Wicked Smart Golf Dr. Michael Lardon: Learn How to Unlock Peak Performance (Flashback Friday)
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Mar 13, 2026 Dr. Michael Lardon, world-renowned sports psychiatrist and bestselling author, shares his work with elite athletes and pro golfers. He explains the zone, his left/right/no-brain pre-shot pyramid, mental scorecards, and simple placeholders to manage thoughts. Short stories from Q‑School and tips on routines, caddies, and recovering after a bad hole round out a practical look at peak performance.
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From Table Tennis To Q School Shaped A Career
- Dr. Michael Lardon first encountered the zone playing high-level table tennis and later caddied in nearly 10 Q-school finals for his brother, which launched his sports psychiatry focus.
- Those experiences showed him the zone's reality and motivated EEG, hypnosis, and field studies linking mental state to performance under pressure.
Left Brain Right Brain No Brain PreShot Pyramid
- Peak shots follow a left brain, right brain, no brain sequence: analyze, create the feel/vision/tempo, then execute with no conscious thought.
- Lardon observed touring pros use this consistent pre-shot pyramid; deviations in timing predict errors.
Use A ThreeStep Mental PreShot Every Time
- Do build a concrete mental pre-shot: analyze lie and strategy, visualize or feel the shot, then step in with full intention and no extra thoughts.
- Use simple placeholders like 'finish high' to replace fearful images and maintain mental hygiene.
