Hurly Long revealed the reason why he pictures wheels slowing down ahead of every shot he hits during a mid-round interview with Tim Barter at the BMW International Open.
The mental side of golf is a huge part of the challenge professionals face on a daily basis, and it’s not an uncommon practice for some players to close their eyes and try to visualise the shot they are about to hit. As Barter pointed out to Long, Australian Jason Day is a well-known advocate of that particular practice.
The idea behind it is to help remove negative thoughts, slow everything down and help you focus purely on the next shot ahead. But as true as it is that there's more than one way to swing, there's also more than one way to use your mind to focus.
Victor Perez wrote in his player blog two years ago that during his victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2019, he was picking out colours to achieve that same effect.
“When I won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last year, I was picking out colours to calm myself down,” he wrote.
“It could be the colour of anything; a flag, a building, a grandstand, whatever, just something to check in with myself for a second and slow everything down. Every athlete will tell you when they feel their best they feel like everything is happening in slow motion, and for me it works because when my thoughts are calm and composed I can channel that energy and let my ability take over.”
Long’s philosophy is similar, but rather than picking out anything on the course like Perez or visualising the shot ahead like Day, he pictures something entirely different.
The German player, who is the son of coach and former European Challenge Tour player Ted Long, revealed to Barter he pictures wheels and then those cogs slowing down in his mind because it helps him lower his adrenaline and heartbeat before he opens his eyes and steps up to a shot.
“I was going to take that to the grave with me,” he joked.
“Whether it's wheels or something, I’m just trying to get hyper focused. It has to go slowly because my adrenaline has to be low, my heartbeat has to be low.
“When I open my eyes it’s meant to be like, I am myself, and I can react subconsciously. That’s the idea.”
It seems to work for Long, who opened with a four-under-par 68 during the opening round, and is enjoying playing in front of friends and family at Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid
"Yeah it’s great. This is such a good tournament, and the fans are always amazing," he said.
"I’ve got some family here, and I’m playing pretty decently so far so it’s been really fun."
