by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. The mornings are losing their chill and the afternoon sun has begun to caress your face with the gentle reminder that the long awaited season of golf is just around the corner. The memories of last year and all its glory — the soft fading drives into tree-lined fairways, the magical [...]

by Michael Riggs The most common emotional challenge a golfer must deal with is how to keep from losing his cool following a mishit or a series of poorly played shots. Much is made of being able to maintain an emotional equilibrium while playing golf.  While emotional outbursts may enhance performance in more aggressive sports, [...]

Feature Article Got Salmon? Michael Riggs, M.Ed. The morning alarm goes off. The snooze gets hit once, twice, and three times for good luck. Finally, you drag your tired body from the sack to the shower. Scrub. Yawn. Scrub some more. Driving to work you endlessly flip from station to station trying to find something [...]

by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. Tell me if this sounds familiar… The round is over and you are driving home unconsciously replaying the missed five foot putt for birdie, or the duck hook that found the center of the pond, or the simple chip shot that carried all but eight inches, or…  and, with each painful [...]

Apples and Atoms Michael Riggs, M.Ed. What do apples, the earth, atoms and Abraham Lincoln have in common? Each has an axis that all of its activities revolve around. Each has a clearly defined center point that acts as a fulcrum from which its power and energy move out from. Each has a core from [...]

by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. You will never be able to play golf better than you actually see yourself playing. The concept of self-image simply applies to the way that you see yourself as a golfer. If your image of yourself is that of a great player with a smooth swing, soft touch around the greens, [...]

Feature Article Just Right  by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. The relationship between a player’s optimal level of arousal – how revved he is – and performance is one of the most studied, and difficult to pinpoint, concepts in the field of Sport Psychology. Each golfer has an optimal state of mental stimulation that allows him to [...]

by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. What an exciting time for coaches… the beginning of a new season! The stage is set for fresh new ideas that will invigorate the staff and players. The opportunity to create exciting and challenging strategies is knocking down the door. The time is perfect for getting on the leading edge of [...]

Feature Article Networking Works by Alexandra Eidenberg As a business owner I do a lot of networking to grow my business, and as Managing Director of eWomenNetwork I host even more networking events to help others grow their business.  I am constantly looking for the next best event to attend. Today I went to a [...]

Feature Article Copy Cat by Michael Riggs Most, if not all, of what you need to reach your playing potential has already been created, marketed, and is readily available to you. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel… just get it rolling along. Great players know how to make the best use of their time [...]

Feature Article Never Quit. Just  reload. by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Entrepreneur magazine are littered with stories of individuals that created, built, marketed, jumped, talked, wrote, designed, invested and developed their way into enormous personal and financial fortune. There is one flaw with most of these stories, though. Like the last slide [...]

Feature Article All In Time by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. Patience is a virtue. Because of the pace of golf, the stopping and starting in a round, and the general slooooowwww motion of the game, it is imperative that players learn the merit of this virtue. Of course, learning patience will require some patience. Let’s face [...]

Feature Article Practice Golf Like a Pro by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. “I can’t seem to get my success on the range to translate onto the course.” While the number of hours and swings spent practicing should improve your overall golf game, it does not guarantee rapid, or even consistent, improvement.  There are two critical flaws [...]

Feature Article Improving Conversation by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. There is nothing like the positive energy of a free-flowing conversation with a customer where ideas are being shared and both parties feel as if they are being heard. Conversely, there is nothing like the negative energy of a stale conversation where ideas stall and both parties [...]

Feature Article Going, Going, Gone by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. Let’s face it, a round, a year, or a career in golf is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. So, it may be time to view your game from a different perspective. Often, players will admit that they are exhausted from the grind of practice, play, [...]