You're going to get challenged what I call the army of the aliens, which
is your own self, and what that is is your subconscious. Your subconscious
is going to send you what I call negative thoughts like this one. You're
in a seventeen to eighteenth toll, you're putting for a birdie crucial situation.
As you're getting prepared in your preshot routine, you might hear in your head,
Oh, they're gonna blow this one again like you've done so many times.
And for the unprepared golfer, the golfer who doesn't have a method,
that's probably enough to shake them in their boots, or to give them a
little sweat in their palms of their heart beats, a little quicker, their
mind goes off a little bit, and they don't sink that putt. That's
frustrating, especially when they know they have the talent and they've done it before.
Hi, this is just have Winnam from Pinehurst, North Carolina. I
play at Pinehurst number six and this is Golf Smarter number nine hundred and thirty
eight. Kimi lubi jagis Aaron Rod and Carrie Valentine on how pros overcome adversity.
This is Golf Smarter, sharing stories, tips and insights from great golf
mindes to help you lower your score and raise your golf IQ. Here's your
host, Fred Green. It's my time of year where I get to say
Helloha, Kerry, welcome back to Golf Smarter. Helloja, Fred, It
is awesome to see you and mahalaanui loa for having me on. I always
appreciate it. Oh yeah, well, you know, you provide us with
some really fascinating content. Every year we've been doing this. How many years
have we done this? Now? Gosh six where you go out to the
Sony Open, you go to the couple different PGA events at in Hawaii and
you bring a recorder with you and you find a way to get close to
these guys and start having conversations with them. And this year, thank you
so much saying yeah I'm here with Golf Smarter podcast. It's like nice for
sure. So, how so this year, like last year we had you
had like five or six different players that you had conversation with, this year
it's down to two. Yeah, were there were there barriers that you had
to cross? What was the deal this time? A number of things the
number of factors. One is, I would say the presence of live is
one where some of the guys that some of the guys that I've interviewed over
the years are now playing on live. Some of the guys that I'm interested
to interview are playing on live. So that's a part of it. So
there the field obviously it is full, it's Sony Open, but it's also
since it's the first full field event, it has a lot of rookies in
it, and so there's less of experienced goffers that I'm looking forward to interview
and things like that. But I'm off obviously also interested in talking to rookies
like you know I've done in the pasture, and so that was part of
it. The other element is, unfortunately my schedule during that particular week was
just really busy and so my chance, my chance to interact with the golfers
was a bit more limited. And so you know, it's all like I
just show up and see who's around and who's able to talk, and you
know, my things like Stuart Sink, who I've interviewed a number of times
and just have a fabulous time interviewing because he's so incredibly candid and we saw
each other and we you know, he was on his way to working on
some bunker shots and and we talked and he said, yeah, come,
you know, check back with me in a little bit. I'll be you
know, back on the practice screen. And I was interviewing some of the
other golfers and by the time I got back, he was gone. And
then you know, those kind of things happen, you know they do.
It's just yeah, it's just you got it. It's just all in the
moment and the other the other thing interesting enough for me, I was also
busier at the golf course talking to people. People were interested in things I'm
doing and different kind of kind of partnerships and things like that coming together.
So it's just it was just like a really unique moment. It was like,
oh, this hasn't happened before, but okay, here we are,
go with it. Just go yes, nonetheless, go ahead. Nonetheless.
I'm really excited for the listeners to hear the interviews because there's some interesting elements
in there. Yeah, And what we've done in the past is we've broken
it down by topic and and like played the different cuts from each of the
guys. This time we're gonna do something different because you have two players here,
and we'll talk about that in a second, but we're just gonna run
your interview with each of them intact all the way through. And the Uh,
Aaron Raye is one of them. Indian player. I didn't leave him
on before. Yes, last year he was a rookie last year. He
is Indian descent from England. Okay, yes, okay. And and he
holds the world's record for the most putts in a row. And they have
these competitions and almost hold putts in a row. Yeah, yeah, because
I probably hold the record for the most putts in a row, yes,
most successful potts, most you know. Uh, and holds a Guinness Book
of World Records for that. Do you talk about that with it with him?
I did? I did last year? Last year we did. Yeah.
So if anyone's interested check out last year interview, please do, please
do, and I'll put in the show notes when it was before. Okay,
So what did you goause? The interview with Aaron is longer than the
second one that we have with Camillo Vijegis, but you got into more stuff
with him and he remembered you. It was really sweet. He remembered you
and he enjoyed the conversation that you had together. Yes, yes, and
I too, he he was. It was special, seriously, just human
to human last year talking and it was a great connection and that and that
gave me the the little bit of an oomph to dig in a little bit
to him this year. And you can hear it at the end of the
conversation, and I'll talk to you about it, you know, because I
think there was some interesting elements for every offer to take from what what Aaron
was saying and some things that I think he can improve upon. Yeah,
I thought so too. So here's what we're gonna do. And let me
just humbly and you know, stated that yet you know, I incredibly appreciate
these guys' talents and gifts, especially with Aaron, and I humbly say that.
So okay, thank you for saying that. So what we're gonna do
now is we're gonna take a break right now, and we'll come out of
the break with a full interview with Aaron Rye and then we'll take another break
after that and then come back and discuss it. So we'll be back.
Well, I won't be back carry and Aaron Rye will be back right after
this. Hello, very very good. I just had a very appreciative conversation
with you. Let me vot. I mean, I've talked to a lot
of golfers, but something was different talking with you. It was really nice.
It's a very different kind of interview. It felt a lot more personal
than generally the generic German questions. And then we have which, which was
really nice. Yeah, So this must be I would imagine, like an
amazing process from where you were last year and playing all the tournaments to now
and starting again you know this second you know in that sense this second season,
and do you have certain goals? Are you resetting looking at things like
from where things were last year to this year and go, okay, where
there's certain goals you reach, certain goals that you were like, yeah,
I really want to work more on whatever that would be. Yeah. I
try not to set too many external goals in the form of results or achievements.
Have in the past, but I've felt like that hasn't really helped to
push me forwards. I think when I focus more on the game and the
skills of the game, I think I enjoy the game more and I probably
play better as a result. So my goals, I guess are more kind
of based on improving the game and just keep trying to learn about myself and
try and do the little bits that I can a little bit better and just
see where that takes me. I think if I keep continuing to improve,
then hopefully the results will just follow. And I say, I know that
sounds very cliche, but I really try and follow that as much in my
golf and in areas outside in my life, rather than trying to have external
achievements. I think if the internal parts are good and you do the right
things, hopefully the other things just just follow. There's certain elements that you
saw during this season, you know, playing go okay, I need to
adjust to this or what were you kind of tweaking or learning or growing.
If there's anything specific that you'd be happy to share it. Yeah, So
within the game, for instance, last season, my putting was good in
certain weeks, but it was a little bit off onun of the weeks.
I didn't feel like the consistency was quite there. So that's probably the biggest
area a focus even over the last couple of months in the off season.
Pretty similar with my wedge play probably from kind of thirty to one hundred hundred
and ten yards. I think that's another area that can be just tightened up
a little bit. The good is good, but it's just a little bit
too inconsistent. I think. Also just improving my play out of the rough
as well when I miss fair ways, just trying to get a little bit
stronger and just improve a little bit of technique in those situations. And those
are the main aspects really, just trying to, as I said, get
a little bit stronger as well to help out of the rough, but also
to help with a bit of injury prevention moving forwards and hopefully with a little
bit of increase in distance in the coming years if I keep continuing to get
fitter. So those are those are the four main areas really within the game
and any kind of mental game thought during process that you saw, Okay,
I'm adjusting to this, like things that maybe you didn't expect or did expect,
but it was like, okay, I gotta work on this and talk
to my dad, Moron, X, Y and Z or whatever. Yeah,
just trying to again very cliche, but trying to really stay as present
as possible and really yeah, just really try and stay as focused but as
as calm as possible, and I think getting that balance between keeping the intensity
high but also not so to a point where you're drained at the end of
the first round on the eighteenth pole, because it's very hard to stay in
that mindset for five odd hours, which is how long we're out there.
So I think getting that balance between really switching on and staying very present,
but then in between shots to not let my mind drift too much, but
also not to be too intense to a point where I can't keep the focus
up for the duration of the round. So I think just figuring out what
that balance is like, and also not trying to force it to be the
same every day, because I think ultimately we're human and we are different on
a day to day basis, So just kind of going with what feels best
on that day and trying to read myself well enough to get the most out
of myself mentally on a day to day basis. As well as what we
discussed there with the game earlier. Great. I know a lot of elite
amateur golfers who, let's here, are playing around in competition and have hit
a few shots that go ob or just a few a few holes that are
challenging for them, and they and they often find it difficult to reset rebound
from that, And I wondered what your experience is like maybe that could help
them, or what you you know, if you've ever find that happens to
yourself, or what do you do to kind of make sure you do your
best to rebound in that sense. I think one of the neat parts about
golf is that whether we're here playing on the PGA tool or in your example,
whether you're an amateur that's hit the ball ob a couple of times,
there are certain feelings that you can relate to no matter what standard you are.
I think for me that happens to me as well, of course,
And I think no matter how good your game is, no matter how good
you are mentally, that's always a challenge to try and reset and refocus yourself.
For me, I try and put things in perspective in the sense of
the round. Then let's say, let's say I'm two under and I've hit
it ob. I just try and remind myself that I'm still not in a
bad position even if I make five or if I make six and make double
that it's frustrating, but there's still a lot of holes to play, and
maybe we've still played some good golf to get to that point. If I'm
maybe two over and I've hit it, ob, maybe it's a little bit
more difficult to resent to yourself, but to try and use whatever is happening
in your favor. So, for instance, in that situation, if I'm
then looking like I'm going to make double to go four over, now,
can that just free me up and look at it in a way where things
are happening for you, not things are happening against you. And if go
into four over and hitting it ob just freeze me up and takes a few
thoughts out of my mind. Hopefully I can finish very strong and still put
an okay round in. So I think trying to use a situation in your
favor as much as you can, to try and spin whatever is happening in
a way that's working for you while than against you, I think it's something
that helps me. But I think it's obviously each person will have their own
way and own thought process in order to try and achieve that. But that's
something that I try and do doesn't always happen, but I do try.
Is there something that you kind of have an inner conversation with yourself in that
moment to kind of I kind of basically acknowledge the situation and say, Okay,
I mean re said here and you know, let me stop in a
sense, maybe a downward spiral train, if that's happening mentally, They're like,
okay, I accept it, or you know, I'm seeing it,
and let me take a you know, let me do what I can to
slow that down or stop it. Or and if there are certain techniques or
things that you do or certain phrases, is that okay to share? Or
things like yeah, no, that's a great question. For me. I
really try and focus on my breathing and even just really tuning into my senses,
whether that's how my feet feel on the floor, deeper breast that I'm
taking, or things along those lines. I think it's it's difficult for me
to just say that I just do this one thing, because I feel like
there are a number of different parts that work at different times for me.
Again, sometimes that's perspective. Sometimes that's speaking to myself. Sometimes that's taken
myself away from the course or trying to remember a point where I feel very
happy and peaceful or another time, but I might need to give myself up
where I might be a bit more aware of score or whatever. So I
think for me, I just try and read how I feel and then try
and give myself what I need to counteract what I feel. So I try
and go about it in different ways at different times to just react to the
situation. Really, but the breath is something that I do try and come
back to that that comes up quite often and just really trying to stay stick
present. So would it be amazing if there was one thing that could help
you kind of like shift that and you can rely on that aspect to just
say, Okay, you know, here's I'm in that typical situation where I'm
at, and here would be you know, the tool or way to shift
it and then be able to go forward and you know, have that consistency
because it sounds like, you know, you try different things and then it's
like is it working or is it now working? Kind of amazing, like
yeah, it's just working, like yeah, definitely, definitely. I think.
I guess it's similar to the golf game. I think in many ways
where I think everyone has certain fundamentals and keys that work for them. I
think it's similar in the mental side that there might be certain things that you
constantly come back to. For me, I think that breathing is still is
pretty central, But I think similar to the parallel with the golf game,
you've always got to have the flexibility and fluidity to react to whatever is happening,
whether you're drawing it a little bit more than normal, or whether you're
pushing it on that day, or whether you swing doesn't feel quite right,
Just knowing the little adjustments that you need to make where you're not swinging it
in a completely new way or you're trying brand new things, but you're just
reacting to the situation that you're in. And I think there's a parallel in
the mental side of it there as well, where there are fundamentals that I
think are good to come back to. But I think it's hard to be
so set in your way to say this is always going to work. So
I feel like that isn't always the case because there are so many changing factors
on the golf course, both the conditions, the lies that we face,
how we feel, the situation that we're in. So I think it's that
fine balance between having your go to things but also reacting to the situation to
try and give yourself the best chance. Yeah. Yeah, And I was
meaning more on the mental side. So, like you know, you find
like your mind is like starting to run a muck in that maybe typical pattern
when things go astray. It's like, okay, let me ground you back
here, because what do you ever consider, like if it's going astray,
it's it's really what it's happening is it's ask inviting you to get stronger with
yourself in that moment, Like you said, like you work with your breathing.
But also like, okay, I see some things are challenging right now.
Oh from a mental side, what if I kind of put step in
up a nature to to really bring my clarity and focus here, because what
appears to be a challenge, maybe I'm on the doorway of great success by
turning this shot around. Yeah. Yeah, and that's what I'm curious about.
That's what I'm speaking to you about on that level. Yeah, you
know, that's a great point. That's a great point. I definitely don't
have the answers to that. I think, Yeah, I think That's the
cool thing about the game in general. There are so many different facets,
and I think each person figures out their own unique way to try and answer
some of the questions that you raise there. And I'm definitely learning because much
as anyone else in the whole of this, there are certain things that work
for me. But I'm by no means a finished product in that respect.
And you definitely honor your your culture and back with you know, seeing like
you know that pride to you know, when you're playing India and things or
other players to do your very best. I was just curious, how,
you know, by playing on the tour this year, the you know kind
of new goals or not many necessary new goals, but opportunities or feeling like
I can open the doorway to younger Indian golfers and you know, are out
there that see see me as maybe a role model or you know, and
kind of feel like I really calling on my presence to do as my very
best to you know, kind of honor the culture and things like that.
Yeah, I think it's probably not something I've thought a huge amount about.
I think trying to do the right things and have a good attitude on the
course and try and treat people with respect and try and be as as kind
as I can, hopefully sets an example, hopefully show some good qualities for
anyone that may follow or watch, and I think in general that's that's the
best way to really I feel that's the best way to inspire. I think
you've got to set the standard yourself rather than trying to say all the right
things. I think it's a lot easier to say the right things as opposed
to try and walk in those shoes and follow your own lead and your own
example. So I think if I can do that, hopefully whatever knock on
effect it has is pretty positive. Overall. It's never always positive and it's
never always negative, but hopefully it's more on the positive side. And yeah,
that's not really something that's in my control as to what effect that I
have, but hopefully, yeah, hopefully it's something that is constructive and not
destructive. A few last questions. I was just curious, you say you
focus a lot with your breath. Is that connected to let's say a meditation
style or also any kind of as you're playing, any connections of let's say
a spirit or spirituality when you're on the golf course to you know, kind
of bring those maybe awarenesses or teaching to like help you achieve your greatest potential.
Yeah. I think when I'm when I feel very stressed on the course,
I resort to box breathing or breathe in for four, hold for full,
without for full, and that normally helps to to bring me back to
a more kind of even keel. I think when I feel a little bit
off centered, but not really off centered, I'll really just try and really
just try and almost taste the air and really slow my breathing down and really
feel all the aspects of it. And again, if I focus enough on
that, it takes me away from the thoughts that I'm that I'm having,
which generally brings me back to more of a central point. In terms of
practices, I do try and meditate in the morning and before beds. It's
something I used to do a lot growing up. It's something I drifted away
from in recent years, but it's something that I've built the habits of kind
of getting back to over the last few months, which which has really helped.
And those are just guided meditations, guided morning meditations and guided evening meditation.
So yeah, that's pretty much all I do at the moment. Bad.
I appreciate who you are just as a person like I yearned for mark
very comments you've got. Thank you very much. Well, that was fascinating.
Thank you so much for doing that. What what is your takeaways from
your conversation with him? Okay, so, as you heard, I was
sharing with him how he's going to proceed this year. Last year was his
rookie year in the PGA. Do you have new goals, new ideas,
new things that you want to achieve? And his response was kind of like,
well, I'm just taking it as it comes, you know, and
and those kind of approaches. And I personally don't subscribe to that point of
view as a peak performance coach, as a passion in it, athlete and
pursuer of excellence and success, as well as a student of the great players
in golf who have won the most talking tiger Woods, you know, we're
talking Jack, Nicholas, Arnold, Palmer, even you know Gary Player.
All of these guys came to play a tournament to win, all of them
and no questions about it, play their very best and win, not just
let's well, I'll just see how it goes and what happens. And again,
please understand, there's nothing wrong with you know, I'm just going to
play it as it goes. I'm not criticizing that. I'm saying, let's
use our abilities and access our mind and our intentions. If you choose to
it elevates your game, elevate your mental state, elevate your game, elevate
your play, elevate your energy as a human being on and off the golf
course. So that's what I'm always interested in looking for. The what kind
of edge can you have over your competitor, How can you improve yourself by
one percent? You know, constantly? And so Aaron, you know,
share like I do have some challenges. His approaches, you know, I
kind of take it fluidly, like I just deal with it as it comes.
And he admitted, he said, like, but I don't have the
answers. And that's that's what gets me. That that Fred, that just
blows my mind because I see it from amateur players, elite amateur players,
and and he's not the only one that I've interviewed at the PGA top level
who are aware of their challenges but are not doing things and and and and
and integrating elements to really really improve those challenges and frustrations and I and to
me, it's like why not, like you are, especially at the PGA
level, but I would say even at the amateur level, there's But I'm
saying at the PGA level, because this is your profession, you're leaving what
we would call figuratively and literally money on the table and a huge mount not
just getting by the cut and you know, getting a paycheck, but to
get up that leaderboard and to be at the top not just one or two
or maybe three times in a season, but what about consistently that consistently you
were there. Look at Tiger Woods, it consistently on the top of that
leaderboard consistently. Some of the things that blow me away about Tiger, by
the way, and this is just to me, whether you like him as
a player or not just looking at his statistics, just look at him as
a performer over a block of time, because it's not He's not the same
thing, oh for sure. But I'm talking in his het, in his
in the height right, Okay, in his prime, Tiger very rarely came
from behind to win a tournament. Definitely came from behind. But but come
Sunday, Uh, that was rare. He would be coming from behind on
the on the on the opposite on Sunday if he was leading the tournament.
Very rarely did he give that up right, And everybody around him was totally
intimidated by his presence when he had lead. Yes, and that where did
that come from? How it's there's a realness too about it. Yes,
he had tactics and things that he did, but here was an energy about
him. There was an intensity, a desire and drive. Uh kind of
pedal to the metal. Uh, put your foot on the on the you
know, on the throat kind of thing. It just won't let up.
That that just doesn't come from That wasn't in his in his bag of tricks
with his clubs. That's in his bag of his peak performance. Thinking.
These are what I'm talking about. And again there are different personalities and different
things. Gary Player talks about this like he said, you know, there
are guys on the PGA tour who come for a paycheck, you know,
and again like there's nothing wrong with that, and then there are guys who
are there to win and uh, and that's just that there's more to this
that maybe we'll talk about, Like what comes in the way of that.
I'm just and again, please, if you're listening to this, understand I'm
coming from a place of acceptance of all, and where I'm coming from is
a place of truly. If you are frustrated with your level of play and
your challenge is that you see consistently or happening, there is something you can
do about that. And most of these things, a lot of them are
not about swing changes, their peak performance changes, and in essence they're not
hard to make. They're just new and new to integrate. But it's also
I go, why not if you can drop five strokes in around and bring
your game to new heights? Why not? Regardless if you're you know,
just a golfer who just loves to play and doesn't compete, or you are
in a competing situation and play in tournaments, why not? But doesn't that
introduce expectation? Don't you of like I better win or else? Okay,
good question, really good question. No not from? Not from when you
have a method and understanding, can I I'll just share a little bit about
that, yes, please, so yes, before you enter a tournament,
they're definite peak performance tools that you can do and ascertain goals and visualizations and
you know, putting in thoughts. I'll just speak to goals for a second.
Any any salesman, any business people listening to this podcast, probably probably
a lot. Do business people have goals to set goals for their monthly sales,
yearly sales? Most would say yes, right, yes, right,
and especially top top sales people, I would say vast majority have those goals
for what to to push themselves to reach for that plus deeper. Those are
imposed goals. Those are imposed goals by their managers. Oh, it can
be. Many are individuals, right, many and many? You got to
that on as an individual and an entrepreneur, or if you are even in
that sense, okay, now to get there. Yeah, you face challenges,
you face failures, you don't achieve them, but you keep working on
them. And if you keep working on those goals, there's truly nothing to
stop you. You will achieve them. The only thing that often stops us
is the space, the six inch space between our ears, our own self,
our own self. So it's the same thing with Kauf. However,
fred I will say this, if you do have put yourself in the fire
of goals, you better have a method and a system to deal with it,
because why you're going to get challenge what I call the army of the
aliens, which is your own self, and what that is is your subconscious.
Your subconscious is going to send you what I call negative thoughts like like
this one. You're in a eighteenth seventeen to eighteenth hole. You know you're
you're putting for a birdie, a crucial situation, and you might, as
you're getting prepared in your preshot routine, you might hear in your head,
oh, you're gonna blow this one again like you've done so many times.
And for the unprepared golfer, the golfer who doesn't have a method, that's
probably enough to shake them in their boots, or to give them a little
sweat in their palms of their heart beats a little quicker, their mind goes
off a little bit, and they don't sink that putt. That's frustrating,
especially when they know they have the talent and they've done it before. But
here they are in that pressure situation, and it happens again and again and
again. Now to the other side of the story, the same thing happens,
and you hear, oh, you're gonna blow this birdie putt like you've
done so many times. Now, the golfer who has methods and uses this
process, especially from the perspective I look at, that's actually success statement,
that's actually your subconscious is telling you, Like, for you, Fred,
you're about to sink this putt, Fred and have success and maybe take your
game to a whole other level. But it asks you these questions to test
your own personal result, your preparation, and your readiness to step into that
success. And when you use the methods that I share and other people have
other methods too. You know, once i'm share that I share, you
you actually laugh at that. You relax, and you you go through a
simple process to turn that around, and you take a breath, you do
the process, you sink that putt, and you achieve success. So negative,
what we appear is negative isn't negative at all. It's the opposite.
It's success. It's positive. But I will say this, if you're a
golfer and you just start like and you kind of have fasted, say,
Okay, I'm going to have this goal in this goal and this goal,
and I'm going to start using these affirmations and anchors and you're not you're not
prepared. You don't understand that you have to deal with things that are going
to come in your way that challenge you. When you raise up your game
to these goals, you're in trouble. And I would say in those kind
of things, in some cases it's better you don't have goals and just play
your very bass or until you get a full rounded perspective to know how to
handle that when it's happening, because more than likely it's going to happen.
Kobe Bryant said, you know, his by far worst most challenging competitor was
knowing on the basketball court was his own self, and he talked a lot
about those things. Okay, so so is it so it's to me,
Yes, it's great to have goals and you will achieve them as long as
you have a method to understand that process and apply yourself and not just that.
Get excited, get excited about, you know, flourishing in adversity,
because that's what golf is. Man Like the golf architect and the golf course
itself, you are going to be challenged right day in and day out.
And if you come to that and with passion, with acceptance, with knowing
you are going to hit. You are going to have a t shot that
goes out of you know, goes way off course. You are going to
have shots that don't go your way, but you also in that you can
accept that, and you have methods to keep your mental state calm and enjoy
the enjoy the process and know how to focus on your next target with intention.
You're gonna do great. You're gonna do great no matter what level.
You are awesome. How does that sound to you? Fred? Fascinating And
I want to I want to dig deeper into it, but I want to
take a break first. We'll be right back. We're gonna get into the
Camilla Vijayas interview in the segment two. But I want to know. You
talked about methods. You talked about process. Are those different ooh methods?
Process? Yeah, Well they're in a way the methods. There's a process
for sure, but the method kind of almost in a way, a process
can be included in the method like the methods. Like methods are there can
be many many different levels and there's a process, yes, but the process
you're kind of dealing with at each shot, each hole, you know things
like that. Okay, interesting, All right, let's talk about the conversation
that you had with Camilla Virgayas. Okay, because we've not had him on
before. Right, No, correct, now, So you want to set
it up or do you want to go right to it? Yeah, let's
let's go right into it and then we could talk about it. Okay,
here we go. Name's Kerry Valentine and I work with podcasts, Got Smarter,
just love to chat with you a little bit on the positive side of
the mental game. And I was just curious, as you, you know,
start this new year, is there things that you go through like between
you know, the end of last year and this year to kind of like,
okay, I want to reset on certain areas or look at certain you
know, things to to respark or reinspire you or things like that. Well,
I mean, first things first, I'm very excited to be here.
It's obviously it's been a kind of bumpy road here the last few years.
And a winning at the end of last season was it was really cool,
man, it was. I was very proud of myself. I was very
excited how with the energy got received, which was awesome. And then from
there on when you talk about kind of resetting for this year once again,
I'm happy to be playing on the PGA Tour again. And and if that's
some motivation, then A what is it? And a but at the same
time, you've got to stick to your process and you've got to do the
same thing. So you got to prepare the right way. You gotta once
again stick to the process. You can't get ahead of yourself. You know
you're going to have good weeks, average weeks, and bad weeks, and
you guess, stay patient. The year is long. They seem to be
going quicker and quicker every year, but they they're still Last year was a
perfect example of how things were not going great, but I was very patient.
It paid off at the end. So the idea is to keep working
with my office structure, keep working with my mental coach, and just stick
to the to the process. Mm hm, yes. And what elements with
that with mentally, Let's say for your playing in you know, around and
hit a few bad shots and you can see maybe the mind kind of kicks
in there in maybe a negative way. Is there certain techniques or things you
do to bring you back to center? There are I mean there's a lot
of breathing exercises. There's a lot of stuff about just controlling your tension and
just just don't be reacted. One of the keysy not to react to great
shots, not to react to bad shots, and just try to keep it
us, keep it us. That's even as it is, because it's not
different than going to the casino. So you're getting emotional and then it's gonna
get you. The game of golf is a tricky one and it gets you
if you start getting emotional. So you just, well, I want to
maintain your composure. What do you do with that? You just kind of
there's a lot of breathing stuff that I've been doing and it really helps me
just kind of put things aside and bring me back to center. M And
I'm feel fore you for lots of your daughter and my late wife and passed
on through brain tumor. So it started same and I just was wondering as
well, I see with you on your on your bag and you're bringing that
thought and inspiration is how what are you taking from that in your life?
Yeah, it's been unbelievable, you know, it's a it's been a crazy
journey. Obviously, nobody wants to lose a daughter or a wife in your
case, so sorry to hear about that. But but but you got to
accept. I think the main thing is acceptance. Accept that a life is
life and and and it's not it's not pretty all the time. So once
you accept the things that happen, and you can put a plan together to
keep moving forward. And in this case me as miracles have been a great
inspirations open our hearts to help others. Say, it just feels our heart
every time we can add two cents to making somebody smile, somebody in need
because we were one of those individuals when we're at the hospital, and I
know there's a lot of people that need the sport. And that's the way
we're approaching it. We're approaching it with with with a big heart. We're
approbably. We know me as in the right place. It was a tough
bottle that she wasn't gonna win, thanks for getting really nasty and and it
was time for her to to wrestle again. I'm a peace to where she
is and and I have accepted what happened and the reason why it happened,
and they and we keep moving forward. I was curious if you have a
SASA playlist to get you inspired at all. I have. Yeah. Yeah,
I like the old the old school stuff, and yeah it's good.
It's good, yeah, Mark Anthony, even older cruise. Oh yeah,
a lot of all the old guys. Really. See see I'm a congetto
so and so I just have learned. Yeah, I lived in Brazil sometimes,
so I just embraced the spirit of South American. It's a beautiful element.
And thanks, thank you for your time. Okay, Wow, that
was He's gone through a lot. He was kind of gone for a while,
and now I'm like, oh, that's why. That was powerful stuff
that he opened up right to you. Man, that was very impressive that
he was able to do that and go there with you. Yeah, and
I really appreciate it. And uh sure. Unfortunately I've gone through not my
own but family and loved ones who had incredible challenging health issues and somewhat similar
to his daughter to a certain degree, So there was quite an empathy there
that I felt and with him on that. Yeah. Yeah, And what
were your takeaways from that conversation? Oh, I love that he is feeling
the appreciation and gratitude to be back playing just to be back playing golf,
but also being back at a high level. And you know, anything like
that of you know, a husband or wife of a child going through health
issues and an unfortunate death that's super challenging, and yet he's using it to
inspire himself and it's beautiful. It's a beautiful story, you know. And
that's that's kind of life. You know, out of the you know,
out of the ashes, the phoenix will rise if you dare to do it,
if you dare to go there. And it's making him and his wife
a better, better person's a better couple, and is giving us the opportunity
to ride that wave of inspiration in our own selves right, to look at
our own lives and how we can improve in our own self as we face
adversity. Sure, and that's much more than mental game training or peak performance.
Now. Now, this is life. It's a very different past,
right, Yes and no, because again, the methods that I share and
work with folks on golfers and other athletes, they're constantly sharing with me.
You know, Carrie, what you're sharing with me to improve on my on
the athletic field is also helping me to be a better person. Wow,
and I'm I'm calmer, I'm more confident, I'm more caring, and it's
just making my making my relationships better and and they all that helps then your
athletic abilities, right like, then whatever you do, you know, you
got that support and comfort and confident and it's behind you that the people are
loved that you love are supporting you. You go and do an incredible getting
chicken skin we say that in Hawaii, all over my body, you know,
chills. Then you go and perform even better at new heights on your
performance, you know, whatever athletic realm you do, or any realm you
do, whether that's business or arts or music or things like that, and
then you come back and it's a it's a cycle that just builds on itself.
And that energy of growing in the capacity as a person and and at
achievement, you know, to know, I think that's one of the beautiful
things that when you're an individual who have pushed yourself through adversity, you know
you've you know what you've been through. Maybe not maybe not a lot of
other people do, but you know what you've dealt with and you know what
it has taken and and the grit and the consistency to get there, and
then when you achieve it, you're like, wow, it was worth it.
It was a heck of a ride, but man, it was worth
it. Yeah. It's so challenging when you're in it, but yeah,
you get to look at it from the other side. God will I mean,
like, if you get to be on the other side and look at
it, it's like I made it, got stronger for it, right,
one hundred percent. And as I said, like, you know, I've
dealt with a wife who passed on through a brain tumor. It was devastating
to me to her uh, and yet here I am years later. I
didn't expect my life to go and the way it did, but I expected
to get back into a relationship. I expected to get married, but didn't
expect to have that with kids. But that's where it was. She had
My wife has had children. So I was like, okay, I'll sign
up. I care for you so much like I'll be daddy in training and
learn about this And it's been amazing. So again, going through the adversity
and you just like the sun is shining on the other side of the clouds.
You just you got to go through the grieving, the challenging, whatever
it is. It takes time, but you keep going forward and life will
support you. Life wants to support you. So just yeah, whether it's
as a golf or as a person. So just to share that, thank
you, Thank you. You've been doing this now talking to athletes working on
metal game performance for a number of years now. How has it evolved from
your perspective, How as it evolved for me or the field of mental field
performance from your perspective, how the field has evolved. Okay, okay,
you're asking, I'll share, I'll do it. So the field has definitely
evolved more acceptance. I mean years ago, I personally felt like I was
an oddball, like to talk to athletes about their mental game mental health,
to talk to anybody at that point pre COVID, talking to and especially guys,
talking to them about their mental emotional health was a bit of a challenge.
Okay, Now since COVID, we have at least accepted, We've gone
to this place of saying, yeah, everyone has these challenges and mental health
challenges, and some are dealing with depression, some are dealing with suicide or
tendencies all these things, and so it's more out in the open, more
acceptance, more acceptable. I feel we need more tools, better tools still
to deal with people dealing with depression, dealing with suicide, dealing with peak
performance, whether that's just in life as an athlete, as a business person,
things like that. And part of that is what I was sharing earlier.
This is serious. I mean, when you take your if you're willing
to take yourself on and go through the fire of the challenges, you're gonna
be challenged. You just I mean, it's kind of like in any sport.
Let's say you play football, like, oh, the quarterback, I'm
a running back. The quarterback is just gonna pass to me every time I
got to run fifty yards, sixty yards, catch the ball, easy touchdown.
No, it ain't gonna happen. You're gonna meet adversity, the defense.
But then you learn and you know how to deal with the defense.
And in life defense here is your own brain. You're subconscious who's trying to
help you. But that's the key. That's most people think like, oh,
I got this thing, this wrong machine in their head, and I'm
not going to get into it today, probably, but believe me, if
there was a you know, the poster boy for adversity and doubt and fear
and all of that. I'm on it without a doubt. What I've come
through is unbelievable. And so that's why I have so much confidence and passion
to help others, because I've seen what you can go through. So what's
happening in the field. It's growing, There's a lot it's expanding. There's
a lot more people in the field, which is fantastic, And I would
love to see more of people taking on those deeper emotions rather than mentalizing it,
trying to turn it, trying to get over it. Okay, And
what I'm talking about is go into it. Go into those emotions. What
are they really telling you? What are they what's going on there? And
have the right people with the right tools and skill sets to get you through
that. Because what I've seen personally and with folks that i've assisted, when
you do it this way, you actually those those patterns, those doubts,
those fears, they change. You can clear them out and then be in
the zone in life and in your particular sport and for golfers, and so
you don't have that keep running story that it's going on I'll give another example.
Please, I'm humble to say it, but I'm saying this for a
purpose. You know, I love Steph Curry as a basketball player and as
a person. Is pretty amazing what he's gone through. But he has said,
you know, he still deals with that. Else. He deals with
doubts that he had when he was a kid, when he was younger,
and they're still around. They've gotten somewhat better, but they're still around,
and he uses it to keep him in place and check and you know,
he deals with it in his own way. And I'm saying, Steph,
man, I'd love to have a conversation with you to say those can be
gone. Could you imagine them gone? Could you imagine them they're not there
anymore? And how much more freed up energy and space you'll have and peace
in your life and in your basketball you know playing and for golfers, you
know that it's gone. It's really gone, because why it's not there to
harm or hurt you. It's there to say, are you ready to pass
this test? And when you pass the test and go through the doorway by
using certain methods, it clears out and you elevate yourself. The cool thing
fred is. I don't need to prove anything to people I work with.
I don't try to force it on them. I share with them and then
I say, you be a scientist. You tell me is it working or
not? You tell me that's the proof in the putting in your own body.
And they come back, man, carry Yeah, it's changing, and
I'm able to be more focused. I'm able to have more success. I'm
in the zone more and I'm extending that elasticity of the zone to stay there
more. And I'm enjoying my life and my golf game much much more.
Awesome. Tell us how do you find you on the web? Ah,
well, a few different ways. If this is interesting to you and you
are interested to you know, kind of like lower score by five strokes bring
your game to new hids. Please check out unleashgolf dot com. That's unleashed
golf dot com and that what that brings you to is from time to time
I do live trainings where I go deeply into this and and I keep it
very intimate and small group so I can really help the people that are there,
and so you can sign up for our trainings. Kerrie, I really
appreciate the effort you put into this every year. There's so much fun to
be able to hear these these pros talking about the mental game, their perspective
on it, in the reality of it. It is so much fun and
it's always great to reconnect with you them same here Fred and I Honor.
I'm so grateful and excited each time I have this opportunity with you. So
thank you, And it is really impressive to see how the podcast has grown.
I am so impressed of your success and your passion of doing this.
You bring on so many amazing quality, you know, speakers on the subject,
and it's really really impressive. So thank you for having me on and
thank you for spending that time getting that tape. That's really amazing stuff.
I also want to thank our newest Golf Smarter Ambassador, Jeff Pavelina of Pinehurst,
North Carolina. Jeff plays at Pinehurst Number six regularly. How awesome is
that. So often when I received these requests and recordings, I think,
ooh, it would be fun to play with them on their home course.
But Jeff, when I finally make it out to North Carolina and it is
on my golf bucket list, you better be ready to host, and I'll
remind you you are a Golf Smarter Ambassador for episode nine hundred and thirty eight.
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