Most golfers intend to do their best on the golf course. A few golfers are able to accomplish this task, while the majority find themselves simply trying to do their best. David Gossett won his first PGA Tour event at the John Deere Classic by actually doing his best for four days in a row. It was a maturing experience for him, and one from which we can all learn.
Gossett described it this way: “Absolutely, in the golf world I feel like I’ve matured a little bit. Winning really does a lot for your confidence. I feel like I did a lot of growing up. Matt [Brost] and I were out there doing the best we could. I felt confident that my game was steadily progressing. I believed in the people who were helping me, my family and my products that I’m playing, the ProV1, and I’ve been doing the right stuff, just looking forward to getting myself in the hunt for winning a golf tournament, and that’s what I was able to do this week and get the win. It was nice.”
It was more than nice. It was a dream come true. The dream of a young man who has been playing golf much of his life. “I’ve had the good fortune to do pretty well in junior golf,” said Gossett. “I was the Player of the Year at the American Junior Golf Association like Mickelson and Tiger Woods, and some other good players. I went on to college and was First Team All-American both years, and won the United States Amateur, which Tiger has done. I’ve shown…that I can do it. It’s just a matter of staying patient, staying with it. It’s a whole learning process. I’m young and this is what we’re out here for and this is really a great learning year for my career.”
Doing his best to make his dream come true meant Gossett would need to use his mind as skillfully as his golf clubs. Not surprisingly, he described many ways in which his mental approach made his win possible.
First, he talked about his approach to the third round, “Rather than focusing on my position [on the leader board] and tightening up, and getting really excited because I’ve never been here before, I’m pleased to be here, and I’m just really encouraged to play this weekend to see what happens. It’s going to be a learning experience, and I’m just going to try to go out there and do what I’ve done the first two days. It’s obviously worked and I’m just getting closer and closer to winning a tournament.”
He went on, “I’ve shown these first two rounds that I can do it. It’s just a matter of staying patient, staying with it. It’s a whole learning process. I’m young and this is what we’re out here for. I’m always kind of personal with setting my goals and stuff. Certainly I have aspirations to win championships, there’s no doubt about it. That’s what I want to do, take my game to the level of competing in major championships. [But] focusing on what may or may not happen isn’t going to help me hit down the middle tomorrow.”
Finding himself atop the leader board after the third round, Gossett had more to say about the mental approach to making his dream come true: “I made a conscious effort not to look at the score board and just try to stay within myself and play golf. It’s a learning process playing with the last group…with the television cameras and the people and knowing that I’m doing well. It’s fun to play with the emotions and the ups and downs of being right on the verge of doing really well. I think I managed it pretty well. I was encouraged about how calm I felt the last five or six holes.”
Asked if he thought he would have trouble sleeping the night before his big chance he said, “I hope not. I love sleeping. I enjoy getting a good rest. I slept fine last night, and I don’t anticipate there being a big problem. Certainly I think there’s going to be butterflies, and that’s very healthy. That’s something that I get excited to have. I haven’t had butterflies the last several months. I love it.”
Gossett seems to have learned there are two types of nervousness, one that is born of fear, and one that is born of desire. Butterflies flying in formation are a welcome sign of anticipation, and provide the extra bit of adrenaline for your best performance. Asked if he desired a certain score for his final round, Gossett answered, “Something in the 60’s. Yeah, birdies, I don’t have a number. When I really set a target score sometimes it works out great. It keeps me motivated, and things go well, especially when I’m able to make a few birdies early. But, other times it gets me depressed. So rather than setting a target score, I know I have to go out and play good golf tomorrow. This is what I’ve been dreaming of for so long, a putt to win a golf tournament, a lot of people around, and a lot of attention focused on the putt and I just want to enjoy it.”
He did enjoy himself—he did shoot in the 60’s—he did sink the putt—and he did win the tournament.
Gossett described his day: “I really felt calm starting the day today, and I felt at peace with whatever happened. I tried my best. I really said, man, whatever happens, just smile while you’re putting it, kind of inside, enjoy it, and put the best putt on it you can. And I finally did and I didn’t worry about it and it went right in the middle [of the cup]. Nice lesson to be learned there.”
I couldn’t agree more.
And just to go out and shoot 5-under on Sunday, sleep two nights with the lead and go out and play good golf, play solid, missed a few putts and hung in there and made some good birdies when it counted, and it feels great to make that putt on the last hole to win.
Dr. Paula King, Golf’s “Head” Coach®, is a licensed sports psychologist, specializing in golf, based in Phoenix, Arizona, and can be reached at (602) 862-0032. E-mail: paula@drheadcoach.com