Sea Island Life Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 19

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.” SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | SEA ISL AND LIFE 19 SI5_Swing-ev5-e_v6-e_v7.indd 19 3/20/15 3:08 PM