One goal of a golf lesson is to increase awareness of how you swing your golf club. As your coach, I want to empower you to sense the difference between “old swing” and “new swing” so you can give yourself accurate feedback when you are practicing. The same principle applies if you wish to develop your mental skills. Often, we don’t recognize how our thinking holds us back. One tool to increase awareness of our behavioral tendencies is the DISC. You may be familiar with this assessment tool. It is a profile system used worldwide to help people better understand themselves to improve performance in various areas of their lives. It is also one of the tools Paul Azinger used when leading the US Ryder Cup team to victory in 2008.
My friend and colleague Bobby Foster adapted the DISC system for golf. After answering a series of questions about how you play golf (@ 10 minutes to complete), you’ll discover what “profile” best describes you. There is no right or wrong profile. All profiles are represented at the highest level of golf, so no worries…you can’t fail this test! A report is emailed to you sharing:
- The basic background about the DISC profile system for golf.
- A description of your DISC style in action.
- A description of how your profile both serves you and holds you back as a player and most importantly, strategies to harness your strengths so you can play your best golf more consistently.
- “Mini reports” for you to share with your golf coach and fitness professional so they can best tailor your sessions to meet your individual needs.
I took the assessment and found the results to be both revealing and helpful. My Mental Golf DISC style is C – Conscientious (exacting, analytical, process-oriented, focused, methodical, factfinder). My strong analytical traits help me to understand what I am doing with my swing and how it affects ball flight. However, when “over done” this can lead to over-thinking and getting in the way of making my best swing. This is just one example provided in my individualized report. Other areas described included my golf temperament, pre-round preparation, playing shots, course management, and approach to game improvement. I was also provided specific strategies in each of these areas so I can play in the zone more often.
If you feel your mental game is the missing club in your bag, check out the Mental Golf DISC Profile: