"TEAM" Approach

It is widely understood in the sports world that a team’s culture can have a big impact on how the team functions and performs. How team members think, feel, and behave are all influenced by the environment in which they practice, prepare and compete.

One of the most important areas I focus on in my work with junior golfers and their individual “teams” involves helping them create an organizational culture that is positive and exemplifies high performance. Developing a healthy team culture is as important in the junior golf world as it is in the rest of the sports world and even in the business world. So, what is team culture and why is it so important?

Team culture is the expression of a team’s values, attitudes, and goals about sports, competition, and relationships. Having a defined culture effectively “puts a stake in the ground” and establishes what is acceptable behavior on a team and what is not. The culture creates the atmosphere that establishes every aspect of a team’s experience.

At ForeCollegeGolf, we believe a team culture is comprised of three essential factors that support all team functions and performance: Values, Attitudes, and Goals.

I define Values as “a person’s judgment of what is important in life”. Types of values that should be considered:

-Work Ethic

-Focus

-Teamwork

-Trust

-Humility

-Self-Respect

Attitudes are defined as “the way a person thinks and feels about something”. Types of attitudes (or mindsets) that are helpful in golf:

-Growth Mindset

-Process, not outcome

-Embrace challenge

-Experiment & Explore

-Mistakes/failures are positive

-Grind/Never give up!

I define Goals as “a person's ambitions or efforts; an aim or desired result.” Goals that are useful for team building:

-Unconditional support

-Clear & consistent communication

-” Plan our work, then work our plan”

-Process Focused

-Respond positively to adversity

-Always 100% prepared

A team that works together will share a strong vision and will continuously search for ways to improve. The team approach is especially fulfilling when teams are unconditionally supportive, purposefully focused, and high performing. In order to work together and create the highest performing and most successful teams, I encourage junior golfers to clearly define their TEAM, create a strong culture and embrace all forthcoming challenges.

Fairways & Greens,

Coach Mike

Mike is the owner of ForeCollegeGolf, a college consulting business which aims to ease the tension of college recruiting to help educate players, their families and coaches about junior golf, college golf and the college recruiting process.

Website – www.forecollegegolf.com

Instagram - @forecollegegolf

“Stepping out of Bounds”

As individuals, we’ve been brought up and have learned over time that feeling uncomfortable is bad. Society says, do what makes you most “comfortable”. Stay in your lane. Don’t try anything out of the ordinary. As golfers, we’ve experienced most of the same. “Hit fairways and greens and you’ll have a successful round.” However, think for a second … How many of your great rounds, and I mean really great, did you hit 14 fairways and 18 greens? Most likely, the answer is none! At some point, you probably ended up in a greenside bunker after a poor approach and had to manage a miraculous up and down. You could have even found yourself behind a tree in the rough where you had to carve that beautiful cut 7-iron to the front of the green. The point is, golf is a game of imperfection and so is the recruiting process. No matter the day, we are going to have our mishits and misfires!

So, you have the choice... Will you use your imagination and play the miraculous shot on the 18th hole in order to save par and win the tournament or will you punch out to the fairway? This is the same question I ask my players during the recruiting process, will you be ordinary like everyone else or will you differentiate yourself from the pack?

So, what is our "comfort zone" exactly? Why is it that we tend to get comfortable with the familiar and into our routines, but when we're introduced to new and interesting things, the feelings of excitement fade so quickly? Finally, what benefit do we derive from breaking out of our comfort zone, and how do we do it? Answering those questions is a tall order, but it's not too hard to do. Let's get started.

Put simply, your comfort zone is a space where your activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes risk and stress. It provides a state of mental security. You benefit in obvious ways: regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.

However, I’m a big believer of what some psychologists call “optimal anxiety”. Optimal anxiety is that feeling somewhere between totally over anxious and completely relaxed but ALWAYS out of your comfort zone! Optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak.

So how can you step out of you comfort zone in the recruiting process?

• Do the research – Google.com. Not much more needs to be said, team bio’s, scoring averages, practice facilities, upcoming tournament schedules, recruiting questionnaires and much more can be found online at your fingertips so make sure you’re prepared for the process before it happens.

• Make Dials – instead of trying to make a difference behind a desk or a computer screen, pick up the phone and start to dial coaches. Just remember a 15-20% response rate is normal so set your expectations early and often.

• Introduce Yourself – don’t try to do too much on the first call. A simple introductory call of 5-10min will do just fine. Go slow, be patient and tell the coach who you are.

• Set the meeting agenda- most often players just “go with the flow” of the visit, phone call or messaging conversation. I encourage you to thank them for their time, tell them you have some questions for them, ask them if they have any questions for you and set a purpose for the call or meeting.

• Be Open, Honest and Vulnerable – Too often, players get caught up in the moment and forget to be themselves. Understanding nerves and other thoughts can get in the way, make sure to do your best to give each coach your “real story” and not try to impress too much.

• Ask the REAL Questions – I see far too often, that players “drag out” the recruiting process and are left with little or few options. Most likely, this is because they were too afraid or timid to ask the real questions upfront. It’s not unreasonable to ask about roster spots, scholarship money, future recruits, or travel schedules. Stay curious!

• Always leave with a clear purpose – It’s important that at the end of the recruiting cycle with a particular coach, if you feel like you’ve turned over most of the stones and asked many of the right questions to always make sure there is a clear future. It’s far too common that I ask recruits, “Ok so what’s the next step with “so-and-so University?” and they come back with a resounding “I’m not sure”. Instead, ask the coach at the end of each unofficial visit, meeting, phone call or email, “What’s our next step?” or “Do you think it would make sense to talk again soon?”

What do you really gain when you're willing to step outside of your comfort zone? Use the above strategies when interacting with coaches and beginning to build relationships with them. Not only will you leave with a sense of personal achievement, but you will also make a unique impression on each and every coach that you come across. So, wave your comfort zone bye-bye and begin today on a journey to better!

Best of luck on the recruiting trail!

Mike Smith is the Founder & CEO of ForeCollegeGolf and specializes in assisting junior golfers & their families through the college recruiting process. Email him @ mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com

ARE YOU COACHABLE?

Are you Coachable?

First, let’s come to an agreement that some players are just naturally more ‘coachable’ than others.

The best players seem to have a set of behaviors and traits that lend themselves to deeper learning.

It’s not that I don’t believe in each and every one of my player’s abilities to change…. I just think it’s critical that they believe in not only their own ability to affect change, but believe that they can and will reach their ultimate goals in golf.

Realistically, we also can say that some players approach the learning and development process with a really lousy learning mindset.

Additionally, we can agree that coaching is a two-way street. Each player approaches the development process with a mindset that will determine how much progress they will ultimately make. I truly believe that my ability to assess and influence a player’s mindset is a key skill to the effectiveness of ForeCollegeGolf.

So, who are the best learners and what are some of their traits and habits?

TRAITS OF THE BEST

CONSCIENTIOUS

This trait is listed first for a reason. My favorite players to coach and the ones who experience the most success are, above all, conscientious. There is plenty of research that links conscientiousness to high academic achievement as well.

By definition, it means to ‘do one’s work well and thoroughly.’ So when I provide some coaching or guidance to someone with this trait, you can be sure they will work purposefully towards it. As a coach, I can count on them to do the work that is required to make progress. Not only will they do it, but they’ll be meticulous in completing it as assigned. No wonder this trait is linked to high performance in other fields as well.

Alternatively, my players without this trait rarely coming back having completed the assigned tasks or prescriptions. If in a previous swing lesson, you identified a critical technical point that required attention, the un-conscientious player is likely to come back with an entirely new set of ‘ideas.’ They’re just more likely to become distracted because they lack the discipline and organization to remain purposeful and focused throughout their daily lives.

CURIOUS

My favorite players are also curious. I list this after ‘Conscientious’ because I want to be sure to clarify that it’s not compliance we are after. To remain an active participant in the learning process, we need them to stay curious and engaged in finding solutions to the various problems that we encounter. Rather than the ‘just tell me what to do to fix it’ player, they are eager to truly understand key elements of their college recruiting process. And when I feed their thirst for understanding, I can unlock the problem solver that lives within each of them.

Now they don’t depend on someone else to get fixed. So many golfers struggle on the course because they have no idea why bad shots occur and, similarly, players in the recruiting process because they don’t know the best practices of communication.

SOLUTION-ORIENTED

All players are quick to see the problems. Golf has a cruel way of making them painstakingly obvious whereas the recruiting process might not be so vivid. My most coachable players have a different reaction to encountering a problem than the vast majority of players. They all adopt a combination of optimism, curiosity, and even skepticism that aims their focus towards finding a solution. Rather than slam a club, mumble a curse word, or give up completely— the best players believe in their ability to find a solution and take mental action steps to improve.

TENACIOUS

Call it what you want— grit, toughness, resilience, tenacity— the best players have it. They’re fueled by an unwavering self-belief that they can get through the toughest of obstacles. So rather than quit at signs of trouble, they persevere through them. They even relish them.

So many of the players out there are unwilling to fail or look foolish while undergoing a change or trying something new. Whereas, the best players are intrinsically motivated players and are so dead set on their journey that they view temporary struggles as a necessary means to an end.

COMPASSION FOR THEMSELVES

Golf is hard, really hard. At the highest level, I’ve personally have had plenty of reminders of just how hard it can be. The best players realize this and are “their own best friend” as they map the road to improvement.

I am shocked at some of the self-talk I sometimes encounter juniors saying to themselves on the golf course. If there was only one trait that I would require in all of my players, it would be Self-Compassion.

TACTICS for SUCCESS

METICULOUS WORK

This is where conscientious players thrive. They throw themselves towards a singular focus when they arrive, whether that’s on the practice tee, in the classroom or in ForeCollegeGolf meetings. They’re organized, they know exactly what they are there to work on and how they plan to attack it. Because so few players possess the self-discipline to attack their work this way, I try to do my best to make it as easy as possible for everyone that I coach. Players leave each FCG meeting with a detailed prescription of tasks, challenges, and actions to complete on their own.

REFLECTION

The most coachable players take time to reflect. They reflect on our meetings, their practice, and their on-course performances. They take the time to sit back and enjoy their successes, learn from their failures, and develop an organized plan to fill the gaps.

Very few players have the discipline to do this but the best type of reflection often begins with journaling. The best players write down notes on their practice and play, in great detail. “Ink it, don’t just think it!”

GOAL-SETTING

The best are driven and purposeful. But first, they decide exactly where it is that they want to go and what they will strive to accomplish. Again, journaling or real goal-setting techniques are paramount to achieve success.

Mike Smith is the Founder & CEO of ForeCollegeGolf and specializes in assisting junior golfers & their families through the college recruiting process. Email him @ mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com