So who are behind the Mindfocus for Golf™ concept?
The company behind the concept is Mindfocus Limited, a company dedicated to providing golfers of all abilities with accessible, affordable, innovative sport psychology tools. Mindfocus Limited is headed by Simon Houghton, a sport psychologist who wanted to develop a tool that went beyond the traditional books and audio CDs, that attempt to convey sometimes quite complicated mental skills. Simon felt that a multimedia, internet-based application would be a tool that would allow golfers to understand how to master their mental game, without the expense of a sport psychologist, which is, in the main, really only available to professional golfers, and those golfers with deep pockets!
In addition to providing this innovative, multimedia tool, Simon wanted to ensure that the concepts, theory and mental skills underpinning the application were backed by research and scientific rigour. All contributors to Mindfocus for Golf are experienced sport psychologists and are members of BASES (British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences). All have formal university education in sport psychology, and all content has been researched and applied with sportsmen and women, both in golf and other sports.
For more information on Mindfocus for Golf, feel free to email me at simon.houghton@mindfocusforgolf.com Alternatively, our business address is: Mindfocus Limited, 3 Loanhead Place, Aberdeen, AB25 2SW.
Our main telephone number is +44 (0)1224 638109.
Simon Houghton
Simon is Director of Mindfocus Limited, the company behind the innovative Mindfocus for Golf™. He has a masters degree in Sport Psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University, and is a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. He works predominantly with golfers, triathletes and rugby players. Before training as a Sport Psychologist, he worked as a management consultant in London, and in his spare time he is a keen golfer, and enjoys travelling and listening to music.
Nick Smith
Dr Nick Smith is a principal lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the Alsager Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University. He has been accredited as a sport and exercise psychologist by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences for sixteen years. Nick is also a graduate member of the British Psychological Society. He has worked extensively as a Sport Psychology consultant in both the UK and abroad across a range of team and individual sports. Nick has been a media consultant and commentator for Eurosport Television since 1994.
His interests lie mostly in the areas of stress, emotion and sport performance, including anxiety in golf, areas in which he has published widely for both popular and scientific readerships. In his spare time he is a regular and enthusiastic runner and enjoys listening to and playing modern jazz.
Kelly Jones
Dr Kelly Jones has a PhD and Masters degree in Sport Psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University. The majority of Kelly's Sport Psychology consultancy work has been with individual sports performers and her research focuses on stress and anxiety and sports performance.
Kelly's recent work has focused on anxiety and performance in golfers. Most of Kelly's spare time is spent outdoors and she is an experienced walker and enthusiastic climber.
Other Contributors
A variety of individuals and organisations were involved in the development of the Mindfocus for Golf™ project, which has taken 2 years, from concept to delivery. Some of the contributors are listed below:
Covey McCormick
Marketing and Design Consultancy, based in Aberdeen. Responsible for developing the PR & marketing activities that helped to launch the product onto the market. Covey McCormick were also responsible for key design decisions regarding the application, and were involved in the development of the video direction and storyboard. www.covey-mccormick.co.uk.
Openspark Interactive
Developers of the Mindfocus for Golf interactive web application. www.openspark.com.
Hoohah Recording Studios
Recorded and edited the audio voice overs for the multimedia videoclips. www.hoohahrecordingstudios.co.uk.
MQC
Responsible for running and maintaining the independent trials prior to the launch of Mindfocus for Golf. www.m-q-c.co.uk.
BBC Scotland
Responsible for the filming of the multimedia videoclips. www.bbc.co.uk.
Donald Ford Images
Responsible for the golf course images found within the website. www.donaldfordimages.co.uk.
Individuals
The following individuals were involved in a variety of different aspects of the development of the Mindfocus for Golf concept and website: Darren Cousins, Tricia Houghton, Adrian Styles, Neal Skillen, Tony Houghton, Chris Reynolds