Always known as the epitome of the solitary game, tournament golf has virtually transformed itself into a “team” game. Yes, there’s still just one player. But that player is now supported by a team of specialists in the same way NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson is a member by Team Lowes.
These days PGA Tour golfers have enlisted the help of instructors in bulk: mental coaches, swing coaches, fitness trainers, nutritionists. They’re at the Honda Classic, which begins today at the PGA National Resort & Spa’s Champions course. Why aren’t the best golfers shooting 60 every round, given the advice they get?
Times have changed. Even Tiger Woods, back practicing at the Isleworth Country Club in Orlando, where he lives, has his entourage. There’s his swing coach Hank Haney and his fitness trainer Ken Kleven, among others. Charles Howell III, who is playing the Honda, spent an hour with Woods on the range this week and said he’s hitting the ball as well as ever.
Meanwhile, 144 players are about to start a tournament, and many have their coaches on hand. Alan Fine, one of them, works with Stephen Ames of Calgary. His credential says “sports psychologist,” but he’s the first to admit he doesn’t hold an advanced degree in psychology.
Instead, the affable 56-year-old became interested in how he could help people learn faster, and what makes them perform under pressure. He used to coach tennis in Wales, and watching his players made him curious about those matters. Fine works with Ames and the Welsh golfer Phillip Price, a three-time European Tour winner and former Ryder Cup player, but 80 per cent of his work is with the corporate world.
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