Euro Pro WIN 2022 - Brandon Robinson Thompson

WHAT A RIDE !!!!!!!

Long-term client and best mate Brandon has been plugging away learning the ropes for a long time now, he’s been playing golf for almost 18 years and he’s only 29!

I’ve worked with Brandon on a professional level for 6 years now, and we thought we, and more importantly he knew what he was doing back then, we were wrong!

Results didn’t go the way we wanted them to for a while, talent was not a problem, there were too many respected people in the industry saying how well he can play, we just needed to figure out how to get the ball in the roll in the least amount of shots, simple right.

What changed…………….. STATS!

Stats changed everything, mainly following a process called DECADE golf developed by Scott Fawcett.

For a player of his standards hitting fairways and greens with the odd putt or 2 dropping is relatively simple stuff.

However, expectation management and understanding how he can control his actions and emotions before, during and after a round have been the key to this triumph.

Even after playing golf for 18 years, there is still so much to learn on how to get the ball round in as least amount of shots as possible.

Course management and having the patience and discipline to stick to a very low risk approach for a whole season allows you to reign in your scoring parameter, for instance when your too aggressive you ‘can’ sometimes play really well and the putts will drop and you shoot -9.

This unfortunately can give you a false sense of your actual golfing ability, which changes from round to round or even shot to shot.

We have adopted an approach that means our target for every round he plays is to shoot -2.

This approach has allowed Brandon to not miss so many cuts and not shoot too many really low scores. Which has then given him a more level head space throughout the season, meaning the highs will come if you stick to the process but the lows are not there as often because he simply isn’t taking on too much risk on the course.

Going back to the -2 target, the best example is that Scottie Scheffler who is no.1 in the Fed Ex Cup standing this year has a scoring average of 69.2 approximately -2 as most courses are a par 72.

Summary, we still have a long way to go and we are always learning, however……….

Stick to your plan and swing your swing!

  • Patience

  • Focus

  • Discipline

Let the golf ball decide the rest !

Golfs Mental Game….Eliminating Bogeys!

After getting to a reasonable standard at the age of 16, I soon realised that if I wanted to progress further into the professional ranks and make a living from the game, I had to improve and dedicate a lot more time to the sport.

My handicap was 4 and I had several rounds under par to my name.

However…….. the toughest part for me was the mental side of the game!

Unfortunately for me I had developed a game that only allowed me to play my home course, a links course, the fairways were wide open and I knew the course so well that I could hit the ball into these wide-open spaces on the par 4’s and 5’s…… usually the other fairway to the one I’m meant to be one and I knew that the ball would be fine over there.

I played a draw, and it was an aggressive draw, it got worse with the prevailing wind always coming from the same direction, forcing me to make my grip stronger and aim further and further right.

I would just stand on the tee and smash it up the right side, every now and then my mind would lose concentration (become anxious, didn’t have a plan) and I would increase swing speed through impact and snap hook it left, usually resulting in a lost ball. I was a good all-round player and had a great attitude, I believed that ‘if the ball was on the course I could get it in the hole’. That snap hook made it rather tough thought.

This steel belief was actually a big problem, I would literally hit the ball over the place and scramble my way around playing to somewhere around my handicap. Average stuff.

I soon started to notice that whenever I played another course, I simply could’nt get the ball in the hole for less than 80 shots, way above my standard. Reverting to hitting sometimes only a 3iron off the tee just so that I could make it in the clubhouse with a score in the 70’s.

I chose to play this way knowing that if I didn’t change my game, I wouldn’t be able to compete at all.

I decided to study the game, look into simple swings and see how they do it. My ego was too BIG, I wanted to hit the ball so far (i actually wasn't that long off the tee anyway, I just thought I was) yet sacrifice being able to hit the fairway and make a score.

My mental approach had to change. Simple. Get rid of the ego. Let’s get the ball (the same ball I start with) around the course.

I've only had 3 lessons in my life from a pro and I have a natural talent for bat and ball sports so I thought I could fix it myself. Wrong!

It wasn’t until I got rid of my ego altogether and asked for assistance that my game started to improve.

I had such a closed mindset, wasn’t open to change but knew deep down I had too.

  • 1st step complete, accepting help.

  • 2nd step what do I need to change? My Grip……simple, not exactly.

    More IMPORTANTLY

    My mind !!!!!!!!!!!

Reverting back to a more neutral grip I was able to actually start hitting the ball straight, of course, it felt odd to start with but I persevered. It didn't take long to see the difference. On the range, I could control my anxiety and hit straight shots and even small fades. Now the test was to the course.

For whatever reason, the mind chooses to create excitement, anxiety, pressure in certain circumstances where you really don’t want it. The art of golf is mind control. Swing speed control, turning yourself into a robot and only thinking subconsciously, the subconscious allows you to access a portal of all the good and bad shots you’ve ever hit. You must now control your body and mind to keep the grip ‘soft and focused’ and not tell my right hand to be dominant at impact. Easier said than done!

For years my left hand was simply just hold the club, my right hand did all the controlling of the club face, my new task was to focus on keeping my logo on my glove facing my target, a trick that i heard tiger mention.

Within weeks i saw change, i worked and worked and worked on it. I can now play any golf course with a mental confidence that i can hit a fairway or green.

Pick my target and focus on my hands staying neutral, my hand eye coordination will do the rest.

Nowdays, I don’t play golf nearly as much as I would like or as much as I did in the summer holidays as a 16-year-old, however, I still love to get the sticks out and sneak a round in whenever I can.

The big difference is that my mindset is my strongest part of my game.

`Some tips I will share.

Don’t get carried away with how good golfers are on the TV. As TV viewers we only get to see the highlights of the best performing players during that tournament. You watch the coverage and it looks like everyone hits the ball 330yards and splits the fairway every time. This is so not true. A PGA tour stat for driving accuracy shows that the top10 best drivers on tour only hit 70% of fairways and that the chance of getting up and down from 125-150 yards is only 35%!

As a golfer, your aim is to eliminate bogeys or worse, keep the ball on the course and in the safest place and over time you will make birdies or better. Put the ball in the trees, bunkers or water and you are putting stress and anxiety onto your system. Check out who wins each week, they will be in the top 5 of ‘Bogeys made’. Usually only making 3-5 bogeys in 72 holes.

For me, whats helped me the most.

I have ZERO expectations when to step onto the 1st tee.

If I have a plan and i stick to it I will shoot whatever score my golf game gives me on that given day. Placing the ball in the correct places on the course will allow you to long term rise to the top of the leaderboards more regularly.

Your target………Eliminating bogeys.

Atlantic Crossing 2016-Fitness

I entered this video into the  gymmarine.com Atlantic Crossing Competition in December and after 3 months of entries i was announced the WINNER. In October while sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from Mallorca to Antigua, i put together this video of me keeping fit and active while spending 21 days at sea.

The aim of the video is to show crew and guests exactly how easy it is to get in a workout even tho you are 2,000 miles from the nearest gym.

The opportunities are endless. Embrace you surroundings and become the person you want to be !    

 I didn't waste my time, its very easy to become lazy while floating across an ocean for 3 weeks.

Doing watches of 3 hours on 6 hours off there is ample amount of time to create your very own gym using everything in your possession. I varied all the exercises, from explosive reps to eccentric and static workouts, i could only do the human flag for a few seconds when we 1st left Mallorca, however i keep practicing and by the time we reached Antigua i was up to 9 seconds. 

I watched documentaries, read books, took notes and learned valuable skills from the experienced crew we had on board. Watching how they solved issues and stayed calm under the pressure of hurricane 'Matthew' which was 1,500 miles north west of us.

Set yourself targets and and record your results to see your improvements. However most importantly doing something you enjoy doing, if you enjoy the activity or exercise you are more likely to look forward to doing it.

I payed close attention on how the Captain and Engineer planned our route while adapting to the current weather conditions and available forecasts. and how they executed them while working together as a team, each posting ideas of how we could make the trip and tasks as efficient as possible.

With a little motivation i was able to persuade other crew members to become active during the trip which is a huge buzz for me, watching someone get out of there comfort zone gives me great satisfaction.

I hope the video gives you inspiration and motivation to go out and do what you want to do in life !!

Please feel free to SHARE on social media sites. Thanks for time.

#thetimeisnow

Isle of Wight to Edinburgh - Done!

How i cycled 550miles from the Isle of Wight to Edinburgh in 6 days with NO training!

It had been a idea of mine to do a long distance bike ride for about 6 months, i was inspired by a legend called Chris Mark and his cycling adventure 'Miles for a memory'. (www.milesforamemory.com) 

He was in the process of cycling 20,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina while aiming to raise £20,000 for the charity 'Wishes for Kids'.  WOW

I felt it was the least i could possibly do after all he was doing. His ride was for a great cause in memory of his sister who was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. I followed his progress on Facebook and couldn't take my eyes off his journey.  Reading the story made me appreciate that i was able to ride a bicycle, therefore it was time for me to undertake my own challenge, Nowhere near the scale of Chris's mind you.

I finished my job on a Tuesday in Amsterdam, flew home to the isle of wight,  bought a bike, set it up, and 5 days later i set off for Edinburgh, i'd never rode a bike with 'clip-in' shoes before so that was a interesting start !! Once the technique was mastered there was no stopping me.

I used the ride to broaden my knowledge of myself and cycling. As a fitness and lifestyle guru i wanted to learn how i could complete the ride without any cycling training. Eating properly, breathing correctly, drinking the right amounts of water, different cycling techniques to preserve energy and decrease the overuse of certain muscles, what to do before i set of in the morning, what to do when i got off the bike in the evenings, how to recover as quick as possible. Everyday was a school day.  

I averaged 90 miles each day with a longest day of 133 miles. 

On reaching Edinburgh Castle i was instantly grateful to be able to have taken part in the ride and see all the beauty that Great Britain has to offer.

My words on the Ride..... create your own challenge, make your own decisions, don't let inspirational moments reach you and pass you by, use them to your advantage and have your own stories to tell !!

#thetimeisnow