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Growth Spurt: Inside the Psychology of the Presidents Cup · The Growth Project

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  You.
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  Hey, doctor. Drew Brandon here checking in for this week's a growth spurt. And this week, I want to dive a little bit into the Presidents Cup,
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  which is actually going to be taking place beginning on Thursday this week. And we are fortunate enough and grateful, that amylose is going to be,
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  actually providing, the sports psychology services for team USA at the Presidents Cup this week.
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  So fired up about that. I want to talk a little bit about, just all the ins and outs of the event so that hopefully you can tune in and check it out and know exactly what's going on.
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  So the Presidents Cup is, is one of two major team events that we have in the sport of golf.
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  Obviously, golf is,
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  primarily an individual sport. 40, 50 something weeks per year. The best golfers in the world are playing,
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  individually for themselves. Right? For to try to, co compete, head to head in win tournaments. And we've got the Presidents Cup in the Ryder Cup which alternate years of as the big team events.
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  In my experience of working with players on tour, they love these team events,
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  in part because they spend so much time competing against each other.
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  But the Presidents Cup is, as team USA, matched against the world other than Europe. So whereas the the Ryder Cup is US versus, Europe, this is everybody else. And so that's
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  Canada, South America, Mexico, Asia, everywhere other than Europe, and the Presidents Cup started in 1994.
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  And historically, team USA has done really well in the Presidents Cup.
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  And we're hoping, of course, that that will continue this year.
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  But if you want to tune in, the competition starts on Thursday. To give you a little bit of information about the format, there are three primary,
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  formats that take place of how they compete throughout the Presidents Cup.
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  And those are beginning on Thursday. The the players will play in a
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  four ball format.
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  And so what that means is, it's essentially best ball. So you'll have teams of two and, everybody will hit their own ball. But then
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  better score will win. And that's why we call it four ball. So everyone's playing their own ball. But the best ball will be the one.
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  That is the score that is capped.
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  And so it's all a match play tournament, which means, you're competing not to get the lowest score, but to win the greatest number of holes. So each hole,
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  one of three things can happen on the whole, the the U.S. team could win, the international team could win the whole or you could half the whole, which means.
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  But the best score, both teams get the same score. Then you have the whole,
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  but it's a match play format, throughout the entire tournament Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday being four ball. Then on Friday we switch to what's called foursomes. So this is what we call alternate shot.
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  And this is where a lot of the, the chemistry and communication and a lot of kind of the psychological components that, that we, are most involved in really begin to show up.
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  Right? And so in a, in foursomes, the way that would work is one of the partners,
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  would tee off on the hole and hit the tee shot the next the other partner would hit the next shot. And then whoever had teed off would hit the third shot. If there was a third shot,
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  which on most holes there will be, and so they're, they're alternating back and forth and within the team, those partners are working together and communicating and doing their best to set each other up for success from shot to shot.
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  It's, the closest thing you see all year to really, a team dynamic within the sport of golf. I think a lot of the players really enjoy it because,
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  it can be kind of lonely playing the sport, in the other ways that they do most of the year. So. So Friday is alternate shot foursomes.
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  Then on Saturday, there are two sessions,
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  they'll play both fourball in foursomes and so they'll alternate. One will be in the morning, one will be in the afternoon. Two total sessions. So then there's a both of those things going on. And then Sunday, which is the conclusion of the the event is where we'll have individual match play.
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  So there's 12 players per team. All 12 players will play on Sunday, an individual head to head match play competition. So there are a total of 30 points available over the course of these four days. 15.5 is the winning score.
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  And so the teams will be competing to add up those points. And once a team hits 15.5, then that team is, counted as the winner in the event, which is hopefully going to be as, of course, right.
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  it's a really meaningful competition. I think it brings out the best in, in a true competitor. And it's especially exciting and fun, I think, for team USA this year, given that we are the host country, it will be played at Medinah in, in just outside of Chicago, which is a, country club that has a ton of history and just a beautiful, beautiful place.
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  So, yeah, I hope that you will take the time to tune in again. We're grateful that I will be representing,
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  team USA in and providing all the sports psychology services. So what does that mean? That we'll be working closely with, the captains and the players. And, having worked on Ryder Cup last year,
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  I can promise you that there's always something to be engaging in, in, providing some insight.
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  There's just so much that goes on. There's the expected, there's the unexpected, really challenging week, with a lot of meaningful opportunities to make an impact on people. So excited about it, looking forward to, being a part of the Presidents Cup and, and hope you will take the time to tune in and check it out as well to support team USA.