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Susan Farron, New Zealand and Auckland Golf HP

Susan Farron has been involved in many sports for as long as she can remember, but it’s golf that has led her to where she is today. She is currently the New Zealand High Performance Coach and Head Coach of Auckland Women’s Development Squads as well as running her own coaching business in Auckland.
 
Susan was a bit of a late starter when it came to the game of golf. “At school I played netball, tennis, hockey – pretty much all the sports available,” says Susan. “The only sport I steered clear of was gymnastics and I still can’t do a handstand!”
 
At the age of 13, Susan was introduced to golf and found it suited her personality down to a tee. “I loved the solitude and repetition of striking ball after ball, putt after putt,” says Susan. “It’s an individual thing. I could cycle down to the course on my 10-speed with my trundler on the back and play for hours. Sometimes until it was too dark to see the ball, but your eyes soon adjust.”
 
Although Susan started playing golf later than many of her counterparts, it didn’t take long before she had achieved a handicap of single figures. “If you’re 13 years old nowadays and you don’t have a handicap in single figures, you’re definitely behind the eight ball,” says Susan.
 
Susan’s love of the game saw her move quickly through the ranks from club level into district level, representing her district at interprovincial golf tournaments and holding the number one title for the Manawatu/Wanganui region for several years before being picked to play for New Zealand.
 
After representing New Zealand for five years from 1989 to 1994, Susan turned professional. “I played as a tour professional for six years, qualifying for the European Tour, where I secured my card for five years,” says Susan. The highlights of the tour for Susan were having the opportunity to compete in the Women’s British Open and US Women’s Open. “Although I never won a tournament, I finished second and enjoyed the travel and experience of playing in countries like Asia, Australia, the UK and the US,” says Susan.

On her return to New Zealand, Susan realised she needed to make some decisions about her future. “I knew I always had a lot of patience and an affinity with helping and teaching people,” says Susan. “My Mum came from a teaching background, so I decided to learn how to teach and stick with what I knew best, which was how to play golf.” Due to Susan’s professional experience in the game, it only took one year to complete her PGA traineeship to become qualified as a golf coach, which saved her two extra years of qualifying.
 
Susan launched her new career in coaching at a club in Palmerston North, working with club golfers, lady beginners and juniors. “That was my grounding,” says Susan. “It confirmed my interest in working with kids and shaping them for the future.”

Susan has now established her coaching business in Auckland and is keen to get more young girls involved in the game. “I remind them that it’s not just a sport for parents and grandparents, it’s a cool sport and it’s a game for life,” says Susan. “There are so many benefits to the game and it’s not just about getting active. There’s an amazing set of values and core beliefs that people can take from the game,” she says. “It teaches them patience, confidence and to trust themselves. And, you can’t cheat at golf!”

Susan finds that girls really enjoy the team aspect of the game, especially playing the team formats like Ambrose or two ball, best ball format.

A typical start to any training session Susan leads, whether with a junior beginner or a New Zealand representative, begins with questions like:
• “What would you like to achieve in practice today?”
• “How would a champion golfer prepare themselves for a game?”
• “What are you thinking about as you prepare to play the next shot?”

“It gives them a chance to look at themselves, set their own goals and get their heads in the right space,” says Susan.

Susan loves coaching beginners just as much as the elite golfers. Her focus is on changing the way all golfers think about themselves and how these thoughts can produce emotions that influence the actions they take on the golf course.

“I make training tougher than the competition, which puts them in the appropriate state of mind,” says Susan. “Your state of mind is what will separate a successful athlete from the other athletes that make up the field.”

Susan’s edge as a coach is based around what’s going on inside your head. “My passion is about what’s ‘between the ears’ and how that translates into playing confidently and making the most of the situation you’re in,” says Susan. “I know the technical coaching side of things and have played it at a high level, but that’s just a small part of it. It’s the state of mind makes the difference.”

After the disappointing results at the 2008 Women’s and Men’s World Amateur, it has been frustrating for Susan to see how athletes with so much talent don’t produce more consistent and successful results time after time.  So Susan has made a more conscious effort to develop and implement mental strategies for her athletes, making it an integral part of her coaching.