MIND & BODY
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This month we hear from a leading voice in South African sports psychology who tells us why one of her favourite ideas is the 'Batman Effect'
DR KIRSTEN VAN HEERDEN
Part 1
last month we discussed SHAKING off THE RUST
REad IT HERE
There is a quote often attributed to Batman that I love: 'I don't wear the mask to hide who I am. I wear it to create who I am.' A few years ago, researchers gave young children a fairly boring task to complete while a tempting video game sat nearby. Some of the children did the task as themselves, while others got to dress up as a superhero.
Guess who did better on the task? Yes, the children wearing the superhero outfits stuck at the task for far longer than the other group. Putting on the superhero outfit helped them step into a slightly different version of themselves. They were no longer just a bored kid who wanted to stop and play the game. They were Batman. And Batman gets the job done.
The outfit itself did not magically make them more disciplined or focused. But it seemed to help cue a different way of thinking and behaving.
So how does this apply to golf?
There is a particular feeling you get when you arrive at the course and you feel good. You are wearing one of your favourite shirts. Your shoes are comfortable. Your clubs are clean. Your glove has not somehow turned into a piece of dried cardboard since the last round. You just feel ready.
Now compare that with the day when the shirt feels wrong, your shoes have seen better days, and your golf bag seems to contain everything except the thing you are actually looking for.
Technically, none of this should matter. Your handicap has not changed overnight. Your swing has not disappeared. You have not suddenly become a worse golfer because your shirt feels funny.
But psychologically it can matter. Just like the children in the superhero outfits, when our clothes and equipment make us feel like a golfer, we often start acting a little more like the golfer we want to be.
In other words, what we wear can help create an identity.
'When our clothes and equipment make us feel like a golfer, we often start acting a little more like the golfer we want to be. What we wear can help create an identity.'
BE YOUR OWN SUPERHERO
So, for the sake of this article, let's call that identity The Iron Knight (yes, I know ... this is the best golf superhero name I could come up with!). Now, The Iron Knight does not need to be a scratch golfer. The Iron Knight may well be a 20-handicapper. This is not about pretending you are suddenly Scottie Scheffler. It is about deciding what the best version of you looks like on the golf course.
GOLF IS GOOD – FOR STRESS
The GolfRSA Golf & Health campaign exploring the benefits of golf continues in the month of November with the theme Golf is Good for Stress.
This might seem like a counter-intuitive statement, but here are the facts of how golf reduces stress:
- It is played outdoors – nature is good for you! Breathing in fresh air and working outside have proven health benefits as it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system associated with relaxation. Fresh air improves your mood, thereby improving creativity and the ability to strategise. It also relieves depression, anxiety, anger, brain fog and mental fatigue associated with low levels of vitamin D, which you replenish from your exposure to the sun.
- It is physical activity, which releases endorphins, enhancing your mood and reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.
- It is a change of pace from our generally fast-paced lives, allowing us to play at a steady pace and enjoy the scenery.
Is The Iron Knight patient? Committed? Able to laugh when things go horribly wrong? Able to hit one dreadful shot without turning it into three dreadful holes? You get to decide what your version of The Iron Knight looks like. Batman is not Superman, and your best golfing self does not need to look like anyone else's.
For one golfer, The Iron Knight might be bold and aggressive. For another, calm and patient. For someone else, it might simply be the version of themselves who remembers that golf is supposed to be enjoyable, even when it is being deeply annoying.
CHOOSE YOUR OUTFIT WISELY
What is your 'superhero outfit'? Maybe it is your favourite shirt. Maybe it is a cap you always wear when you play well; or maybe it is simply the feeling of arriving prepared, with clean clubs and everything where it should be.
When you get changed and dressed for a round on the course, use that as a cue to become The Iron Knight.
And when things start to go wrong – because, well, golf – ask yourself: What would The Iron Knight do here? You have just hit a terrible tee shot. What now? The temptation might be to get angry, or replay it in your head for the next three holes. But what would The Iron Knight do? The wind is howling and you are getting increasingly irritated. What would The Iron Knight do?
CREATING A PAUSE BETWEEN THOUGHT & ACTION
This may sound a bit like a children's game, but there is something quite sophisticated happening psychologically: you are creating a little bit of distance between what you are feeling in the moment and how you choose to behave. When we are caught up in frustration, embarrassment or anger, we tend to react rather than respond. A bad shot becomes I am playing terribly. One bad hole becomes today is a disaster. And before you know it, you are no longer playing the course in front of you. You are playing the argument happening in your own head.
Asking, 'What would The Iron Knight do?' creates a pause, and often that pause is enough.
So before you tee off, ask yourself: What sort of golfer do I want to be today? Then try to behave like that golfer. And if wearing your favourite shirt helps you get there, wear it.
Batman's cape did not give those children perseverance. It just seemed to help them access a version of themselves that persevered. Maybe your favourite golf shirt can do something similar for you.
About the author
Gavin Groves graduated in biokinetics from the University of Pretoria in 2007 and started working as a golf fitness professional at the World of Golf. A year later, he started his journey with the Titleist Performance Institute. He is also an AA-member of the PGA of South Africa. He joined the University of Pretoria's High Performance golf programme in 2013. In 2018, he moved to the DP World Tour, while he also counts numerous past and present Sunshine Tour professionals as clients. He has been the full-time fitness consultant of the GolfRSA National Squad since 2017 and worked with some of the best SA amateur golfers.
Gavin Groves graduated in biokinetics from the University of Pretoria in 2007 and started working as a golf fitness professional at the World of Golf. A year later, he started his journey with the Titleist Performance Institute. He is also an AA-member of the PGA of South Africa. He joined the University of Pretoria's High Performance golf
Gavin Groves graduated in biokinetics from the University of Pretoria in 2007 and started working as a golf fitness professional at the World of Golf.
A year later, he started his journey with the Titleist Performance Institute. He is also an AA-member of the PGA of South Africa. He joined the University of Pretoria's High Performance golf
programme in 2013. In 2018, he moved to the DP World Tour, while he also counts numerous past and present Sunshine Tour professionals as clients. He has been the full-time fitness consultant of the GolfRSA National Squad since 2017 and worked with some of the best SA amateur golfers.
About the author
Dr Kirsten van Heerden represented South Africa at swimming and holds a PhD in sport psychology. She has worked and travelled extensively within high performance sport for more than 15 years. She has authored a book, Waking From the Dream, on the challenges athletes face when they retire from elite sport. In her podcast ‘Behind the Dream’ she talks with some of the world’s best athletes about the ups and downs of being a professional athlete. She is also the founder and chairperson of Girls Only Project – a non-profit company focusing on women in sport issues. She is in private practice at Newton Sports Agency.
About the author
Dr Kirsten van Heerden represented South Africa at swimming and holds a PhD in sport psychology. She has worked and travelled extensively within high performance sport for more than 15 years.She has authored a book, Waking From the Dream, on the challenges athletes face when they retire from elite sport. In her podcast ‘Behind the Dream’ she talks with some of the world’s best athletes about the ups and downs of being a professional athlete. She is also the founder and chairperson of Girls Only Project – a non-profit company focusing on women in sport issues. She is in private practice at Newton Sports Agency.
Dr Kirsten van Heerden represented South Africa at swimming and holds a PhD in sport psychology. She has worked and travelled extensively within high performance
sport for more than 15 years.She has authored a book, Waking From the Dream, on the challenges athletes face when they retire from elite sport. In her podcast ‘Behind the Dream’ she talks with some of the world’s best athletes about the ups and downs of being a professional athlete. She is also the founder and chairperson of Girls Only Project – a non-profit company focusing on women in sport issues. She is in private practice at Newton Sports Agency.
