How golfers can learn from the Olympics to be better at stroke play and match play

At first glance you might think that sprinting one lap of the athletics track in an Olympic stadium in less than a minute has nothing in common with the game of golf.

But looks can be deceiving.

In reality, it might just be that the mental and competitive differences between stroke play and match play golf have an awful lot in common with the mental and competitive differences between individual 400 metre running and the relay.

A few years ago I found myself at a hotel bar with the ex-Great Britain and Northern Ireland runner Brian Whittle.

Those of a certain vintage will recall that the Scotsman was a fine 400 metre runner, but an excellent relay runner. In fact, he fitted very neatly into the late 1980s and early 1990s tradition of British athletes who transformed themselves from journeymen one-lap runners to world-class relay performers.

He was even famous for contributing to Team GB’s 1986 European Championship gold medal run despite losing one of his shoes when he took hold of the baton in the third leg.

Whittle also hailed from Troon, the Scottish coastal town home to Royal Troon, and he is an enthusiastic – and decent – golfer.

He was the ideal man to discuss what his career (athletics) might reveal of his hobby (golf) because he was a solid individual 400 metre runner when stuck in the lanes but was great when second, third or fourth in a relay, when he could run on the shoulder of his opponents – and then pass them.

Might that, I wondered, be a bit like golf?

Stroke play is, after all, a little like running one lap in lanes: you’ve got to pace your own race and stick to your own strategy.

For professionals, you could even say that each 100-yard stretch is the equivalent to a round.

The first two rounds are played in waves that make it a little tricky to determine who has the early advantage just as the stagger has the same effect on the track.

Then the third round is known as “Moving Day” while the third 100 on the track takes place on the final bend when runners are told to make their move.

The final straight is like the final round – it is only then that the golfer and the runner should start worrying about what everyone else is doing and start reacting.

For amateurs, the stroke play situation is slightly different, but it remains of value to think about “staying in your own lane” because worrying what anyone else is doing in a medal or club championship is mostly only going to distract you.

Match play is a different beast entirely for professionals and amateurs alike: it’s golfer against golfer. You both know what is going on and it’s all about being proactive or reacting smartly.

Whittle could have dismissed these thoughts, but he didn’t.

“I like it,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “And you know what? My career backs this up.”

Ian Poulter of the 400 metres?

He went on to explain that he was a better indoor 400 metre runner than outdoor. The reason why? The second lap was run out of lanes.

He also became an 800 metre runner later in his career for the same reason because in the two-lap race he only had to run the first bend in lanes.

“I needed to be on the shoulder, in the action, knowing what was going on,” he said.

“You were the Ian Poulter of the 400 metres?” I suggested.

He laughed. “Not quite as good as him, but yeah! I think so.”

For what it’s worth there is an Olympic 800 metre with golf connections – the 1972 final which was won by Dave Wottle “in the golf cap”. It’s one of the great examples of both running your own race and then thriving by running past the other athletes shoulder-by-shoulder.

So how do we use this comparison to improve our golf?

Firstly, it might be instructive to assess what you are best at.

If you struggle with stroke play, perhaps view it less as an 18-hole or four-round struggle and instead think of a one-lap run: stay in your lane, pace yourself, deal with what you’re doing and ignore outside distractions, look forward not sideways.

If your playing partner has made birdie at the first three holes and you’ve parred them all, think again of a runner. The 400 metre runner who gets off to a flier is more likely to struggle later in the lap. Trust that the same might happen in your golf game. Do what you can, trust your processes, don’t chase.

And what if you struggle at match play? Think of yourself in a relay. Do you prefer to be out in front imposing yourself or on the shoulder and ready to pounce?