A cold that’s so cold it slaps you in the face

How cold is -30 Celsius? It's so cold that when you throw boiling water in the air, it instantly crystallizes as my niece Siobhan demonstrated during our visit to Canmore, Alberta the week before Christmas.There’s cold and then there’s cold. Where I live in Guelph, Ontario, it can get down to -10 Celsius in January and February. To me, that’s cold. With some wind, it can feel like about -20, which is serious cold.  On those -20 with the … [Read more...]

Make it your intention to have an intention

The role of intention is a key component to the game-changing holistic program that golf professional Nate Robinson and I are launching in April called Quiet Mind Golf: Better Golf Through Inner Mastery. Contact me at tim@oconnorgolf.ca to explore the exciting possibilities for your game. Yes, your friendly, neighbourhood golf and performance coach became that guy. The no-talking, sulking, pouting, fast-walking angry man that no one wants … [Read more...]

In your zeal to improve, don’t forget the objective

Last week, I finally discovered the brilliance of Canadian comic Norm Macdonald. (In my defense, my kids were babies during his mid-90s stint on Saturday Night Live when he became a phenom. And I don't stay up much past 9:30.) In watching a YouTube clip of Macdonald talking about Tiger Woods, I thought it was cool that he was a golf fan. Then, I became aware that he was saying ‘you know’ over and over.  Of course, no one in … [Read more...]

Why your storytelling leads to the ‘spiral vortex of death’ and more missed putts

As he rushed past me at a university golf tournament this fall, the wide-eyed young player exclaimed, "I've missed five putts within 10 feet. I can’t putt!” He was telling himself one hell of a story. As a coach of a university golf team (Guelph), I hear plenty of stories from anguished players who don’t want to let their teammates down. ‘I can’t close a good round; I’m such a choker.’ ‘I can't get a break.' In other coaching, I also … [Read more...]

Why trying to make a good stroke is useless. Set your intentions on sinking the darn thing instead

I'm giving a presentation on Moe Norman on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario. Featuring footage from the upcoming documentary about his life, the talk is called, "What We Can Learn From the Eccentric Genius of Golf." Admission is free, there will be a cash bar and I'll sign copies of my book, The Feeling of Greatness: The Moe Norman Story. Come on out!   Feb. 2, … [Read more...]