THE MENTAL GAME
Modern training methods include preparing the
brain as well as the body. Dr. Morris Pickens, sports
psychologist and performance specialist at Sea Island
Golf Performance Center, recommends instruction
and clinics on topics such as practice routines, short
game best practices and mental preparation. He’s
helped students win 27 PGA TOUR events since 2005,
including three major championships.
ANATOMY OF
THE MODERN
GOLFER
IN ORDER TO STAY COMPETITIVE,
TODAY’S ATHLETES ANALYZE THEIR
PERFORMANCE FROM HEAD TO TOE.
ANDY LYONS/STAFF
EQUIPMENT AND CLUBFITTING
From titanium and composite woods to higherperforming iron sets and more sophisticated wedges,
there is always going to be a new piece of equipment,
but what works best for each individual? Craig Allan,
the Golf Performance Center’s manager, is a master
clubfitter who employs TrackMan, a 3-D swing and
ball flight analysis tool, into the fitting process to
pinpoint what equipment works and why.
“[TrackMan], more than anything, has changed
the game,” Allan says. “We have used that
exclusively in fitting. There’s almost not a shot hit
in fitting that we’re not gathering some kind of
information, which helps us dial in what’s best from
that individual golfer’s standpoint.”
MEASURABLE
IMPROVEMENT
Quantifiable information helps golfers
pinpoint areas of weakness in their game
and work to improve
them. State-of-theart video equipment
can now show where
shots were lost in a
round—and the Golf
Performance Center’s
cavalry of instructors
can diagnose and cure
those ills.
FITNESS
Led by Randy Myers,
director of fitness, the Golf
Performance Center’s team
can evaluate golfers’ body
types to identify the best
workouts, including stretching,
that will maximize every
swing. “We determined that
mobility and symmetry of the
muscles—not necessarily size,
bulk and rigidity—were the
two important ingredients that
allowed us to make the athletes better and more prepared
[to play longer],” Myers says.
He adds that understanding
flexibility and strength is
crucial to improving a golfer’s
swing and overall game.
INSTRUCTION
Grip, posture and swing sequence have remained important to any instructor’s lesson plans. As equipment and technology advances, however, instruction has evolved as well, making it beneficial at any level of play. Jack Lumpkin, Todd Anderson and the host of instructors at the
Golf Performance Center offer nuanced and adaptive strategies to keep their students ahead of the curve.
“When you start (as an instructor), your eye is trained to see what’s going on in the swing—to see the path, the face, the different releases
and positions,” says Anderson, the center’s director of instruction. “[Technology has taken instruction] to a further level where you can say
that not only was a club face open, it was open X-number of degrees. It quantifies what’s going on.”
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