Ryder Cup Players Balance the Mental Game and the Emotional Game

Was this cool, or what? What a tremendous display of sport; great physical skills, extraordinary mental concentration and tremendous emotional passion, all displayed on a golf course. Are these guys that good?!

Who ever said that to play well you had to control your emotions? This weeks exhibition of world class competitors has given us all a lesson in as an aspect of the mental game that generally is oversimplified and subsequently misunderstood.

Let's consider: on a golf course, we often hear simple commands like, "don't be too emotional" or "control yourself." What are the common methods we employ to "control" our emotions? Usually we mandate a blanket condemnation of having, or displaying any emotion, so we try to hide or mask our real emotional reactions to events. Sometimes this method leads us to act unemotional or "cool," almost as if we didn't want to care too much. Another common response is to manhandle emotions, as if packing them down within so they don't appear on the surface, thus convincing ourselves that our emotional state is no longer relevant. Or, if all else fails, we'll avoid the issue entirely by ignoring, denying, pretending or distracting our attention. All these methods are commonly used to seemingly minimize the emotional impact on our golf game, as if, emotions are harmful.

However, did you see these guys this week at Valhalla? Their emotions were explosively evident for all to see. No one was hiding anything! Even as viewers, we rode a roller coaster of emotions as we followed the play from group to group, hole to hole, day to day. But, it was the players that demonstrated such skill at playing with passion. All the elements for a great game were in place; a trophy to win back, a humiliating trend to reverse, captains' picks with controversy, the world's top player absent, a tough, but beautiful course and home town boys playing in front of fired-up home town fans. This was a time to be emotional!

Here is a simple mental game analysis of what was clearly visible for everyone. The players that continued to play well, played with an ideal mixture of attributes. Most importantly, they honestly accepted the emotion-laden environment in which they played. They didn't fight it or try to defend themselves from the surrounding mood and noise, they surrendered to it and became part of it, ie; Anthony Kim becoming a constant cheerleader, revving-up the crowd on his way to the next tee. But, never letting go of their real intentions, they let their authentic determination guide them through the distractions.

But, with some notable exceptions, the competitors managed to neutralize the physical consequences of such intense passions, allowing them to regain composure when necessary. Moments of emotion was punctuated with moments of deep breathing, closed eye visualizing and even stepping back away from putts or tee balls to assure greater inner calm. Most importantly though, most of the US players were genuinely enjoying the experience. They had fun! Sure, there was tremendous pressure. Sure, there was a lot at stake and lots of people watching every move, but players managed to retain a healthy perspective on the event, allowing them to balance intense concentration with great swings of excitement.

Simply, golf is an ideal reflector of our human tendencies. More players were successful in this really intensified, emotional and pressure-packed contest by accepting, embracing if you will, the environment just as it was, as opposed to trying to find a way to control it. Acceptance allows you the freedom to flourish. Opposition traps you into a stressful battle. The Ryder Cup only magnifies this dynamic and makes it more important how each player "handles" their emotions.

Imagine yourself in this situation and how you might habitually react and how you might otherwise respond to the pressure. Maybe, all you'll need to do in the future is to remember Boo Weekley as he rode off the first tee with his driver under his legs, galloping off to the quest of his life.