With yesterday’s announcement of the Young Pro squad, Team Canada’s programming has expanded even further. The diagram below gives a visual outline of where the 25 players, four coaches and six sport science members fit into the ‘big picture’ of Team Canada.

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? It may seem like a strange question but it is one that I have asked many members of Team Canada. In my opinion, golf – more than any other sport – reflects life. It has many highs and lows and your reaction to important situations has consequences down the road. Most golfers let their results control their attitudes. Play well and all is great; play poorly and their attitude stinks.

Go into any clubhouse after a round and you will listen to whole conversations about poor shots, three putts and balls never to be seen again. Does anyone benefit from this negativity, either on or off the course?

The 50% Rule

50% of your playing partners don’t care that you shot 80 and the other 50% wish you had shot 81.

While factors like the weather, course conditions and other players’ results are out of your control when playing golf, you are in charge of your reaction to every stroke. The most important part of any shot may be the first few seconds after impact. What you do during this time can either create great memories or initiate a chain of events that will prevent you from playing your best. The moments after each shot provide feedback that you can either celebrate or use for adjustment. If you are a thermometer you react to and display change in your environment. Based on the result of a shot your temperature (attitude) could change drastically. If you are a thermostat you remain in control and can set your optimum temperature, no matter the result.

Skill Drill

It’s all about control

Controlling your attitude is a skill, and like any skill you can master it if you follow the correct steps.

Go to a pitching green with two balls for each target. Pick a definite landing point and trajectory, go through your full routine and execute your first shot.

Pay attention to the result. Did you make the desired contact? Did the ball land in the correct area? Did it behave on the surface as expected? Where did it finish?

Using these criteria you can make adjustments for the second shot. The idea is to gain feedback from the result rather than react to it emotionally.

With your second ball try to implement the changes required to achieve your intended result. This could mean changing the club you used, moving the landing point or using a technical cue to improve contact. Remember the goal is to gain feedback and implement change.

After the second ball, go through the same process again. Analyze the result post-shot, but this time simulate any changes necessary without hitting another ball. Contemplate the change required and move on, just as you would on the golf course.

If you executed the shot as planned you should celebrate; a positive result needs reinforcement in order to be remembered. Create a small personal celebration for successful shots and do this every single time the shot matches your intention.

In life and golf you will always make mistakes; in both cases you should strive to learn from them and move on. Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

This article first appeared in the April 2014 edition of Golf Canada magazine.

‘Augusta’ James: a fitting name for one of Canada’s bright young National Amateur Team members.
Augusta was born on the opening day of the 1993 Masters, prompting her parents (both avid golf fans) to give the name to the budding NC State junior. James, 20, loves the name given to her and the meaning it carries.
“I absolutely love the name,” said James. “It’s a great reminder of how much the sport means to me and my family.”
Her father, Geoff, is the head pro at Loyalist Golf Club in the family’s hometown of Bath, Ont. Augusta explained that her most vivid memories of the Masters come from watching with her family in the comfort of their living room. With regret, she doubts she will have the time to watch this year’s tournament as she will be busy with her NCAA training schedule.

Derek Ingram, Head Coach of the Men’s National Team, remembers Mike Weir’s win at the 2003 Masters like it was yesterday. He didn’t shy away from the truth, either – the Winnipeg native admitted to shedding a tear or two after Weir won the green jacket.
“I actually cried I was so happy,” he laughed. “I’m a very patriotic person and obviously, golf is a very important part of my life.”
Ingram was watching Weir from a clubhouse locker room in Mexico, where he was coaching Canadians to qualify for the World Jr Championship.
“We had just qualified, so they were playing the Canadian National Anthem while raising the flag,” said Ingram. “It was something special that I will never forget.”

Québec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay also attributed her best memory to an emotional experience with the Masters. The National Women’s Amateur Team member chose Bubba Watson’s victory in 2012 – his first major championship win.

The Oklahoma University senior remembered it well because of how Watson handled himself after the win.
“It was very touching, and full of emotion,” she said. “It’s hard to forget a win like that.”
Tanguay, 23, states she would love to see Rory McIlroy bounce back after his disappointing loss in 2011. She will be watching from the golf facilities at Oklahoma University.

Ann Carroll, Women’s Development Squad Coach, remembers the iconic 1986 Masters when Jack Nicklaus stormed back to win it at age 46.
“I still have chills when I think of that back nine when he shot 30,” Carroll said with excitement. “I was in my little apartment in Tallahassee when I was going to Florida State – Jack’s son Gary also attended there so that was a cool connection.”
Carroll will be hosting a Masters party, where she hopes to see an exciting finish with an unproven underdog rising up for the win.

Garrett Rank, National Men’s Amateur Team member, is keeping his fingers crossed for Saskatchewan’s Graham DeLaet to be in contention on Sunday’s final round. Rank, 26, just narrowly missed his own chance to play in the 2012 Masters.
The University of Waterloo graduate lost on the 36th and final hole of the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, finishing as runner-up (the winner receives exemption). Even though the Elmira, Ont., native missed the opportunity by one shot, it still remains his greatest feeling surrounding the Masters and he hopes to create that chance for himself again.

National Women’s Amateur Team Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, had the pleasure of walking the course at the 2003 Masters.
Mullally was in attendance to soak in the atmosphere as well as to scout the course as the coach of well-known professional, Graeme McDowell. McDowell did not qualify for the event that year so he and Mullally walked the course together and witnessed Mike Weir at his best.
“It was a really special experience for me,” said Mullally. “You don’t really understand the difficulty and slopes of Augusta until you see it for yourself.”
Aside from walking Augusta, Mullally’s favourite memory would be Nick Faldo’s triumphant victory at the 1996 Masters where he overcame a six-stroke deficit to defeat Greg Norman, who faltered down the stretch.

Making Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team is a lofty goal. It’s not an easy one to accomplish, either.

Measured success in competitive sport is extremely difficult – that sometimes gets lost in the excitement. There is immense pressure to perform, grow and develop at a rate that is greater than or at the very least up to par with your peers.

Once on the team, training intensity adapts to stay ahead of the field of competition. Players work on golf mechanics, strength and mental preparation to name a few. You can see them hard at work in the video below.

For the dedicated few who establish success, maintaining it is an entirely different story. If the picture isn’t painted clearly enough yet – competitive athletes need support. They can’t make it on their own.

How can they get there? Start small, at a regional level for example. Provincial Associations provide the opportunity of fully equipped regional and provincial teams. Ideally, the regional teams will funnel players onto the provincial team, followed by the National Development Squad and eventually the National Amateur Team.

Again, that is much easier to write than it is to accomplish – especially in golf where success is so heavily measured on leaderboard results.

Team Ontario, for instance, took to the facilities at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tuscon, Ariz., from Feb. 12-17 for their first official training camp of 2014. Get to know the team in the video below.

All athletes are tracked by Provincial Associations and Golf Canada through the Sporting DNA database. Performance results and statistics are shared and referred to often to identify talent and potential candidates to make the Provincial and National teams.

More information on each High Performance program can be obtained by contacting the appropriate Provincial Association directly.

Want to help support Team Canada? Learn more here.

Success on the golf course comes in many forms – birdies, eagles, up-and-downs, par saves etc. Success off the golf course, however, isn’t as easy to measure.

The young athletes of Canada’s National Amateur team are required to balance the mental stresses of competitive golf along with busy post-secondary schedules.

To give a better perspective, National Team members take about 10,000 golf swings a week during practice alone. Adding to that, a normal college workload averages 20 hours of in-class lectures in addition to the countless hours needed for studying and travelling to competitions.

Needless to say, a strong support staff is essential to full development.

Coaching staffs include head & assistant coaches, sport psychologists, nutritionists and strength & conditioning experts. They are in place to provide the athletes with as much help as possible.

So… How does the connection work between NCAA coaches and National Team coaches?

Herb Page, Kent State’s Director of Golf and a Markham, Ont. native, explained why he has worked with many of the Canadian National Team amateurs in the past and why they have succeeded.

“Derek (Ingram) and I communicate on a lot of things – basically, we don’t mess with Corey Conners or Taylor Pendrith’s golf swings,” said the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame member. “If we do feel like a change needs to be made, I tell Derek and if he agrees we talk back and forth about it.”

In most cases, the National Amateur Team athletes are away at school for nine months before travelling back to Canada for the summer. Page discussed the difficulty of balancing the busy school schedules of the athletes and joked about being envious of Team Canada’s summer months with the players.

“When I have them at school here, they are really busy with academics, weight training five days a week, practicing and the weather isn’t always ideal,” he said. “I think Team Canada has it made!”

Kent State University, located in Northeast Ohio, is no stranger to cold weather either. Oddly enough, this could be one of the reasons why many Canadians have landed at Kent State in the past. Currently, there are five Canucks (two men, three women) in the Kent State golf program – four of which are on Team Canada. The Golden Flashes alumni class features many Canadians, including 2013 PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit Champion, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont.

Seven out of the 10 athletes on the men’s and women’s amateur team are a part of NCAA programs in the United States. Derek Ingram, Head Coach of the Men’s National team, explained how it all works from his perspective.

“I will spend 60-80 days with players, sometimes at college but the majority coming in the summer season,” said the Winnipeg native. “Going back the other way I provide feedback to the college coaches after the summer season ends – it goes both ways. It has worked really, really well for all of us.”

Take Taylor Pendrith for instance, who joined both the National Amateur team and Kent State for the 2013 season.

“I wasn’t highly recruited when I was a junior. Coach Page came and watched me up in Owen Sound and we set up a visit. After that, I knew Kent State was going to be the best place for me. I cancelled all my next visits to other NCAA schools.”

“Both of them (Herb and Derek) have been unbelievable coaches who communicate with each other and understand my game. Having coaches all year round who can help you with your game is a huge advantage.”

Pendrith has shot up the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) since joining both programs – the 2013 Porter Cup Champion currently sits at No. 33.

Coach Page has truly enjoyed having both Pendrith and Conners in his men’s program. He went on to say they were “dreams” and are “destined for really great things.”

“It’s a credit to their parents, it’s a credit to them, Team Canada and Kent State,” said Page. “My emotions are on my sleeve with these guys, they are really that great.”

Ingram agrees with Page and touches on their goal of working together to achieve the same result.

“We’ve built these relationships and friendships so we can maximize both their program and our program. It’s really a win-win situation for the players, NCAA schools and Golf Canada.”

Rancho Mirage, Calif. – In keeping with its cherished tradition of honoring the world’s top amateur players, the Kraft Nabisco Championship has announced that nine of the world’s top amateur and college players – including Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson – have accepted invitations to participate in the LPGA Tour’s first major of 2014.

Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., owns the No. 6 spot on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She also owns the status as the youngest player to win a professional golf tournament, when she won on the Canadian Women’s Tour at age 14. She’s also claimed victory at the South Atlantic Amateur, the International Junior Orange Bowl, the Sprint International, the Canadian Women’s Amateur and the South American Amateur.

Henderson, 16, will play in her first Kraft Nabisco Championship after finishing 35th in the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and 59th in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2013. She’s also competed in the Canadian Women’s Open on two occasions (2012 & 2013).

Other amateurs joining Henderson at the Kraft Nabisco Championship are; reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Emma Talley; Alison Lee; Ashlan Ramsey; Angel Yin, who won the KNC Champions Junior Challenge last year to earn her way into the event; Minjee Lee; Su Hyun Oh; Annie Park; and Nelly Korda.

Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham will also represent Canada at the season’s first major. As the highest ranked Canadian in the world at No. 193, Bentham’s season best finish is a tie for 29th at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open

The Kraft Nabisco Championship takes place April 1-6 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Get to know a little more about Henderson is this video.

Svensson ties for fifth at Southeastern Collegiate

Valdosta, GA – Team Canada’s Adam Svensson finished tied for fifth at the Southeastern Collegiate Tuesday at the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club.

The Barry University sophomore and Surrey, B.C. native carded an even par 216 (74-68-74) to finish six strokes back of champion Ryan Gendron of St. Leo University.

The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) player of the week has been atop nearly every leaderboard as of late. The 20-year-old has captured four out of seven titles this season for the Barry Buccaneers, with his latest win coming last week at the St. Edwards Invitational.

As a team, the NCAA Div. II No. 1 ranked Buccaneers took home the hardware with a six stroke margin over runner-up Lynn University. They will be back in action again next week at the Bobcat Invitational in Eatonton, GA.

View full results here.

Davidson, N.C. – Playing for Kent State, Team Canada’s Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith both finished inside the top 5 at the Davidson College Invitational.

Conners, a 22-year-old senior, finished the tournament in third, with a 1-over 145 (73-72).  The Listowel, Ont. native is coming off a playoff win at the prestigious Jones Cup last month in Sea Island, Ga.

Pendrith, also a senior, finished a single-stroke behind Conners in fourth place. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native shot a 75-71 to close at 2-over par at the River Run Country Club. Pendrith has a recent prestigious win of his own, taking home the hardware at the 2013 Porter Cup in July.

Thanks to their hot play of late, Conners and Pendrith both sit inside the top 50 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) at No.23 and 31, respectively. The dynamic duo has also been placed on the Ben Hogan Award Watch List. The prestigious award is given annually to the top college golfer in the country.

Conner Hayden, a Chilhowie, Va. native, captured medalist honours with a 2-under 142. Collectively, the Tennessee Volunteers won team play by 11 strokes over second place Kent State.

For full results, click here.

Graduation from Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team to the professional ranks must be a smooth transition, right? Not exactly.

Every former athlete of the program has their own unique path. A spot on a professional tour is not guaranteed – that has to be earned as well. Nothing is given.

These young amateurs experience up-and-downs in their golf games just like every one of us, only on a much smaller scale. I’m talking decimal point changes to their Handicap Factor. That could be the difference between tournament eligibility and making the cut.

The goal of the high performance program is to provide athletes with as much assistance as possible to help them reach their goal, which is usually a career in professional golf. In some cases, an athlete will choose not to pursue a career as a professional golfer. No matter what path is taken, the coaching and support staff do whatever is in their power to help these athletes be the best they can be.

Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally, speaks to the transition of turning professional and the challenges associated with it.

We have really focused our efforts towards helping our amateur players get to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings to see where they are against the world’s best. The difficulty has been we’ve got a player that has been super busy with school as well as the program which are both highly organized. A professional schedule offers a lot more free time and it becomes much more of a job. It’s difficult to put that 9-5 together when you come from so many structured elements to focus on just one.

It’s no cakewalk either. Those players are the best players in the world. You need to go that extra 1% in every single area just to have a chance. It’s extremely difficult, even if you are one of the best amateurs in the world. If you have the right support system behind you and you have the faith that you are doing the right things over a long period, I’m confident these players have the ability to be very successful.

Behind the excitement of playing professionally, there are countless hours of training, tournament fees, travel fees, hotels, rental cars, etc.

To shine some light on the path to turning professional, let’s look at 2013 National Amateur Team athlete, Christine Wong. The Richmond, B.C., athlete made the transition shortly after graduating from San Diego State University and is on her way to fulfilling her life-long dream.

Wong has posted a RallyMe page to help her with the costs of playing in professional events and striving for a tour card (RallyMe is an online fundraising platform). She also describes her story in detail in the video below. You can make your own contribution by visiting her page.

Conners is no stranger to the big stage – he finished as a semi-finalist at last year’s U.S. Men’s Amateur, for one. Although that accomplishment alone is impressive, the 21-year-old was still yearning for that big win.

The National Team member calmly displays a strong amount of confidence both on and off the golf course. It’s not often you see him give a tiger-esque fist pump or the popular club twirl. It’s more likely the Kent State senior masks his emotions until the round is complete. Having that skillset is very valuable in high-pressure situations, which Conners found himself in when he relinquished a lead on Sunday to enter a playoff in one of the most prestigious amateur events in the world

GC: Tell us what was going through your head in the hours after the big win?

CC: Obviously it’s a pretty awesome feeling. It’s a very prestigious event and I am very excited to get the win and also looking forward to the rest of the season here at school. I have a lot of confidence moving forward.

GC: Would you say this is the biggest win of your career?

CC: I’ve had some pretty special moments on the golf course but to be able to win a big tournament like the Jones Cup is a really great feeling. It’s definitely at the top for me.

GC: Do you feel like you’ve been chasing this win for a while?

CC: You know what (he hesitates).. I’ve been very proud of how I have played in big events, going back to the U.S. Men’s Am in the summer. It’s never fun to lose in a spot like that but it never really bothered me too much.

GC: What happened on the 18^th hole?

The 18^th hole is so difficult – it’s a long par-5 into the wind on the final day. I played some great golf throughout the week so I tried to keep my composure and just stick to my game plan. I actually thought I had a two-shot lead so that tells you I wasn’t paying too much attention to the leaderboard.

GC: Was anyone caddying for you?

CC: No. I carried my own bag – I’m used to caddying for myself in collegiate events so it’s not a big deal for me. Also, I didn’t have anyone like Garrett (Rank) available (he said with a laugh). Rank, also a National Team member, caddied for Conners at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur.

GC: What was your game plan for this course?

CC: Ocean Forest is so difficult, you can really make yourself look silly by putting yourself in the wrong position. I played the course last year so I already had some great notes in my yardage book. Walking the course with DI (Derek Ingram) was awesome, just really talked about the best places to leave the ball around the green. Basically put a lot of focus on putting the ball in the fairway off the tee and then making smart decisions from there.

GC: Who was the first person you called after the win?

First person I called was Derek – he was unable to stay the full day. After that, I called my girlfriend. My cell phone wasn’t actually working right after the tournament so I had a bunch of texts come in later on.

GC: What’s next for you?

I’m back at school now. We’ve just started our practices and basically going at it every day. Our first college event is the start of March so I’ve got a little bit of time to let it sink in and keep working hard to keep my game in top shape.

 Men’s National Team Head Coach Derek Ingram weighs in on the big win

Men’s National Team Head Coach, Derek Ingram, was in Georgia assisting Conners at the event. He couldn’t be more excited for his student and the very bright future that is ahead of him.

“I’m so thrilled for him it’s one of the biggest amateur events in the world and this is one of the best wins we have ever had with the program” he said enthusiastically. “We got into a really nice routine where we would assess the round and study the greens – he’s very smart, you know. He has such a great golf IQ”.

He also went on to describe Conners’ mental game and how that helped in his win.

“He really managed his emotions and adrenaline level which also made a really big difference for him. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy”.

Since 2006, Golf Canada has brought on a team of trained professionals to head up the sport science department for the high performance teams.

The support staff is comprised of four professionals: Jason Glass (Strength & Conditioning), Greg Redman (Physiotherapist), Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Psychologist) and Nicole Springle (Nutritionist). Together, they address the sports science needs of all 20 athletes on the men’s and women’s National Team and Development Squad.

The golf swing is a fluent, elegant motion that requires the body to work in full unison to hit the right shot. What does that mean exactly? Head down, shoulder’s square, knees slightly bent, leading arm straight, hands turn on impact – you get the picture.

All of these movements take a toll on the golfer, especially professionals and the athletes of Canada’s Amateur Team, who take up to 10,000 swings a WEEK.

The job of the Sports Science staff is to address the areas of the golfer that are affected by the growing frequency of swings required to remain competitive and continue improving.

Strength training & physiotherapy

Physical fitness has become a necessity to compete at the highest level. Building strength and balance helps the golfer hit the ball further, shape shots easier and stay healthier.

“Essentially, Greg (Redman) and I are looking for a dysfunction with the athletes – if we find one, we begin to break it down at a very basic level and then start to piece it back together” said Jason Glass, Strength & Conditioning Coach. “The two of us must work hand-in-hand because if he (Greg) resets a movement, it is pretty much useless unless we reinforce it”.

Redman elaborated on the comments of Jason Glass, explaining their working relationship in more detail.

“The golf swing is said to have the same principles to some degree – but these guys are all very different machines” he explained. “Whether male or female – some are bigger, some are taller, some are smaller. Jason and I need to create a different plan for each athlete accordingly”.

What is the most common strength issue they encounter? Stability. They explained that most golfers don’t have the inherent stability that they need to generate the energy for a powerful golf swing.

Nutrition

Team Canada’s athletes are also advised to follow proper nutrition plans in order to keep their bodies healthy and strong. However, each individual requires their own unique plan based on their needs, preferences, food availability and habits.

“I always remind my athletes that my ultimate goal in working with them is that nutrition will not even be a factor when they get into competition” said Nicole Springle, Team Nutritionist. “Poor nutrition should be the LAST reason that something goes wrong out on the green because out of all the factors that can play a role in your performance, nutrition is one that is completely in your control.”

Springle continued with further insight into the strategy behind her athlete plans.

“I think people often miss the fact that athletes are real people. Some people I talk to seem to think that athletes just go around eating tuna and protein powder. Athletes live regular lives too, they go to birthday parties, they like chocolate, they go out for dinner…if you don’t build flexibility into an athlete’s diet and teach them how to make appropriate choices in any given situation, not just the ideal one, the changes they make are often short lived.”

Psychology

A large part of golf is mental – time in between shots, course management, assessing your lie, awareness of the scorecard/leaderboard and so on. The mental side of the game requires attention, especially as it becomes more complicated for amateur athletes as they enter more and more competitions. Enter Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, Team Psychologist.

“We all have vulnerabilities and the better we know ourselves and our natural tendencies, the better able we are to manage those when they get in the way of performance” she said. “Golf is unique because they cannot get their energy out by slamming someone into the boards.  They have to learn to manage their emotions prior to the next shot, and they have to be aware of how their decisions might impact choices they make on the course”.

Leslie-Toogood meets individually with the athletes of Team Canada at each training camp, helping them calm their body and mind through biofeedback training.

“I have them complete some assessments that allow them to learn more about themselves and what this might mean for how they respond in pressure situations” she said.

To conclude, Leslie-Toogood shared a philosophy that she likes to follow.

“Most people confuse my work as helping the athletes become ‘mentally tough’. I prefer to think of it as resilient.”