
Get Your Head Out of the Game
People are stronger together as groups rather than separate as individuals.
This is true in life and it is true in golf. Golf is one of the most individualistic of sports, however, paradoxically, it is also one that relies on player relationships the most. Collaboration on the course is an important custom in the golfing community; it gives a player the opportunity to improve their golf game through helpful critique and to expand their knowledge, skill, and enjoyment of the game. However, there are still some entitled golfers out there that take the sport too seriously and avoid socializing because they believe it better leads to winning the game. It is important to note to these solitary kinds of golfers that various studies performed within the past decade have discovered a multitude of benefits for golfers both on and off the course due to social interaction. And, not only are these findings significant for golfers, they also have a greater importance for the broader domain of individuals who work in groups, because these same benefits can result from social interaction in any group setting. The main advantages discovered from golfers interacting with and supporting each other are the strengthening of their mental and physical game due to creating a productive mental environment, and the improvement of their state of mind through player encouragement and positivity.
But, as for those entitled golfers that believe staying in their own head works best on the course, it is necessary to point out that this kind of mentality fails to provide a productive mental environment. The image below details how this type of thinking only brings negative effects to the players involved.
Although some may see this and argue that there are pros and cons to both teamwork and individual work, according to Beverly Bachel in a scholarly journal article titled Team Thinking, “teamwork works because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, teams can often achieve what individuals can’t,” (Bachel, “Team Thinking”). Working with others allows for more ideas to be developed and for everyone to see things from different angles and perspectives. But most importantly, a group setting can also prevent an individual from struggling with how to motivate and encourage themselves when involved in an activity on their own. Working and connecting with others is beneficial in all group settings, not just golf. That is why is it essential for these self-centered golfers to understand the benefits of the custom of player collaboration.
It is also necessary to point out that those golfers who only care about their own success won’t find much encouragement and positivity unless they concern themselves with the mental and physical states of other players in their round. Showing a little care, affection, and attention to others can be very advantageous for everyone involved and some of these benefits include, “… [promoting] participation, inclusion, human values, acceptance of rules, discipline, health promotion, non-violence, tolerance, gender equality, teamwork, among others,” according to the author of Sports as a tool for social change (Vengoechea, “Sports as a tool for social change”). When two players get to share their life experiences, values, and beliefs with each other, they each get a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow from each other; something that is not prevalent in the image below.
Golfers, like Niall, who fail to learn tactics, strategies or even common sense from other players don’t get a chance to connect with another person. They miss out on not just bonding over a sport, but over life’s challenges and rewards. This moment that some golfers refer to as distracting or unprofessional is something that will always be important and beneficial in the golfing community due it’s multitude of rewards for a golfer’s game and life.
It is essential that all golfers understand how important collaboration is in this community because its benefits can apply to a player’s life both on and off the course. One of the most significant advantages of social interaction is that it can create a more balanced headspace and therefore enhance a golfer’s mental game. If a golfer gives and receives social support from other golfers, there is less competitive pressure due to players teaching each other their skills and perspectives. For example, it was suggested in a 2007 study regarding Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf that “. . . social support could influence performance by providing advice about tactics and game plans,” (Rees and Hardy and Freeman, “Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf”). This provides a sense of mentorship in which, “. . . specific information and direction” is given to other players so that they can “thrive in a competitive setting,” (Murray, “The Advantages of Social Support”). Golfers can use each other’s knowledge and experience to better their individual golf games mentally as well as physically. However, there are certain teaching tactics that one must avoid and they are shown in the image below.
Education is important in golf, but there is a certain way to go about it. If done correctly, insight on golf can aid a player with its constant changes; whether it be the weather, location, length, width, slope, difficulty, or intensity. Because of these factors, it is essential in the golfing community to learn from others and spread the knowledge of the game in order for golfer success to be more attainable and for golfer motivation to increase.
Regarding the benefits of social support on a player’s game, it was also determined in a Health & Wellness Benefits report that, “perceived social support in golf aids performance, regardless of the stress level among participants,” (Walker Research Group, “The Health & Wellness Benefits of Golf Participation & Involvement.”). This positive effect that golfers can have on each other, which can miraculously exist no matter the circumstances, is why golf is not purely an individual sport. The golfing community relies on interactive players in a round in order for guidance, mental stability, and emotional support to thrive.
Another significant advantage of social interaction in golf is that it can result in players boosting each other’s morale and possibly creating relationships that last beyond eighteen holes. For example, in the same Health & Wellness Benefits report by the Walker Research Group, it was found that, “when ‘community’ members (e.g., golf participants, country club members, college golfers, etc.) experience social capital, they are more likely to offer support to other members of their community and participate in the activity for a longer period of time,” (Walker Research Group, “The Health & Wellness Benefits of Golf Participation & Involvement.”). Connecting with another golfer on the course is not just about how to hit a great drive or sink a putt, it’s about changing someone else’s mindset for the better in order for their golf game and personal life to thrive. The image below illustrates what can happen when two players fail to connect after a game of golf and how that affects their mentality going forward.
It would be wise to not behave like Niall does in this image because a golfer should use this time after a round to reflect on their play, ask the other player questions, and discover something new. This is a key factor of golf that all players should engage in because it helps other players want to reconnect with the golfing community or it can even ignite a desire in new golfers to join.
Referring to the emotional advantages collaboration has on a golfer’s mental state, it was also found in a 2007 study by Dr. Rees and other that, “… beyond basic enjoyment of the sport itself, walking, relaxing, and socializing in a pleasant natural environment are reported to be the main motives for recreational golfers,” (Rees and Hardy and Freeman, “Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf.”). The motive of a golfer was not made to be centered around winning or selfish game play, but rather around the opportunity to discover new skills, challenges, people, and ideas. One cannot be a true golfer by playing as a solitary individual because curiosity and community lie at the root of golf.
One strong piece of evidence for this benefit on a golfer’s mental environment lies in the conclusion of Tjerk Moll’s, and others, study in which they studied the effects of esteem support on golf-putting performance. They experimented with two types of esteem support: invisible esteem support (in which the supportive exchanges are not apparent to the player) and visible esteem support (in which the supportive exchanges are apparent to the player). It was found that, “the results demonstrated that participants given visible esteem support significantly outperformed those given no support and those given invisible esteem support,” (Moll and Rees and Freeman, “Enacted support and golf-putting performance: The role of support type and support visibility.”). Real life evidence of this can be seen in the following image in which Brett fails to receive any type of esteem support.
Visible, tangible esteem support is extremely essential in the complicated mental game of golf due to how easy it is to get down on oneself during the game, just as Brett shows here with his sour expression caused by Niall’s strict, negative coaching. Hearing compliments and uplifting words from other players in one’s round can be the difference between a great round and the worst round of one’s life. Therefore, it is important for golfers to have strong, friendly relationships with others in order to create a positive, supportive mental atmosphere.
Interacting with and supporting others is not just an important custom in the golfing community, but in any group setting an individual may come across.
Although there will always be people who believe that they work better alone, there is a plethora of support regarding the benefits of social support in teams. In golf, the advantages of this include being able to learn new tactics and strategies on how to navigate the course as well as being able to maintain a positive mental environment internally and externally. However, these advantages can translate outside the world of golf in which an individual can use the help of their teammates or peers to learn new tactics on how to productively accomplish a task or to maintain an optimistic morale in the work space. Any community that has social collaboration will thrive and grow because it uses its members to build itself up and expand its horizons. Without these interactions, it would just be a group of separate individuals that never truly experience any self growth, awareness, or enlightenment. In the golfing community, or in any community, the key custom of social collaboration is essential in order for it to thrive.
Who Will I Be as a Golfer ?
I created this video that discusses my background in golf, my inspiration and motive for this project, and my thoughts on my own golf game going forward.
Works Cited
Bachel, Beverley K. “Team Thinking.” Current Health 2, vol. 32, no. 8, Apr/May 2006, pp. 7–9. Web. 2 August 2017.
De Vengoechea, Camila. “Sports as a tool for social change.” World Economic Forum. N.p., 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 July 2017.
Moll, Tjerk, Tim Rees, and Paul Freeman. “Enacted support and golf-putting performance: The role of support type and support visibility.” Psychology of Sport and Exercise (May 2017): 30–37. Science Direct. Web. 23 July 2017.
Murray, John F., Dr. “The Advantages of Social Support.” John F Murray — Sports Psychology.N.p., 1 June 1997. Web. 17 July 2017.
Rees, Tim, Lew Hardy, and Paul Freeman. “Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf.” Journal of Sports Sciences 25.1 (2007): 33–42. Web. 16 July 2017.
Walker Research Group. “The Health & Wellness Benefits of Golf Participation & Involvement.” Golf 20/20, World Golf Foundation (2011): 1–24. Web. 16 July 2017.