Unleash Your Drive helps ‘Peake Performers’ in Cornwall
Whilst the majority of the 2,000+ schools registered for Unleash Your Drive are primary schools, many secondary schools across England and Scotland are also seeing the benefits of the Golf Foundation’s standout mental toughness programme for young people.
Just before May half-term our charity had the pleasure of visiting Poltair School in St Austell, Cornwall where the Unleash Your Drive programme is having a noticeable impact on a select group of pupils.
Targeting Year 10 students in the Peake Group (named after the astronaut Tim Peake to demonstrate to students that anything is possible and to help build their resilience), the school immediately identified the mental toughness tools unique to Unleash Your Drive as the ideal intervention to boost the confidence, focus and overall wellbeing of a group of students with various learning needs as they approach their critical Year 11 final year.
Attending their 6th session of the golf programme, the students sprinted from their changing rooms to the 3G pitch excited to find out what games and mental toughness skills they would be playing.
“What are we doing today, Mr Pyle?” they asked their teacher and Head of PE at Poltair School, who has been leading the Unleash Your Drive programme and is equally as enthusiastic about its impact on his students.
“Get your square of concentration ready, boys and girls,” said Mr Pyle as he demonstrated a favourite putting game called “Cliffhanger” and questioned the students about how to focus on a specific space around the ball and ignore all other distractions around them.
“Are you going to try and put us off with music again, Mr Pyle?” one of the cheekier pupils called out.
“I’ve not brought my stereo out today, Jayden,” said Mr Pyle, “but I will be making a noise and trying to put you off as you putt!”
The students were engaged, laughing and working together throughout the session as the games progressed from ‘Cliffhanger’ to Drive for Show/Putt for Dough, and the ultimate ‘Crossbar Challenge’, while Mr Pyle constantly reinforced the importance of applying other mental toughness tools such as square breathing to control nerves and positive self-reflection by asking ‘What Went Well and Even Better If?’
The learning was also reinforced by several breakout sessions where the teacher sat the students down, asked them to get out their whiteboards, and tasked them with writing down answers to questions about the mental toughness tools. They then held up the boards and took turns talking about where else they could use them.
Real-World Impact: How the Students use Mental Toughness
Joe showed a diagram of square breathing and explained that he had used this technique to keep calm in his recent mock exams.
Aston said that he used the square of concentration to help him stay calm and focussed in rugby matches.
Evan talked about how he uses the square of concentration when he is playing golf on a course.
Daisy used emotional control breathing to ensure that she stays calm when horse riding, which in turn keeps the horse calm.
Jayden talked about how he would be using the mental toughness skills to help him in a job interview.
All of the pupils' answers are great examples of how the skills being learned through Unleash Your Drive are transferrable to other sports as well as areas of life.
The Head Teacher, Mr Cradigan, took time out of his busy schedule to visit the session and thanked the Golf Foundation for the opportunity. With both of his sons playing golf as junior members at a local club, he totally understood both the playing and mental wellbeing benefits of golf for young people, and was delighted to see it on his PE curriculum.
In talking to the Golf Foundation, Mr Pyle added:
"My students have loved taking part in Unleash Your Drive and have really embraced the mental toughness tools. This programme is unique in that as a teacher it really helps you focus on teaching the wider mental wellbeing tools using golf as the platform. The Golfway equipment is brilliant and the resources really helpful.
I’ve seen evidence of the students applying the mental toughness skills to their examination subject, BTEC PE, that I also teach, and across other areas of their school life, which is so powerful."
This group of students have also felt very special in being the first to play golf at Poltair during curriculum time. Our aim is to now expand the programme to other year groups and to take the Peake Group to Wentworth and the BMW PGA Championship in September, thanks to the Golf Foundation.
"We are from a disadvantaged part of Cornwall, so to have these opportunities for our students is fantastic."
Want your school to get involved with Unleash Your Drive?
