Payne Stewart, ADHD, and golf

[PEZGolf]

About 30 years ago, my doctor diagnosed me and said I had ADHD because I had the classic symptoms of hyperactivity (no patience; fidgeting, etc) and difficulty at times in focusing.  It then occurred to me that it was affecting me on the golf course.  About 20 years ago, I read that Payne Stewart had been also diagnosed with the same "disorder".  His caddy, Mike Hicks, said that Payne would sometimes look over a shot to the green and debate whether to hit a draw or a fade, hit it high or low, or take a 3/4 swing.  He was not focused on the straight shot that was the obvious choice.  Instead, he was thinking of the next Major and what kind of shot he would need there. His instructor, Chuck Cook, would make him focus during practice rounds on what shots to hit, and most importantly where to miss the green so he could get up and down.

   My son and I followed Payne at a number of tournaments and I still have the VCR tape where I recorded him on the practice range, and I said, "Look at this.  He is spending more time talking to Hicksie and others than on hitting shots!"  In the 1999 US Open, at Pinehurst #2, you could see how Payne was really focused, and concentrating throughout the tournament.  He had "that look" in his eyes.  And that really helped him win!

    Here is what I finally learned to do to keep focused while playing:

1.  Walk and do not ride in a cart.  I will converse a little with my playing partners, but when I get within 30 yards of my ball, I concentrate on what kind of shot I want to hit, what club to use, and where to miss it.  Then, when I get to the ball, I go through my preshot routine, and think of only "1, 2, 3" for rhythm, following the advice of Slammin' Sammy Snead.

 2.  On my scorecard, I keep track of fairways hit, greens hit, number of good, solid shots, number of putts, etc.  My son has noticed that I am constantly pulling the scorecard out of my pocket.  I told him that I was "keeping my mind on my game".  In that way, my mind does not start to wander, thinking about what I would do later, what I will do tomorrow, etc.

     If you have trouble focusing, try these two steps.  They really helped me.

[plum]

pretty much the same here. spoke to a buddy of mine last year (hes a doctor) and asked what he could prescribe for me to help focus on the course. told him my front nine is always better than the back....

 

he shakes his head cause he knows me well, says think about what you do in the morning before golf and what changes. for me its coffee. the caffeine helps me stay more focused. he tells me to buy a 5hr energy drink and try it. its absolutely helped my game. i drink my normal amount of coffee before, slam a bottle at the 6th hole and again on the 13/14th hole and its helped me out.

 

i agree on the cart thing and prefer to have my own cart to lessen the talking for me

[PEZGolf]

On Wednesday, December 09, 2015 at 9:15 PM, plum said:

pretty much the same here. spoke to a buddy of mine last year (hes a doctor) and asked what he could prescribe for me to help focus on the course. told him my front nine is always better than the back....

 

he shakes his head cause he knows me well, says think about what you do in the morning before golf and what changes. for me its coffee. the caffeine helps me stay more focused. he tells me to buy a 5hr energy drink and try it. its absolutely helped my game. i drink my normal amount of coffee before, slam a bottle at the 6th hole and again on the 13/14th hole and its helped me out.

 

i agree on the cart thing and prefer to have my own cart to lessen the talking for me

Thanks for the reply.  I usually drink only 2 cups of coffee a day---first thing in the morning at 4:30 AM, and then on break from work at 10:15.  Caffeine does affect me quickly and is a good stimulant, but it usually affects me too strongly when I play golf,so I avoid it.  I can see why Gary Player is so adamant against drinking it all.

[dak4n6]

OMG, between my wife and step daughter, it's a wonder I don't lose my sanity when I play with them. There is not enough time nor space here to list everything, but there is a little sample:

Step daughter 

- NEVER EVER EVER watches anyone else's shot - too busy twirling her club around or texting

- Can't wait to putt or hit (out of turn) - I constantly make my practice putts while she is doing the same directly in my line of sight. I will say, 'what are you doing, I'm away' and she says 'Im just practicing', and I always have to ask her to wait until I'm done.

- Pulls a club before having any real idea of the distance.

- Starts to lose interest somewhere around the start of the back 9 unless there's something of consequence on the line, although even in junior tournaments she sometimes falls apart on the back.

Wife

- Usually has absolutely no clue as to what ball she is playing, or where it went after impact.

- Will implement unnecessary swing thoughts for no particular reason (after a hook, 'I was trying to close the club face like you said', Me: 'But you have been hitting right down the middle all day'. Her: 'But you told me I should try to close the club face' Me: 'That was only when you have been slicing.....never mind'

- Will literally go: 'Ooooo look at the bunny!'

- After playing the same two courses for 5 years, will still ask what the par is for a 490 yd hole.

- Will make a cell phone call right before it's her turn to tee off. I'm like, 'Could you possibly do that after you tee off?' and she gives me a dirty look.

I could put together another 3 pages of this stuff - maybe if this thread continues. All I can say is, golf definitely helps to mitigate ADD because it does require attention and focus, and I have noticed over the years they have been getting better.