Sport Psychology Institute Northwest

Shooting for Lower Scores

Add another item to the list of mental techniques PGA players are trying in the quest for better scores - consultation with an Olympic champion shooter. Lanny Bassham, who took gold in Montreal's 1976 Olympics for shooting, claims there are many parallels between shooting and golf. Bassham elaborates: "There, [in golf], it’s just you and the golf club; I’ve got a rifle. He has a target; I have a target. He has to consider the wind, which is what we do. I think golf is a lot closer to rifle shooting than it is to football.”
One of the points which Bassham stresses the most is the importance of being focused on the process and execution of the motion, be it shooting or golf, rather than the desired result or goal. This is gained from his experience at the 1972 Olympics, in which he took silver. During his defeat in the gold medal round, Bassham "was trying as hard as I could on every shot to get it in the 10 ring." He feels this led to his defeat; after consulting with other gold medal winners, they all agreed on the conclusion that "the process is more important than the outcome.”
Some of Bassham's clients include Fred Funk, Justin Leonard, and Ben Crane.

To read the whole New York Times story, including detailed reactions from professional sport psychologists, click here.