The Beginning…
In December 2012 I attended VISION54’s training course for Coaches. What I learnt during those 3 days and the experiences that have followed are too numerous to account, however one moment led to my most treasured Coaching experience to date.
During the second day of training I was having lunch with a softly spoken gentleman who was extremely interested in my “story”. I happily obliged. I waxed lyrical for 20 minutes, stopping occasionally to breathe, about the Junior Programme I’d established; what we did, how we did it, no stone was unturned. The gentleman listened, asked the occasional question and diligently absorbed.
After my monologue had concluded it was time to recommence training. The gentleman and I headed back, his plate empty, mine full.
Reseated in the conference room, Pia, one of the Founders of VISION54 brought up the subject of Junior Coaching and asked the gentleman: “Rudy, could you talk about how you Coached Tiger?”
The realisation dawned - I’d just had the opportunity to learn from from the man that first Coached one of the best Players of all time but I’d blown it.
Thankfully, that Lunch wasn’t the end of our story. Over the past decade I’ve enjoyed plenty of opportunities to speak to Rudy, however, none better than what happened at Archerfield Links in August…
A Special Week…
Rudy holds a passion for Scottish Golf. So much so he designed and built a Course in California (The Links at Vista Del Hombre) to replicate the style of shots more akin to East Lothian than East LA. We’d spoken for years about delivering a Junior Camp together. It finally happened this year.
Rudy had arranged a group of friends to come and play in Scotland, so we set the dates for the 5 day Camp just prior (August 8-12, 2022) and were lucky enough to have 3 keen Juniors sign up. What followed was a truly special time for all involved:
The structure of the week was formulated by Rudy and I’s Philosophy of Guided Self Discovery. This is where Coach(es) establish the environment (aligned to a clear intention) and give participants the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, ask questions and problem solve - with input from the Coach when necessary. We feel strongly that Golf shouldn’t be learnt via a prescriptive, linear system. Human beings aren’t robots, we can’t simply upload information in an error free way. How we learn is far messier than that. If handled correctly, learning in a mistake based environment can be fun and supportive, not scary and intimidating. Error, handled the right way, is a potent tool.
With the above in mind, we constructed each day to contain 3 basic ingredients:
On Course Play
Tasks/Games (some with rewards and some without)
Reflection (usually done over a nice Archerfield Clubhouse Lunch ;)
Archerfield has some the best facilities in Europe so including the above wasn’t an issue. On the courses we played Texas Scrambles, Foursomes, Individual Strokeplay, Greensomes, Gruesomes (same as Greensomes but you have to choose the worst of the two tee shots) each day - this kept things fun and engaging.
On the practice areas we gave the Juniors time to simply hit balls, experiment and develop (often with a healthy hint from Rudy or I) as well as playing classic games e.g. Closest to the Pin, Nearest to the Hole (Putting), Longest Drive, Straightest Drive etc. We offered the Winner a Brand New Callaway Chrome Soft X with every victory (and on the rare occasion when they beat the Pro e.g. “Chip it closer than Oli and you’ll win a Callaway” ;-) or simply some tees. Take a look:
To the onlooker it might not have seemed as glamorous as some Coaching Sessions, however, the simplest setup’s often create the deepest engagement. The best thing was the Juniors practiced for 3-4 hours each day without realising it. They felt like they were hanging out, having fun and playing golf - how it should be!
The icing on the cake was that the weather was outstanding - there’s nowhere finer than the East Coast of Scotland when the sun is out and the greens are cut.
Each day went by in a flash and unfortunately it all came to an end much sooner than we wanted. All involved had a great time and felt it had been extremely productive.
However, I believe I learnt the most that week. To Coach alongside Rudy and share many car journeys and meals, afforded the opportunity to hear all Rudy’s stories. Experiences I will forever cherish.
What I learned…
I’m struggling to do justice to all I gleaned from the Week but here’s 12 nuggets:
1. Talk less, say more: Rudy is a man of few, powerful words. Be mindful of not only what you say but how much.
2. Encourage Competitiveness: Tigers love of competition and desire to win is something Rudy believes is a cornerstone to his success.
3. Parents are Key: Contrary to popular belief Earl and Tida didn’t ‘push’ Tiger. They placed an orderly & firm priority on his Education so if anyone pushed Tiger, it was Tiger. The bond Tiger shares with his Parents (and Children) demonstrates the wholesome environment he grew up in. During the week Rudy showed me footage of a TV Programme where Tiger was competing against some older children. He hit a bad shot and got upset, toddled over to his Dad who picked him up, popped him on his knee, gave him a cuddle and reminded him that whatever happened, how well or bad he played, his Dad would support him.
4. You can never predict how good someone is going to be: Rudy stated many times that he could never have imagined how good Tiger would become. He knew he was exceptional for his age but Rudy viewed it as just that. He believes success is primarily in the hands of the individual, how far they go is up to them i.e. the (life) decisions they make as well as a little luck - what would have happened if Tiger had broken an arm/lost interest/was pushed too hard?
5. Playful feedback is a great tool: Many would call it “Banter” but the use of firm feedback is a powerful tool when used sparingly and lightly e.g. “Why did the ball go right? (Answer). Well, stop doing that!”
6. Juniors should learn the game from the Green Back: Get really good a holing out from 3ft, then progress further and further away from the hole e.g. Short Putts, Medium Putts, Long Putts, Short Chipping, Medium Chipping and so on. For Full shots: Develop speed THEN straightness.
7. Learn through Play: Learn on the Course! Tiger did a lot of Situational Learning with Rudy i.e. Learning to hit the ball over/under benches, around trees etc. They also played the appropriate length of course for his ability level. Tiger and Rudy would play games using “Tiger Par” i.e. a designated Par for Tiger based on previous experience and/or knowledge of the hole.
Another strategy they used was starting each hole forward of the official tees, making the hole shorter, then earning the right to tee it back as his skill improved. This is the opposite of what many Juniors do i.e. play from the “tips” when they have nowhere near the skill to be competitive from them. Important to note that Tiger started learning and competing on the Par 3 Course Rudy was the Pro at (Heartwell), often against children that were older and better than him but respected his skill level.
8. The Art of Simplicity: Make sure children (and adults) have the freedom to play, at random, without consequence (unless they so wish). And feel comfortable to ask for feedback vs being bombarded with unsolicited instruction. Technical instruction must always be contextualised through skill, ideally brought about by on-course play. This means the children own the information; Autonomy!
9. Retro Practice: During the week Rudy showed us home footage of him Coaching 6 year old Tiger with his Dad Earl watching on. The footage reminded me of my early years hitting Balls at Hillsbourgh; my generation might be the last where Practicing involves you hitting your own balls to a particular spot on the Driving range then trotting off with bag and club in hand to chip the balls back into the bag. The simple nature of this “no consequence” practice is far more akin to Play than the Modern Range Structure i.e hit then leave. There’s a lot to be said for the implicit learning that takes place when “Shag Bagging” - especially when coupled with the desire to not lose any of your practice balls (and get to the range early so you can hit to the driest spots - saves on ball cleaning time!)
10. Simple Intention, Maximum Engagement: Much of Tiger’s early Practice was aligned to a single task: Stay in balance i.e. He would hit hundreds of balls with the simple intention of staying in balance. That, coupled with questions around what Tiger sensed vs what the ball did, accelerated his development. Coaches will note this ideal formula for Learning: Intention + Engagement + Feedback + Repetition
11. Win the right to progress: A highlight of the week was when Tour Player Grant Forrest dropped in to see the Juniors. Grant shared a very poignant message: It was only AFTER he went to College in the US, started getting stronger and WINNING at that level did he think it was right to give Professional Golf a go. Let that sink in for a second. Compare that to what you commonly see in Junior Golf - the perpetuation of the “Pro Golfer Dream”. Juniors, at most, should be encouraged to the College/University Level as it’s a brilliant tool to get a better education than they otherwise might. Less than 1% of Collegiate Golfers make it as a Touring Pro so I believe it’s wrong to perpetuate the “dream” for financial gain. These are young people, not horses in a stable, and should be treated as such.
12. Reflection over Projection: I’ve long valued Reflection; to take stock of what’s happened and see what can be learned. I find it helps me to not get stuck in the future, to not over-plan. It reminds me to point myself in a general direction then get stuck in.
The End (for now)…
I’ll close with the most powerful words Rudy spoke that week: “Did I ever believe that I was helping the best Player to ever play, I mean, I knew he was special but to think I was doing that, man, no way, we were just having fun!”
Thank you Rudy. Not only for “Not messing Tiger up” (for which all involved in the Golf industry owes you a massive thanks) but for showing me the way. So glad we made this happen.
Thanks for Reading,
Oliver C. Morton
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