St Andrews Links Golf Academy has extended its range of instruction services to include its first-ever resident sport psychologist.
Dr Paul McCarthy, who is a chartered sport psychologist with the British Psychological Society and practitioner psychologist with the Health and Care Professionals Council, will join the Academy having spent the past 15 years helping amateur and professional athletes to excel and win when it matters most in sport.
Having worked for several years at Nottingham Forest Football Club, Dr McCarthy now works mainly in professional golf and tennis. His clients have played and won on various tours across Europe.
St AndrewsLinksGolfAcademy harnesses the spirit of tradition and innovation at the Home of Golf to deliver world class instruction and custom fit services for golfers of all ages and abilities. The team of PGA professionals use cutting edge technology to deliver the highest standards of coaching with Director of Instruction Steve North delighted with the appointment of the Links first-ever resident Sports Psychologist.
He said: “More and more golfers of all abilities are starting to appreciate the importance of the mental side of the game of golf.If you look at the world’s leading players you can see how seriously most of them take their approach to mental conditioning in every aspect of their game, whether its practice or in the heat of competition. Those same skills are applicable to every golfer and can make a real difference in your approach to the game.
“Our aim at the Academy is to provide the highest standard of coaching and support for all aspects of the game. We always strive to offer our customers innovation and excellence in everything we do. We have been exploring the possibility of introducing sports psychology to the Academy for some time andPaul’s experience and approach to work seems like the perfect fit.We are delighted to have Paul on board.
“The team and I are really looking forward to seeing the positive results of Paul’s work with golfers of all abilities at the Academy, who all share a common desire to improve their performance.”
Dr McCarthy added: “I am delighted to become the first resident sports psychologist at St Andrews Links Golf Academy.
“Steve and the team are committed to exploring exciting and innovative methods of coaching and development and I am very proud to be the first resident Sports Psychologist at the Home of Golf.
“I have helped athletes in a number of disciplines to improve their sport performances and regain the enjoyment and motivation to do their best, always. I know that no two athletes, coaches or teams are the same so I tailor my approach to focus on meeting and understanding individual needs. I am very much looking forward to putting my work into practice at St AndrewsLinksGolfAcademy.”
Dr McCarthy has authored several books, including The Successful Golfer: Practical Fixes for the Mental Game of Golf, and peer-reviewed research articles exploring the value of positive emotion for sport performance and why athletes lose concentration.
As part of his continuing work at GlasgowCaledonianUniversity, Dr McCarthy utilises sophisticated eye tracking equipment to explore differences among novice and elite golfers in various parts of the game. He is a psychologist with special expertise on supervision within the register of applied psychology practice supervisors supporting students to become chartered sport psychologists. As well as being a regular contributor to leading psychology journals Dr McCarthy has also contributed regular articles in leading golf magazines such as ‘Bunkered’ and ‘Today’s Golfer’.
Dr McCarthy will operate at the Academy on specific days in each calendar month. To find out more or to book an appointment visit www.standrews.org.uk