Brief Summary: Barry's Recovery

The length of the recovery period concerns me as Barry may be inclined to return to his sport in less time than set by his physiotherapist. The greatest consequence of this will be an increased recovery time, which will have a negative impact on his confidence and enthusiasm to return to competition. Barry has expressed his concerns to me, already considering “Giving up golf because (he’ll) never be as good as (he) was before (the) injury.” Frustration will be the biggest factor during Barry’s recovery, potentially blooming into depression because he isn’t able to take part in his beloved sport.
Psychological strategies
Motivation
Barry has explained to me that his main source of motivation is his desire to win and his hunger for trophies.
This goal requires Barry to be in exceptional form as he will be playing against hundreds of talented golfers like himself for a place on the tour. However, due to the extended recovery period for Barry’s injury, it is almost guaranteed that he will not be in the same playing form as he was before his injury. Therefore, he must re-evaluate his short-term goals to ones that will restore his previous playing form. This is because “The process of achieving goals and seeing their achievement gives you the confidence and self-belief to enable you to achieve higher and more difficult goals.” (Daramalan Sports Psychology, P. 29) Setting more PROCESS ORIENTED goals such as achieving pre-injury ball flight and putting consistency during practice will slowly restore his confidence in his playing ability. Once he returns to competition, it is important that he has set REALISTIC PERFORMANCE goals, like hitting 70% of fairways and 50% GIR (green in regulation), rather than outcome goals. Achieving his performance goals should eventually lead to a successful outcome, increasing the likelihood of Barry having enough motivation to continue achieving his performance
Arousal refers to “…the level of anxiety prior to performance.” (Daramalan Sports Psychology, P.33) The physical arousal levels of professional golfers must be low but the mental arousal levels must be high in order to perform the complex motor skills involved in a golf swing. This requires excellent concentration and effective strategies to maintain an optimal level of arousal. Barry’s naturally high levels of physical arousal make it easy for him to become too aroused during a pressure situation, thereby explaining his A-state anxiety. His A-state anxiety made him choke during last year’s qualification for the Web.com tour, unfortunately missing a putt for birdie on the 18th hole. I’ve listed a few strategies for him to overcome his A-state anxiety and to help lower his arousal levels below:
1. Putting the game into perspective – this makes it easier to concentrate and relaxes him physically, as the worst outcome is a poor shot or missed putt.
2. Develop a pre-shot routine – This creates consistency between practice and competition, allowing Barry to execute the same shots in competition as he did during practice. Brandt Snedeker has a consistent 13 second routine that he performs with every swing (driver, iron or putter). “His lucky ‘13’ helps him to stay relaxed and keeps his swing in beautiful rhythm, whether it is the first round of the