playing when it counted. I felt incredible pressure at all times.”
These issues with golf were also beginning to impact Kelly’s self-esteem in general, leading to difficulties with family and friends off the course.​​
Kelly – A College Golfer
THE SOLUTION
Kelly learned about a unique Twin Cities-based coaching program that had worked wonders with other golfers and athletes struggling with their games. The program, called Performance In Motion and led by award-winning PGA golf and performance coach Dan DeMuth, was different in its strong emphasis on the mental side.
“Without the proper focus and visualization, even players with perfect mechanics will not consistently play at their potential,” DeMuth said. “There is such an obvious mind-body connection in golf. I have always been surprised by how little time gets spent practicing control over what is going on inside our heads, which I think every golfer will attest is incredibly influential on how we hit the ball on any given day.”
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On her initial visit to the Performance In Motion studio, Kelly found a large open warehouse space with a wall separating a conference area from a netted indoor golf facility. The workshop began at the conference table, with Kelly completing a survey to unearth the inaccuracies of her perceptions and the root of her golf issues. Next, Dan and Kelly discussed her responses and completed several exercises demonstrating the power that the proper attitude and focus can have on actual physical performance.
Then it was into the golf studio, where the exercises continued with Kelly putting and chipping captured on video. She even got a chance to throw a few clubs — all part of the program. “By asking somebody to throw a club at a target with no other direction, it’s amazing how one’s true, fluid golf swing comes out in the process,” DeMuth said. “When the focus is on achieving a task without any perceived judgment attached to it, one’s true athleticism shines through without interference. This is exactly the mental state our program aims to achieve for athletes in competition.”
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THE BENEFIT
Just two weeks into the six-week Performance In Motion program, Kelly was making great strides. She was having fun again both on and off the course, living more in the moment and detached from past regrets and future concerns. During this time, she posted a career-best score of 71 at a summer golf tournament.
Kelly hit all 18 greens in regulation on her way to winning the title. A string of excellent rounds after this win–and after the Performance In Motion program completion–confirmed that something had positively and permanently changed with Kelly’s inner game. She continued on to play NCAA Division I golf for Montana State University. During her senior year in college, she was both the team’s captain and #1 player.
“I feel like Dan gave me the key to unlock the player I have always been, which paved the way for me to excel at the next level of competition,” she said. “Basically, I learned how to get out of my own way. This new level of discipline has made all the difference, and I would not have gotten there on my own. The negative thinking still arises, but now I have the tools I need to keep it under control.
“I’d recommend Performance In Motion to anyone who wants to perform at their potential more of the time,” Kelly continued. “I could see my performance change on the course, and the coaching has been useful for me off the course as well. I can tell you firsthand that it works. The results are amazing.”
Brooks – Junior Golfer
THE CHALLENGE
Dave’s son Brooks, who is now 15 years old, started working with Dan DeMuth and Performance In Motion when he was an 11-year-old.
The main reason Dan was a necessary tool for Brooks to become a successful golfer is that he had an enormous amount of interference in his game, one being emotional triggers and another being personal confidence in his game, which affected his targets.
Brooks' frustration would lead to a breakdown on the course, and he did not have strategies to come back in the round, which ultimately led to his not having any fun on the course.
THE SOLUTION
Once Brooks started working with Dan and putting together a vision of his game and how to achieve goals, he started finding success. Brook and his dad attended the Discovery program together. A combination of coaching techniques using the workbook developed by Performance In Motion, biofeedback, focus activities, course coaching, and developing a personal road map of goals and vision, set Brooks in a much more positive direction.
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THE BENEFIT
After working with Dan for just one season, Brooks started winning his first Junior PGA event as a 12-year-old. Season after season, he would continue to meet with Dan every spring for a few sessions to help write new goals for the year and to refocus on targets. One of the biggest breakthroughs Brooks has had is how to deal with interference in his game and how to let the last shot go when it doesn’t turn out as good as he would like. The emotional outbursts no longer exist in his golf game, and he has learned how to play one shot at a time.
As his father and high school golf coach, I have learned a lot about the mental game of golf and its role in not only sports but life. Dan DeMuth not only creates great golfers but also great people in life. At age 15, Brooks has won 12 events in the JPGA and US Kids Tour combined with 10 runner-up finishes. He was named Player of the Year in 2017 in the US Kids Tour in our region. As a freshman on the high school team, he qualified for the MSHSL State Tournament.
THE CHALLENGE
Cecil, a high school golfer who wasn’t having fun playing golf, knew that he could score low but was struggling with how to come back after a bad shot or two on the course.
His parents had a hard time watching him play because he would get so mad in tournaments. His performance was affecting other parts of his life. The frustration would stick with him well after the round of golf. He would practice harder on his game with very little results.
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THE SOLUTION​
He attended the assessment with his Mom, we were able to recognize what some of the key issues were right away. We provided tools for him to change the way in which he was thinking about his game. He learned that it wasn’t to work harder; it was to work smarter and balance out his time better.
Cecil – High School Golfer
The assessment provided him with the awareness that his thoughts were affecting how he played. He also began to realize that his targets were not as clear as what he thought they were. With his mom in attendance they were able to share different perspectives of how he played and thought about the game. He had new strategies for how he could plan for tournaments and practice. He also learned that these new tools can be applied to every day life, in school, personal goals, and on the course.
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THE BENEFIT
Cecil is realizing that when he becomes aware of what he is thinking he can become unattached to the outcome while playing intentional golf. This is leading to a great opportunity for him to be a leader on and off the course. Cecil first tournament after our assessment was a two day tournament, he won the tournament. “Dan, thanks! I couldn’t have done this without you. All the things that you said I used really helped me. It is unbelievable how free I feel out there now. Thank you very much.”
My comments back to Cecil were to allow it to be believable because it is believable. You get to be a champion when open to the possibilities.
Alex– A Pro Golfer
THE CHALLENGE
Alex was a PGA golf professional who was seeking to play in more golf tournaments. However, he found himself working in the golf business and it became difficult to play at the top of his game while he was also teaching and working in the golf shop.
Alex played Division 1 golf and is a competitor who had won the Wisconsin State Amateur and a number of other golf tournaments. Eventually, he discovered himself and his game to be out of sorts. He wanted to compete, but, he wasn’t making time for himself to work on all aspects of his game. He knew he had to do something different to take his game to new heights.​
THE SOLUTION
Alex needed to understand where his time was being spent and how he could make more time for himself to commit to playing in golf tournaments while still working in the golf business. He committed to Performance In Motion and an ongoing coaching process. Going through the Discovery process helped Alex understand both his vision and goals. Since Alex lived in Arizona and Dan and Performance In Motion were located in Minnesota, most of the coaching was set up as phone coaching.
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When playing golf, Alex often was sad when he missed a few shots causing his score to be higher. He needed to be challenged on what he really wanted out of the game of golf as well as the business of golf. The letdowns in golf became an opportunity for Alex to learn more about what was holding him back from making key changes. The Discovery program and coaching process allowed Alex to open up to new possibilities.
THE BENEFIT
Alex has become clear on his goals and vision. In one of his first tournaments, Alex won in LA. He was competing against other golf professionals and was able to describe what he was thinking and feeling. Alex became aware of how he could have fun on and off the course, achieving his goals and vision. He has also been able to share his vision and goals with his wife (who also played Division 1 golf as well.) and other family members. His stroke average in tournament golf had changed over a two-year period from 73.2 to 70.4.
Alex continues to be more efficient on the course, he is believing in his abilities. Alex is realizing how to self-coach as well as receive coaching. He has become clear on his vision with new tools to use both on and off the course.