TG Blog: Becoming my own analytical caddie

Friday 24th June

There are three months to go and the pressure is on. After nine months of hard work it feels like the crunch is coming and I need something to show for it. This, of course, only adds to the pressure. Each time I go out I think, ‘this is the day when it all comes together’, and yet still it won’t.

I had a great learning experience this week when I caddied for my coach in a regional PGA competition. Watching how the professionals approach the game has taught me a lot. It was great to be part of James’ team and I was really able to appreciate the role of the caddie in the game.

By that I don’t just mean handing out clubs and keeping things dry and clean. What I found was that as a caddie I was able to be dispassionate about situations that I would have been emotional about as a player.

So when James put one into the trees from the tee and was cursing and bemoaning his luck I was able to simply look at the situation and pick the best route out of trouble. We discussed this, he played the shot the right shot brilliantly and a bad situation ended with a birdie.

Now I need to put this into action. When I am playing and being my own caddie, can I be just as dispassionate and analytical? Can I keep my emotions out of my decision making? Can I make more birdies?

If I’m to achieve my goal, I need to…