The Golf Foundation team is delighted with feedback from the ‘Unleash your Drive’ training workshops in Lincolnshire which saw a 17% increase in participants’ mental toughness.
Unleash your Drive is a unique Golf Foundation programme (supported by our headline sponsor HSBC) that teaches young people the tools to help build their resilience, concentration and confidence on the golf course, but also in their wider lives.
17 girls from the Lincolnshire Girls Development Squad were invited to take part in the training. The sessions took place at Lincoln Golf Club (excellent hosts!), and parents were welcomed too, as Lincolnshire Women’s Golf Association’s Stacey McNicholas and Helen McDougall introduced young players to training points like the Square of Concentration and improved self-reflection (‘What went well?’ ‘Even better if’). Unleash your Drive helps with breathing techniques, coping with pressure, and mindfulness which can help the wellbeing of all involved. It was also a great chance to get the girls together socially and practise their short game for the season ahead.
The girls received the training in the morning and then spent the afternoon practising, and applying the Unleash Your Drive tools on the golf course. At each session the girls were introduced to mental toughness tools: such as self-talk (inspiring yourself and creating concentration), self-compassion (building resilience) and visualisation/imagery for success in the task ahead.
Andy Leigh, who leads on Unleash your Drive for the Golf Foundation, praised all the girls taking part for their enthusiasm, sense of fun and commitment to learn.
Andy said: “Delivering sessions to the Lincolnshire Girls Development Squad has been very exciting for all. The girls were really keen and as a result they gained a lot from these sessions; they are a fantastic group of students. We are delighted that there has been some very positive feedback from parents and the girls. A massive thank you again to Stacey and Helen for organising this brilliant opportunity, and to the whole team at Lincoln Golf Club for their continued support.”
The overwhelming feedback from organisers and participants was that this programme has been a huge success, and had a positive impact on all the girls involved as demonstrated by an average 17% increase in mental toughness at the end of the training. (The participants completed the self-assessment tool* designed by Yeast Ltd. before the first and after the final session to see if the training had made a positive impact on the individuals.) See full results here.
Parental reaction was positive too. One parent described the training as having “a huge impact on my daughter. She is a hugely more confident girl now, not only with her golf but in other aspects of her life”.
Another reported that: “My daughter really enjoyed it and came away buzzing with all the tools to help the psychological part of the game and increased confidence. Great to see her be so positive about things.”
Read the full report on the successful Lincolnshire project here.
Unleash your Drive will continue to be rolled out across the regions so watch this space or sign up to learn how to get involved.
