#142: [Inside the Mind] Alex Huang: Curiosity as a Catalyst for Excellence and Elite Performance

You've lived in moments where one emotional decision can cost you a stack of chips… or three strokes in 90 seconds. And that's why this conversation with Alex Huang hits so hard.

Alex breaks down how poker "tilt" and golf blow-up holes are the same problem in different clothing: impulsivity, entitlement, and emotion hijacking decision-making. We talk long-run thinking, why variance (aka luck) doesn't excuse bad process, and how numbers can act like "bowling bumpers" that keep you from derailing when your expectations outpace reality.

You'll also hear Alex's best frameworks for talking players off the ledge after a mistake, why elite players obsess over reflection (even after shooting low), and the single message he'd put on a billboard every golfer would see: process, not results.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why impulsivity in golf is just "tilt" with a scorecard
• How to think in "the long run" so one hole doesn't define your round
• How variance + luck can still coexist with elite decision-making
• Why 15-foot putts deserve realistic expectations (and calmer emotions)
• How data creates objectivity without crushing feel-based players
• Where ego and entitlement bleed strokes (especially par 5s + short par 4s)
• How elite players reflect, catalog "feels," and build resilient performance

Get your pencils ready and start listening.

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More About Alex Huang

Alex is the COO of DECADE Golf. He works with several dozen LPGA / EPSON Tour players as well as many of the Top 10 college programs in both Men's and Women's golf. He specializes in distilling complicated golf data and ideas into simpler heuristics and concepts.

You can follow Alex on Instagram here: @alexhuanggolf

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Paul Salter - known as The Golf Hypnotherapist - is a High-Performance Hypnotherapist and Mindset Coach who leverages hypnosis and powerful subconscious reprogramming techniques to help golfers of all ages and skill levels overcome the mental hazards of their minds so they can shoot lower scores and play to their potential.

He has over 16 years of coaching experience working with high performers in various industries, helping them get unstuck, out of their own way, and unlock their full potential.

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Instagram: @thepaulsalter

Key Takeaways:

• Tilt isn't an emotion problem—it's a decision problem that emotions accelerate.
• The long-run mindset protects you from chasing: one bad swing doesn't require a heroic response.
• Variance is real: a good decision can produce a bad outcome (divots, bounces, gusts) and still be the right play.
• Numbers act like bowling bumpers—keeping you from going so aggressive you create doubles and triples.
• "Should" is a red-flag word: entitlement (par 5s, wedges, short par 4s) is where blow-ups are born.
• When emotions spike, win the next moment: get hyper-specific on the target and stack micro-wins (GIR, 10% rule, speed).
• Elite players invest in reflection and documentation—especially when playing well—so they can return to what works faster.

Key Quotes:

• "One catastrophic decision or one downward spiral where you're kind of chasing a previously bad decision — as we used in poker the term tilt — that can lead to your demise. You blink, you make a triple bogey because you got a bit greedy or a bit thoughtless or reckless with the strategy."
• "Just because you lost your pot going all in with aces pre-flop does not mean in hindsight you now look back and say, I should have folded. Much the same way with golf… you pick a good target, you make a committed swing… maybe you get unlucky and you wind up in a divot."
• "If I gave you a full deck of cards and I asked you to draw a diamond out of it and you drew a spade, would you be ticked off? No, right. But then how many times have they stood over a 14 or 15 foot putt upset that they didn't make it?"
• "You can't control where your shot ends up within its shot pattern. You can't control the bounces you're going to get. But what you can control is making a committed swing at your target and dealing with the results."

Time Stamps:

• 00:00: The Cost of Impulsivity in Poker and Golf
• 02:50: Long-Term Thinking in Competitive Environments
• 05:40: Defining and Developing Resiliency
• 08:39: The Role of Data in Decision Making
• 11:33: Balancing Numbers and Intuition
• 14:44: Patience and Preparation in Golf
• 17:27: Common Pitfalls and Mindset Traps
• 20:36: The Importance of Reflection and Process
• 23:12: Curiosity as a Catalyst for Growth
• 26:20: Building a Supportive Network
• 29:15: Mental Game Strategies for Golfers
• 32:12: Resetting After Mistakes
• 35:16: The Power of Objectivity
• 38:02: Investing in Mindset and Reflection
• 40:49: Final Thoughts on Process Over Results