I coach both men and women golfers of every level, between ages 18-91, including PGA members, state amateur title competitors, club and league competitors, as well as avid golfers with handicaps from +3 to 30.

I have a lifetime of engagement with golf. I am a Professor of Psychiatry at Brown University. Through my career in psychiatry, I’ve developed an understanding of what it takes to help people translate new mental insights into a more successful pursuit of their goals.

I’ve been a practitioner of mindfulness meditation for fifty years and utilize that background to help golfers figure out their own best practices to improve focus, concentration, and presence.

Through decades of commitment to physical training and endurance athletics, including an Ironman competition, I’ve gained a practical understanding of performance psychology which I apply to the world of golf. I have over a decade of working with golfers on the mental aspects of the game, and I am engaged with ongoing research on swing thoughts.

I work to help golfers find a way to balance new mental skills with technical, physical, and lifestyle issues – all of which are needed in balance to optimize golf performance.

Here are some of their actual statements:

o I feel stuck despite buying new clubs, taking a lot of lessons, and playing more often.

o I feel like I’m falling short of my potential.

o I should be getting better but it just isn’t happening

o I can’t seem to concentrate when it matters most.

o I have a lot of good swing thoughts but I can’t seem to execute them.

o I hit it great on the range, but can’t take it to the course.

o I’ve bought 6 sets of clubs and 14 putters in the last 5 years – it isn’t helping.

o When I’m competing, certain people get in my head so I lose matches I should win.

o I’m a terrible putter and it must be a mental problem.

o Maybe I should quit, this game is just not fun anymore.

o I keep hearing about how important the mental part of golf it – What is this all about?

o There are too many holes that intimidate me.

o I have the first tee jitters.

o I think I should be able to shoot lower scores. What’s stopping me?

o I’ve seen 6 instructors in 4 months – I went from shooting 80 to barely breaking 100.

o My handicap has hit a plateau.

o I’m not sure anymore about my goals as a professional.

o I’m getting older, hitting it shorter, shooting higher scores: sometimes I wonder if I should quit.

o Your current efforts to improve are not getting you anywhere.

o You seem to be caught in a repetitive cycle of hope and disappointment.

o You’re not getting anywhere but hoping that somehow you are going to improve if you only hear the right golf tips or just play more.

o You’re getting tired of your handicap hovering around the same number.

o You’re getting tired of hearing yourself repeat the same old criticisms such as “I didn’t take it back, I didn’t complete my swing, I was too fast, etc.,” but your game is not really changing.

o You often feel like you’re often on an emotional roller coaster, shifting from brief celebrations to disappointments during a round, or even on a single hole. Maybe you’re losing your temper.

o Even when you’re playing fairly well, you’re always worried about bad shots emerging.

o You’ve not worked out the mental aspects of your pre-shot routine, or you’re not able to fully engage with it.

o You’re looking for more out of this game.

o You have too many thoughts going on when you swing.

o You lose your concentration too many times.

o You cannot seem to “finish off” a match or a great round on the last few holes.

o You’ve has some experience of being “in the zone” and wonder how you can get back there.

o You’ve lost track of why you are playing golf- and need to clarify your goals.

Dr Rich will encourage you to hit the pause button on looking for more quick-fix golf tips and then have you ask yourself “What do I need to learn about myself to play better golf? This is because when you change yourself, your game is going to change as well.

The skills you will work on with Dr Rich will result in more good swings, which will result in lower scores. However, it is important to be clear that score is best addressed by not having it as the main focus or primary goal. You will play better golf!

o Understanding how to teach yourself to own your swing

o Playing without concern for external praise or criticism

o Discovering or re-discovering an ability to be innovative and creative

o Understanding what it would take to find “the zone” more often

o Playing more consistently

o Swinging without fear

o Maxing out your capabilities by getting out of your own way

o Learning to be “present” during your golf swing – a skill which will carry over into your everyday life.

o How to manage tempo: one of the most frequent complaints after a poor shot is “I was too fast.”

o How to breathe in a way that optimizes performance. Tom Watson famously said

“When I learned to breathe, I learned to win.”

o Creating or optimizing the mental components of your pre-shot routine.

o Improving concentration and focus so you will hir fewer poor shots.

o Reducing performance anxiety.

o Developing your own plans for conditioning and nutrition. There is a reason that

competitive golfers of all ages continue to work on these.

o Accessing the power of positive thinking and counteracting negative thinking.

o Clarifying your reasons for playing.

o Understanding the importance of golf strategy keyed to the level of your game.

o Managing your emotions before, during and after the round.

o Accelerating your learning through enhanced awareness.

o Learning to be present.

o Learning to balance the social aspects of golf with the need to focus.

o Increasing your self-awareness to recognize when your current approach is just more

of the same and getting you nowhere fast.

Email Dr Rich at drrichgolf@gmail.com with some brief background information on your golf situation and what you hope to get out of mental golf coaching.

2) Dr Rich will get back to you to set up an initial phone call. There is no fee for the initial call.

3) If we decide to work together, we will set up either an in-person or zoom meeting.

Once we begin, the path becomes highly personalized. We will want to understand your golf background, issues and goals. We will go through an inventory of your mental golf strengths and weaknesses. The best outcomes emerge from meeting on some regular basis. You should not expect things to change after one or two sessions – though it is not unusual for people to make some breakthroughs especially at the beginning For some golfers, a few sessions of consultation may be enough to provide a new foundation.

Hourly charges are compartable to the cost of private technical playing lessons. If we utilize golf course playing time, the student will cover any associated fees. There would be additional fees for travel costs if that becomes part of our plan.