CALGARY – Just before the Shaw Charity Classic officially tee’s off this summer in Calgary, Champions Tour professional Fred Funk will play a friendly round of golf with Olympian Jesse Lumsden and Global’s Lisa MacGregor at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, on Tuesday August 4th.
Lumsden and MacGregor’s months of practice and training this summer as part of the Shaw Classic 101 series will be put to the test against Funk, who has nine Champions Tour victories and eight PGA Tour victories to name a few of his accomplishments. No pressure.
Funk’s most recent career highlights include; closing 66 at the Allianz Championship included an eagle on the last hole to vault into a T3 in Boca Raton, his best finish in six appearances at the Old Course at Broken Sound.
In 2014, Funk turned in six of his eight top-10 performances on the season starting in early June when he teamed with Jeff Sluman to win a see-saw battle against Jay Haas-Peter Jacobsen in the Champions Division at the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf.
Golf training sessions are currently underway with Lumsden and MacGregor, which includes time spent with golf fitness and movement coach Shannon Mantrop, founder of DM Golf Performance at the Golf Canada Centre.
“Lisa and Jesse will be going through an Advanced Golf Fitness and Movement Screen. From this screen, I will be able to determine if there are any movement or fitness limitations that can effect the golf swing and/or golf performance,” Mantrop said.
After the screen, Mantrop will help to optimize each student golfers movement through a specific training program based on each golfers needs.
“Jesse went through the screen last week and demonstrated a great movement foundation with little to no restriction in rotation, which for a linear athlete is impressive.”
Mantrop says Lumsden’s main challenge is the tension in his swing and aggressive hitting action at the ball.
“Trying to “hit the ball” instead of swinging the club and letting the ball get hit is very common for amateur golfers. We will be looking to optimize Jesse’s golf specific movement by training the body to create the proper swing sequence with relaxation,” Mantrop said.
Here’s a video update from Lumsden talking about his first experience doing the physical screen and mental evaluation;
“We’ve got some things to work with physically which is good. There’s limitations obviously with the shoulder injuries that I’ve had but confidence that we’ll keep moving forward and I’ll make some great progression on the links,” Lumsden said.
Golf Canada Centre Instructor Bill Murchison is teaching the two the Golf Canada Player Performance Package step by step.
After having a few driving range sessions with Lumsden and MacGregor already, he says the series will show two very typical but different student profiles that they see regularly as coaches at the centre.
“With Jesse, we have a much more experienced player with equipment that does not fit and some preswing (grip, posture and ball position) issues that when combined make the game very difficult , even for a very talented athlete.”
Murchison says that specifically the grip and ball position make it virtually impossible for Jesse to hit the driver or fairway woods. Getting properly fit clubs and getting into a good starting position is the first step and will make a huge difference in Jesse’s game.
“The physical screen to determine movement capabilities will give us an understanding if there will be any limitations that we will need to work around as we move into the swing movement. Once we have these steps done we will begin to fine tune the swing of a player who already has swing and motion patterns much better than are normally associated with a player shooting around 100,” Murchison said.
As for Lisa, Murchison says there are benefits to her being a new player.
“With Lisa we have a player with very limited experience, very few habits and an opportunity to basically build a golf swing and game from the beginning with a student who is motivated and committed. Very much an ideal situation!”
“We have made adjustments to develop a good starting position and preshot routine. The grip and posture changes in our first session are showing improvement and results.The turn back to the inside and the arm and hand release concepts presented in our second lesson have us moving toward a much more efficient swing. Squaring the club face at impact and extending the arms out to the target have made it seem more effortless and increased distance already,” Murchison said.
If there’s one thing most athletes know about golf, it’s how important your head game is when playing. Getting rattled by one bad shot can cost you the next 5. Which is where stress and performance coach Jo-Ann Pawliw with Heart of Performance comes in.
Pawliw teaches individuals and teams, skills and techniques to access their higher brain function even in the most difficult moments.
She says we can lose 60-70% of our brain thinking in under one second when we feel pressure or stress. Which leads to not feeling confident, capable or in control.
A recipe for disaster if a golfer can’t control their emotions on the course.
In MacGregor’s first session with Pawliw, she explained the feelings and emotions she gets on the course that prevent her from excelling her game. MacGregor went over how her mind and body reacts to stress, which as it turns out, is a common trend for most golfers.
“You’re worried about people seeing you make a bad shot or take too long on the course,” MacGregor said. “In TV, the majority of broadcasters say you’re only as good as your last show. That same mentality tends to transcends into a person’s golf game. Which is a habit I look forward to breaking. To not get thrown off by a poor swing or brief setback on the scorecard, or the next shot will just end up being worse,” MacGregor said.
“I had no idea that there was a whole science behind changing your mental approach to the game.’
Pawliw has researched the science behind it, which stems from what’s called an ’emotional hijack’ that happens to a person under stress or pressure. Parts of the brain react, which results in an increase in heart rate, breathing and reflexes. Then there’s a decrease in working memory, followed by ‘Toxicity’ which is chemicals released into the bloodstream.
“At the heart of performing our best, are many factors. There is the physical reaction in our body we experience under stress (increased heart rate, shorter breath and tension), what we feel and think and the decisions we make. If we can manage these factors better we can access what we already know and do well – even under pressure,” Pawliw said.
One exercise from Pawliw’s ‘Heart of Performance’ program is that for the next few weeks MacGregor and Lumsden are expected to practice deep breathing exercises, 2 times a day for 3-5 minutes. Whether it’s before work or a golf lesson, anytime. They will also incorporate the following steps from Pawliw’s ‘HeartMath’ :
1. Focus on the area around your heart.
- Imagine your heart as a shape, colour, anatomically correct, etc.
2. Breathe in longer breaths, in and out at your heart centre.
- Try to make your out breath a little longer than your breath. For example, count 3 seconds in, 5 seconds out.
3. Recall someone or something that your feel grateful about and bring that feeling into your heart.
- Remember – your brain does not know if you are really with that someone or something.
Pawliw’s emotional training exercises can translate into day to day life and all sports, as ways to help stay calm and smart under pressure.
Week two for Lumsden and MacGregor in Shaw Classic 101 continues.
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