Tim O'Connor

2 weeks ago | fairwaysgolf.ca | Tim O'Connor |Peter Mumford

Like politics and religion, golf is a mystery for most people. One of the greatest mysteries of the game is:When golfers focus on their swing mechanics, they usually play their worstWhen they try to hit a certain shot, they often play their bestIt’s completely counter-intuitive to a golf culture that tells us: to play well, you must swing correctly. Therefore, most golfers try to direct their body parts to move in prescribed ways.

1 month ago | fairwaysgolf.ca | Tim O'Connor |Peter Mumford

Everyone has a story :I suck at golf because I started too lateI’m not athleticI didn’t get the sale because I’m bad at closingI’ll never find someone; I’m unlovableI’ll never make enough moneyWe all have some good stories, but we don’t give much time to them. No, we invest our emotional energy in our shitty stories; we hate ‘em but they provide some comfort—and a sense of control—because they’re so familiar. We’ve been telling these stories to ourselves most of our lives. They’re also very handy.

2 months ago | fairwaysgolf.ca | Tim O'Connor |Peter Mumford

Do you watch a sunset and wish it would slow down and last longer, or do you just witness it without mental chatter? Neither is wrong. It’s just an indicator of how much you think vs feel. Last season I coached a woman who battled a wicked slice off the tee. She said her driver swing was a “complete mystery.”In an effort to solve it, I asked her during a lesson to swing her driver and tell me what she felt. She looked puzzled.

Mar 22, 2025 | fairwaysgolf.ca | Tim O'Connor |Peter Mumford

“The quality of your golf—and your life—is determined by the quality of your attention.”I’m not sure who I first heard utter this nugget of wisdom, but I have heard myself saying it a lot lately to my coaching clients. I also had a recent experience that seemed to substantiate it. Last weekend, I was listening to a young fellow around 13 reading aloud to a group. He was slight, spoke softly and had what I believe was an accent from an African country. I thought: “I can’t hear what he’s saying.

Mar 5, 2025 | fairwaysgolf.ca | Tim O'Connor |Peter Mumford

Photo: Zoltan Tasi / UnsplashIn my new book, Getting Unstuck: 7 Transformational Practices for Golf Nerds, I argue that the best thing you can do to respond more effectively to your negative and distracting thoughts in your golf—and your life—is to meditate. The following is an edited excerpt:Most golfers go through a round of golf without a clue what their minds are doing. It’s like we’re in a trance, carried unconsciously this way and that by our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviours.