"For the first six months during my PGA Tour rookie year I couldn't make a cut and I'm getting all wound up. I knew I was playing well but my hyperactive mind was causing so much anxiety. I listened to music to calm down with a Sony Walkman so I thought "why don't I listen to it on the golf course?" Nicknamed "Disco Dick" after playing a 1982 PGA Tour event wearing a Sony Walkman, two-time tour winner Dick Zokol joins us to share how listening to music on course to calm his hyperactive mind were the seeds that led to the creation of MindTRAK Golf.
Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Dick on our Youtube Channel!
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You can learn more about Dick on his bio page.
Show Notes and Dick Quotes
"My first year on the PGA Tour, like most rookies I felt really uncomfortable. I got there thinking "oh my God, I have my PGA Tour card but now what am I going to do?" I'm amongst Jack Nicklaus and Freddie Couples, Arnold Palmer and there's Lee Trevino. For six months I couldn't make a cut and I'm getting all wound up. I knew I was playing well but my hyperactive mind was causing so much anxiety. I listened to music to calm down with a Sony Walkman so I thought "why don't I listen to it on the golf course?" which was a dangerous proposition.
The next week was Milwaukee so I put the Walkman in my bag and was playing with Larry Mize. 100 yards from the clubhouse I put the headphones on and Larry yells "Look at Disco Dick!" So I've got the rock and roll going and I'm coming down the 18th fairway seven under par and I'm so comfortable. I'm in my own little world listening to music and it's effortless. I led the tournament after the first round all the way up to the last hole on Sunday. This was a monumental discovery learning what music did to me.
At that moment I realized "Wow, this game is psychological because the only thing that has changed is how I thought". I can't physically compete with Fred Couples, but from a mindfulness perspective I can compete if I perform mentally. Now looking back at it, those were the seeds that led to the creation of MindTRAK Golf."