What’s in Your Coaching Toolbox? – Dr Brian Hemmings

Most golf coaches understand the mental side matters – but knowing that and having specific, teachable techniques are two different things. In this Masterclass, Dr Brian Hemmings works from a cognitive-behavioural model he has applied across 25 years of practice to give coaches two tools they can put straight into use: a focused breathing technique grounded in autonomic nervous system physiology, and a three-channel grounding method drawn originally from PTSD literature. Both are subtle enough to use on a tee box without anyone noticing. Both can be practised off the course and transferred into play. This is a practical session – Hemmings walks participants through each technique in real time so they experience it, not just hear about it.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• The before-during-after performance loop model and how it guides psychological support for golfers
• How thoughts, physiological arousal and behaviour interact under pressure – and how changing one affects the others
• The mechanics of focused ratio breathing (4-count in, 7-count out) and why the extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system
• Why counting serves as a distraction technique that disrupts negative thought patterns without requiring conscious thought restructuring
• How to teach players to practise breathing in everyday situations so the technique is ready when they need it on the course
• Three forms of sensory grounding – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic – and how each can anchor a player’s attention to the present moment during play
• Why the coaching relationship itself is one of the strongest predictors of player development – beyond the techniques applied

👥 Who is This For?

• PGA Professionals wanting practical psychological tools to add to their coaching sessions
• Coaches working with competitive or tour-level players who experience performance anxiety or momentum problems
• Coaches who already discuss the mental game but want techniques they can teach directly rather than refer on
• Any professional looking to understand the physiological basis for breathing-based interventions in sport

📂 Format & Structure

• 1 video Masterclass (approx. 44 minutes, including live Q&A)
• Estimated completion time: under 1 hour
• Watch at your own pace, on any device

🎤 About the Speaker

Dr Brian Hemmings holds a PhD in sport psychology from the University of Southampton and has worked in golf psychology for over 25 years. He was Lead Psychologist to England Golf for 16 years (1997-2013), working with European and World Championship-winning teams and helping develop players including Danny Willett, Tommy Fleetwood and Eddie Pepperell. He has since served as Lead Psychologist to the Hong Kong Golf Association and continues to consult on the European, Asian and PGA Tours. He is the author of five books – including the widely read ’Mental Toughness for Golf: The Minds of Winners’ – and created the Golf Psychology Coaching Certificate, an approved programme of the PGAs of GB and Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand and the PGAs of Europe.

The CPG Masterclass Series embodies a range of talks and presentations for PGAs and PGA Professionals that cover a variety of subjects and topics, delivered by world-class, industry leading experts from their respective fields.