RON STOCKTON BIOGRAPHY continued...

mechanics.  That was the huge breakthrough, the ‘light bulb moment,’ if you will. I had spent my whole playing career trying to emulate his mechanics, not understanding that the magic was all in the routine."

Working with sports psychologists Dr. Deborah Graham and Jon Stabler, founders of GolfPsych, helped advance Stockton to polish his skills.

“I was able to accomplish two things: (1) It reinforced my belief of what I had observed – that everyone is different; everyone’s strengths are different; even how they learn is different. Teaching, therefore, should reflect that philosophy and thus instruction becomes highly individualized.

2) GolfPsych made it tangible – They conducted research that showed me how particular states of mind (“8 Traits of Champion Golfers”) are optimal for success. 

What wasn’t different for each player was the inherent trust required in oneself for success to occur. Stockton found that GolfPsych’s 8 Championship Traits provided a highway, a path, to success as a player.

“Ron is very intelligent, analytical and a student of the game,” says sports psychologist Dr. Deborah Graham, who along with her husband Jon Stabler, founded GolfPsych in 1989. They have known the Stocktons since 1990, hosting schools for players and instructors.

“What they were teaching made sense to me,” says Stockton, “because I observed that under pressure, I confirmed my belief that the mind controls the muscle.”