Every Monday at IJGA, we host a Character Session. While we celebrate golf success, we also encourage developing character and supporting well-rounded student-athletes.
We teach junior golfers to learn to navigate challenges, handle wins and losses with grace, and emerge as champions not just on the leaderboard but in life.
For this week, students requested that Gary Wise give a talk. In line with Gary’s hobbies of rock climbing, surfing, and other extreme sports, he started with a short documentary on Alex Honnold’s free solo climb to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite.
Gary used this example to help our students understand what it means to form a self-identity. How external pressures shape you and how you reach your goals. In Alex’s case, he was shaped by life or death. In golf, it’s not so extreme.
How Can Golfers Overcome Pressure?
So, what shapes a golfer? For our juniors, it’s society, their peers, and their mentors. It’s the internal pressure they place on themselves to be their best. Sometimes the doubt of getting there is crippling. Especially when your social media feed is filled only with successes, it seems like failing is unacceptable.
Related Post: Developing Your Mental Golf Game
Gary challenged the students to find within themselves who they are. What shapes them? What drives them? And for them to know that the golf course is not life or death. It is more about character than anything else. He informs them of three options when facing a challenge: accept, influence, or change.
Change is the hardest but is the most consistent in our lives. Gary offered his opinion that life will always shape us and that we should consistently move towards our goals, knowing who we are. Thus, the importance of our self-identity.
Train With IJGA Coaches
Golf teaches more than swing techniques; it instills sportsmanship and respect. Junior golfers at IJGA embody these values, understanding that success is not just measured by scores but by the character they display.
To start developing your mental game, contact our team at 855-378-8177 or plan a visit!
