Dr. Sam Maniar is a distinguished sport and performance psychologist and the founder of the Center for Peak Performance. I’m confident he will be a valuable resource to our golf community. Dr. Sam brings over 25 years of extensive experience helping athletes, executives, and organizations achieve peak performance, and we are excited to have him on board to support our PGA members and Junior Tour players.
Throughout his career, Dr. Sam has worked with renowned organizations such as the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Cubs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and University of Akron Zips. His expertise extends to the realm of golf, where he has collaborated with high school, college, and professional golfers nationwide. Beyond the greens, Dr. Sam has also assisted numerous executives in enhancing their leadership performance, demonstrating his versatility in optimizing human potential.
As a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio, Dr. Sam is well-equipped to address a wide-range of mental struggles that may arise on the golf course. To further facilitate your access to his insights, we are delighted to announce a monthly series in the Birdie Business newsletter, where Dr. Sam will be answering your questions about overcoming mental obstacles and enhancing performance. Click here to fill out a short google form with what you (or your junior golfer) is struggling with on the course and our resident sport psychologist, Dr. Sam, may feature your question in our "Dear Dr. Sam" column that will be part of future Birdie Business issues.
Check out his column below:
Dear Dr. Sam,
During a tournament, when you miss an easy green in regulation or miss an easy 1 or 2 putt. How do you move on? As junior golfers, we practice all those shots and putts a lot. So, how do we deter from letting it affect our confidence in our abilities?
-Cara M.
Dear Cara,
Thank you for your question. First of all, know that you are not alone! Missing an easy putt is something that plagues all golfers. Just ask Rory after this year’s US Open.
When we make a mistake that we believe we should not, many players keep replaying the shot over and over in their heads. Here are some strategies that may help.
1. Replay the shot in your mind (visualize), but make the putt this time. This can be effective because your brain will now remember making the putt instead of missing it.
2. Pick up a clump of grass and hold it in your hand tightly. Let the grass symbolize the mistake. When you are ready to let go of the mistake, let go of the grass. You can also try this with squirting water as well.
3. When you get over the next short putt, remind yourself of all the times that you have made a putt from this distance. Make sure to prime your brain with thoughts of success and not thoughts of failure. Jack Nicklaus was particularly good at this.
4. Try looking at it objectively and without emotion. According to stats from Lou Stagner, the probability of a tour pro making 9 straight putts from 5 feet is less than 9%. Additionally, PGA pros miss HALF of their putts from 8 feet. So, even pros miss “easy” putts. If that’s true, why do we expect to do something that even a pro cannot do? EVERYONE misses “easy” putts from time-to-time. Manage your expectations.
5. Practice under pressure. While most junior golfers do practice putts and other “easy” shots a lot, few of them practice those shots under pressure. If you want to perform under pressure, you have to practice under pressure. Try adding a consequence, like push-ups, if you miss your goal during a drill. This will add some pressure to the drill. Or, run some sprints and then try to putt with a high heart rate. Practice lowering your heart rate with deep breathing so that you can execute the shot.
Please feel free to reach out should you need additional assistance.
