At some point it happens to every golfer.
You’re cruising along, playing well, and then you make a misstep and the wheels come off. Bogeys become doubles. Doubles become something worse.
Most golfers compound their errors, taking a once-promising round and turning it into a blemish-ridden scorecard.
In the third round of last month’s Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, that’s exactly what could have happened to Charles Fitzsimmons. He was leading the tournament at Fort McMurray Golf Club when he faltered, making a bogey on a course that is ultra-tight. He followed it with a mess on the next hole.
“If you asked how I made triple bogey, I’d say I missed the putt for double,” Fitzsimmons joked. “It was a shock because I was in such control and then that disappeared.”
Two more bogeys followed, and another double.
But unlike most golfers, Fitzsimmons was uniquely prepared to deal with his on-course fumble. Walking to the 18th tee, Fitzsimmons took what he calls “10 mindful breaths.”
“I wanted to re-engage and stop my mind from racing,” he said.
He made birdie on the final hole of the day to stop the bleeding. It was a positive conclusion to a day that could have left him shell-shocked.
Dr. Fitzsimmons had assessed his own on-course issues even while making big numbers at the end of the round, and he’d determined a strategy to deal with them. And Fitzsimmons is an actual doctor – of sports psychology – having graduated from Western University two years ago. These days his work entails assisting Ontario Hockey League players, college athletes and professional and amateur golfers. And his practice is busy, at least when Fitzsimmons isn’t experimenting with treating himself.
He’s had lots of time to test out his theories. After all, Fitzsimmons may just be the longest-standing athlete to play university sports in Canada, having started with Western’s golf team in 2006, and competing until he finished his schooling in 2019. He worked as a sports psychologist for many of those years, which explains the length of time it took him to finish his post-graduate work. These days he’s coaching the Western women’s golf team when not working at his busy sports psychology practice.
... most athletes can only truly focus for a handful of seconds. The goal of Neuropeak Pro is to expand that time of clarity to 30 or even 40 seconds, enough to commit and execute an appropriate golf shot.
And he practices what he preaches, which brings us back to the final hole of the third round of the Canadian Mid-Am. With a mess of bogeys and worse in the rearview, Fitzsimmons tapped into a breathing technique that he’d used personally to improve his focus. The program was developed by a company called Neuropeak Pro and Fitzsimmons is far from alone in his advocacy of the concept. It is also used by the likes of NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins, and perhaps most notably, the PGA Tour’s Bryson DeChambeau. Fitzsimmons says that in the moment, most athletes can only truly focus for a handful of seconds. The goal of Neuropeak Pro is to expand that time of clarity to 30 or even 40 seconds, enough to commit and execute an appropriate golf shot.
“Resonance diaphragmatic breathing,” is what Fitzsimmons calls it, explaining the program’s theory that it helps to create balance in a player’s brain.
“Once you’ve done it everything is cool, everything is fine, and you can relax,” he said.
The terms Fitzsimmons tosses around sound like they come from a guy who spent more than a decade pursuing his Ph.D., all the while helping other athletes and playing high-level amateur golf himself.
“The result has been world-changing for me,” Fitzsimmons said.
Fitzsimmons started working with the Neuropeak Pro plan last spring, following it across several months. The results came quickly. He finished fifth in the Canadian Amateur and won the Ontario Match Play.
Fitzsimmons, a tall man but hardly a long hitter, suddenly achieved success that had eluded him in the past. “I’ve never been more focused and in control of my game,” he said.
Despite a back injury that limited his play coming into the Canadian Mid-Am, Fitzsimmons felt confident. He’d placed third two years earlier, the last time the tournament was played, and the two golfers who edged Fitzsimmons out in 2019 – winner Joseph Deraney and Canadian NHL referee Garrett Rank – weren’t in the field at Fort McMurray.
In the end, Fitzsimmons refocused for the final round. Despite finding himself five shots behind the leader, Fitzsimmons went low, shooting 5-under 67 to finish as the only player under par in the tournament. His win received a fair bit of coverage, most of it with brief commentary about how “breathing” helped him to victory. If it were only that simple. But for Fitzsimmons, the win is proof that what he’s teaching works under pressure.
“It gives me extra credibility,” he said. “These are skills that I’ve used in my research, but beyond that they are tools that I’ve put into practice. Every time I win something, I get two to five new clients.”
What’s next? Fitzsimmons wants to play in more USGA events. He had a spot at the 2020 U.S. Amateur in Bandon Dunes, but COVID-19 kept him away. He’s hoping that changes next year, allowing him to test out his skills – and his mental prowess – against some of the top amateur golfers in the world.
What about playing against some of the golfers he assists? Aren’t there a unique set of challenges when you tee it up against golfers who you’re helping? Fitzsimmons says that’s positive as well.
“If I beat them, that’s extra incentive to them to work harder and believe in what we’re doing,” he said. “And if they beat me, I’ve done well as a coach. Win-win.”
At least, in this instance, when the doctor says he’s taking the day off to play golf, it doesn’t mean he’s skipping out on work.
Top: Fitzsimmons makes a swing during the Canadian Mid-Amateur.
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