Want to play a game?

Recently, a colleague shared an article titled “Why professional golfers seek out mental performance coaches vs. sports psychologists”. I thought it was important to address some inaccuracies that were stated, given that at the time of writing this response, it has been shared nearly 600 times on social media. Spreading misinformation seems commonplace nowadays, so this is my attempt at truth telling in a space that can be complex.

Firstly, let me say the article overall is written a very persuasive manner that if I were a golfer looking for assistance with the mental side of my game, I’d be convinced that a “mental performance coach” is the way to go – the article doesn’t paint psychologists in the most positive (or accurate) light. And of course, there’s a cheeky plug for services at the end of the article – gotta’ be in it to win it I suppose!

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The article reportedly asked an Australian mental performance coach why “some” golfers prefer to seek mental performance coaches over sport psychologists. To assume the most honest of intentions, it is possible the mental performance coach mentioned in the article has been taken out of context or details of his responses have been excluded for ease of reading – however, he is quoted using inaccurate statements. Further, the article itself notes several inaccuracies that after reading, felt similar to shanking a drive into the trees on the first tee – makes you wonder why you decided to play golf in the first place.

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Without being too science-y and dry (nobody needs that), I thought it would be more fun to play a comparison true/false game using quotes and sections from the article and provide explanations below:

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“… a sports psychologist comes from a clinical background” – True.

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Psychologists in Australia have a minimum 6 years of scientific, evidence-based, regulated training and experience. Yes, the first 4 years of a psychologists training is clinically focused. Depending on which Master’s degree is to be completed after the first 4 years of training, may also include more advanced clinical training or a combination of clinical aspects and thorough training in sport and exercise specific, evidence-based theory and principles of best practice. To earn the title of a sport and exercise psychologist in Australia, a further 18-months to 2-years of supervised training and practice with a senior practitioner is required. This supervising psychologist must have been endorsed by the regulatory body and have completed a supervisory qualification. It is common for sport and exercise psychologists in Australia to have a decade of education, training, and experience under their belts before they’ve even earned the title of a sport and exercise psychologist. I can hear you asking “ok, so what is required to become a mental performance coach?” The answer? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Anyone can decide to become a mental performance coach and call themselves one. They require zero training, zero qualifications, zero experience. Imagine waking up one morning and deciding “I’d like to perform surgery on people or write complex legal documents, or defend people in court, or help vulnerable people with significant physical difficulties today” without doing what is required to earn the title of a surgeon, lawyer, or physiotherapist. Sounds ridiculous right?

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“Psychologist… targets any persistent or distressing life problems… stress, anxiety, or depression” – True

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Yes, psychologists (and sport and exercise psychologists) address stress, anxiety, and depression. These are extremely important issues to address and given that 20% of the Australian population is likely to experience mental health issues in any given year, there’s a high chance that you or someone close to you will or has already been through some rough patches. It is so important that these difficulties are supported by those who are qualified to be treating them. But a sport and exercise psychologist will also work with individuals who don’t have significant clinical issues. There’s no qualification process to come and see a sport and exercise psychologist – just a desire to improve your performance in sport and life.

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“… a mental performance coach focuses more on… where an athlete is currently at, their cognitive behaviours and looking forward to what the athlete would like to achieve or what patterns they would like to change” – False.

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Guess what? This is EXACTLY what a sport and exercise psychologist will do too! Not only will a sport and exercise psychologist help athletes on very specific aspects of their performance, but they will also ensure the athletes are functioning optimally in their daily lives too. All the approaches a psychologist uses are evidence-based techniques meaning there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence behind the intervention based on the latest and best research. A mental performance coach does not need to rely on an evidence base. A psychologist doesn’t just make things up because they think “this might work” or do it because its trendy at the time – that would be a bit like going to the casino and putting $100 on the blackjack table hoping to walk away with some winnings. Sure, maybe you get lucky every now and then, and it works but I know what I’d rather do… keep my $100 and choose what I want to spend it on.

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From article contents ‘… golfers seek out mental performance coaches over sports psychologists because they provide a more practical structure to the athletes mental training program’ – False.

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Sessions with all psychologists are structured. They’re what we call “semi-structured” meaning we collaborate with our clients on what they would like to address in session and if something of importance or significance arises, we pursue it at the time, providing us with flexibility when it counts. The problem with rigid structured approaches with no evidence base is that each athlete or client is a unique individual! What works for one person may not work for another. Further and perhaps most critically, the aforementioned statement cannot be proven, because working with a psychologist is strictly confidential. This is why you may have seen a mental performance coach with athletes plastered all over their website spouting how good it was to use their service. I’m not suggesting these are lies or exaggerations, but if you work with a psychologist, what goes on in your sessions stays between you and the psychologist. There’s no using you as a marketing tool, and no bragging about famous athletes they’ve worked with. Just a confidential, trusted, quality professional relationship. ?

A psychologist has a breadth of knowledge, training, and education in what works for different populations. We work with individuals and groups to understand them on a deep level in a collaborative way to work out what evidence-based approach or approaches will be best for that particular person at that point in time. A psychologist won’t assume to know, give you some basic tips that are trendy, or direct advice and send you on your way. It’s a much more involved partnership of trust and collaboration on what is best for you as the individual.

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‘…provide exercises to help build a specific cognitive function that can aid the golfer in closing out a round… without letting the pressure interrupt a streak of good play’ – False.

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This was one of my favourite lines in the article - the use of the term “cognitive function”. Ever heard of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? If you have, great! If you haven’t then let me introduce you to the treatment with the largest evidence-base in our profession. CBT is an approach psychologists use to assist with unhelpful thoughts. As an athlete (and a human being for that matter!), you can imagine some of these – “you’re not good enough”, “don’t miss this!”, “They’re faster/better than you. Why even bother?”. A psychologist has a comprehensive understanding of CBT, how it is best utilised and how it can be most effective for individuals – including when it may not be useful for some. Those who have adopted the use of words like “cognitive” and “neuroscience” without having a deep understanding of the areas is a bit like the friend (we all have) who reads a Wikipedia article and is suddenly an expert on the topic when you’re out for dinner. Just because you know a little about a topic doesn’t mean you know a lot about it! It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect (Google it).

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‘…players may solely want to focus on the sport and don’t have any past trauma or outside issues they want to address and don’t need the psychology aspect to help’ – False.

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Please, lay down on this dusty old couch and stare at the ceiling while you tell me about your childhood… Hi, 1928 called to tell you this is how it was done 100 years ago. This is absolutely not what sport psychology is in 2023. However, this is where working with a sport and exercise psychologist gets you the best of both worlds. If you do have some past trauma or difficulties from childhood that are getting in the way of your performance, ignoring it doesn’t help. Working with someone who can stand beside you while you work through these issues is where a psychologist is best utilised. Performance issues stemming from deeper influences need to be addressed. Hoping they will just disappear is a bit like having a slow leak in your tyre and ignoring it every week when you have to go to the service station to pump it up. Sure, you can ignore it for as long as you like but it’s going to be there until you fix it.

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The mental performance coach: “… I work in… expectation management, enhancing focus, self-belief, achieving clarity, cognitive flexibility, enhancing commitment with shots, self-identity/athletic identity and achieving balance between life and golf” – ????.

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Imagine going to a restaurant, it’s got a bunch of different things on the menu from different cultures and the chef has thrown things together in an attempt to make it look appealing. The chef has tried their best and it tastes ok but it’s not as good as you’d hoped. Now imagine across the road is another restaurant. But inside this restaurant is an experienced head chef who has earned themselves Michelin stars for their cooking. They have a breadth of knowledge and experience in cooking, a dedicated team of colleagues who are working to improve their profession, and the desire to give each and every customer one of the best dining experiences they have ever had. I know which place I’d like to go to…

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Everything the mental performance coach listed as areas they work in is also covered by a sport and exercise psychologist but with one major difference…

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I’ll leave you with this…

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Would you rather trust someone with the most important aspects of your life and performance who has an understanding an inch deep and a mile wide? Or an inch wide and a mile deep? Personally, I would rather work with someone who has an understanding a mile deep and a mile wide. That’s a sport and exercise psychologist.