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Posted 07/05/2022 in Category 1

Simple ways to feel better more often – What should professional golfers consider for their job?

Simple ways to feel better more often – What should professional golfers consider for their job?

The pursuit of feeling better and doing better is a passion for so many people across the world today. Feeling better seems like it is in every magazine, on every television progamme and in every advertisement. And perhaps this assumption is accurate because more and more people are keen to live more fulfilling lives in every way, especially through their work. 


Warr (2002) helped us to see we can understand well-being at work along three axes: pleasure to displeasure, comfort to anxiety and enthusiasm to depression. Not only is this three-axis understanding of well-being important, it helps us to identify what is necessary to experience well-being in your job. Lionel Messi, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer are working when they pick up a football, golf club and tennis racquet; but it does not always feel that way to people who work in sport. Full-time athletes and professional athletes also gain from their workplace when they have (a) an opportunity to exercise personal control, (b) an opportunity to use their skills, (c) appropriate goals, (d) variety, (e) clarity about roles and consequences, (f) money available, (g) physical security, (h) supportive supervision, (i) good relationships and social support, and (j) a valued social position. 


If we take an athlete like Tiger Woods, for example, we can see that he can almost guarantee his well-being at work because he has personal control, uses his skills, sets wonderful goals, has variety and knows his role. They pay well his efforts, have security, and a team around to support him with good relationships available to him in a highly valued social position. If, however, we take a golfer that is trying to secure his well-being at work on a lower tour – the Challenge Tour – we can see how circumstances might challenge his well-being. The Challenge Tour in golf, however, might mean that a golfer can use his skills, set goals, entertain variety and know one’s role. Their pay however, it much less secure and because of the low pay settings, the golfer might not have a team to support his efforts. Developing good relationships is possible but also challenging because of long stretches on tour to save money and maximise the chances of playing well more often.  The golfer’s position, while valued, is much less valued than a golfer playing on the European tour. 


One might, for example, consider that a professional golfer holds a good life and the keys too for well-being; however, the centrality of finance means that while several contributions help to support well-being, the lack of a stable income might be the most challenging challenge on the Challenge Tour. What suggestions are necessary here? Perhaps the most important factor to set up for a golfer is to secure sponsorship that allows the golfer to practise, rest, and play to his best. It would be worth the effort to spend the off season seeking sponsorship for the year ahead. This task is hard, but not impossible. And the hours spent here might save weeks or months of aguish across the playing season. 


References

Warr, P. (2002). The study of well-being, behavior, and attitudes. In P. Warr (Ed.), Psychology at work (5th ed., pp. 1-25). New York, NY: Penguin Press

Magyar-Moe, O. (2015). Positive psychological interventions in counseling: What every counseling psychologist should know. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(4), 508–557. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000015573776


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