EP19. Why Your Golf Gets Worse When It Matters | PGA Pro Rhodri Fieldhouse from Clays Golf Course, Wrexham

Why can you hit the ball beautifully on the driving range… then completely lose it on the golf course?In this episode of Beyond Fear, I’m joined by PGA professional Rhodri Fieldhouse from Clays Golf Club in Wrexham to talk about what actually goes into learning — and improving at — golf.Rhodri has spent around 20 years in golf, progressing from a teenage amateur to playing professionally before moving into PGA coaching. We talk about that journey, but quickly end up digging into some of the bits of golf I find particularly interesting: psychology, biomechanics, skill development and what happens when pressure gets involved.We explore why driving-range performance doesn’t always transfer to the course, why improvement is rarely linear, how poor practice can actually reinforce the problem you’re trying to fix, and why constantly thinking about your technique can sometimes make you play worse.Rhodri also explains why “keep your head down” might be one of golf’s most persistent pieces of bad advice, why what a movement feels like isn’t necessarily what your body is actually doing, and why coaching a child can be very different from coaching an adult with years of movement habits already ingrained.We also get into the yips, anxiety and performance under pressure, swing “rebuilds”, adapting technique around the individual, frustration at every level of the game, and what Rhodri recommends if you’re taking up golf for the first time — whether you’re 10 or 40-something.A conversation about golf, but also a conversation about coaching, learning, psychology and how humans actually develop skills.CHAPTERS00:00 – Meet PGA professional Rhodri Fieldhouse00:57 – From teenage golfer to PGA professional and coach05:23 – The advice Rhodri would give his younger self06:30 – Starting golf: where should a complete beginner begin?11:55 – Why great shots on the range disappear on the course17:08 – Improvement isn’t linear20:53 – Why golf can be so psychologically difficult23:08 – Overthinking your swing and visualising the shot26:46 – The yips: when anxiety interferes with movement30:50 – Can practising more actually make you worse?35:43 – What good golf practice actually looks like42:29 – “Feel isn’t real”: what you think your body is doing43:07 – Do golfers really need to rebuild their swing?47:44 – The “keep your head down” myth52:19 – Coaching children vs adultsRhodri Fieldhouse is a PGA professional based at Clays Golf Club in Wrexham.Follow Rhod on:Instagram: / rfgolf_uk Beyond Fear explores pain, rehabilitation, psychology, coaching, behaviour and performance through conversations with people working in and around sport, health and human performance.Follow me on:YouTube: / @beyondfearpodcastInstagram: / jenniFEARsummers Facebook: / wrexhammassageLinkedIn: / jen-summersTikTok: / jensummers666Listen to the Beyond FEAR Podcast on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5rBFWE22Uzuka60AyWLtIVApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/beyond-fear-podcast/id1762414519