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Respiration rate is one touchpoint. Cardiovascular data is also analyzed, including how much resiliency the heart has for stress. The higher the stress, the less capacity for the heart to handle more stress. Being able to determine DeChambeau’s allostatic bandwidth helps with the measurements and metrics.
For some sessions with DeChambeau, either at home or at a hotel room the night before a round, Bergsma will hook up his client to a monitor and evaluate 18 different data points. One of the key factors is the high beta number that measures fast brain waves.
An ideal high beta number is anything under 1. In a test of 1,000 people, the average high beta is usually 1.7.
“High beta is what’s killing our culture,” Royer says. “It’s what’s causing all the stress-related illnesses. We’re not getting enough sleep and our brains are racing too much because we’re addicted to multitasking.
“Performance in golf is a microcosm of the problem that exists in our overall culture. It’s hard for us to make a putt because we’re overthinking. We’re not resting enough. In golf, too much high beta means sporadic performance. Can’t focus under pressure.”
Neuropeak Pro has worked with a former world No. 1 golfer whose high beta measured 0.65, who had the ability to stay present and avoid the electrical spikes of stress. A former No. 1 in tennis was measured at 0.68. A former basketball MVP also was at 0.68.
When DeChambeau first started, his high beta exceeded 1.0, but he has since lowered it to a much more desirable level (Neuropeak would not reveal the actual number). He’s made that improvement because he constantly works on his autonomic nervous system, even when he’s not at the course. Royer calls it “continuous golf.” The physical swinging of clubs in any given round may add up to only 80 seconds, but it’s the hours before and after the round that dictate how stress is handled.
“I couldn’t care less when he’s swinging the club,” Royer said. “I care more about what he was doing the night before, what he was doing when he woke up, what he was doing as he’s walking towards the ball. “
Avoiding peaks and valleys are key, and DeChambeau’s ability to stay constant and present are reflected in his consistency on the course. In his last 28 worldwide starts, he’s missed only one cut and had just seven finishes outside the top 25. Scoring wise, of his 93 rounds on the PGA TOUR last season, 61 were under par, and another 10 were at par. He never shot lower than 63 nor higher than 76. In other words, not the lowest scores on TOUR, but also not the highest.
“His ability to maintain consistency – that’s true on the golf course but it’s also true with his brain numbers,” Bergsma says. “… Think about it like stepping on a scale. There are things you could do, but once you step on the scale, that number is the number. You can’t just close your eyes and try to make it go up and down.
“That’s true of most people’s brains as well. But what Bryson has the ability to do is to step on the brain scale and then take a couple of minutes and change what the number is because of his ability to shift and move and sway his own brain.”
The importance of achieving consistency is even reflected in what he wears to cover his brain – a flat cap that honors Ben Hogan, whom DeChambeau greatly admires for his “ability to repeat motion, consistently execute shots.”
Hogan did it through relentless hours of practice, famously digging it out of the dirt. Likewise, few put in more hours on the range than DeChambeau, but he’s adding another layer with mental consistency.
“It’s just a part of learning every week, every day, every hour, every golf shot,” DeChambeau says. “We’re trying to get better every single moment.”
While all this information seems like next-level thinking, it’s obviously not for every golfer. Not everybody wants to dance with the latest technology.
Bergsma recalls being on a practice green at a TOUR event last season. DeChambeau is hooked up to his monitors and is putting towards a coaster he brought with him that was the exact size of a cup. Meanwhile, another golfer had simply picked up a nearby leaf to aim at. “Everybody has a different approach,” laughs Bergsma.
But clearly DeChambeau’s approach is working for him.
Less than a year ago, he was 93rd in the world rankings. Now he’s the world’s highest-ranked golfer without a major. Yes, his approach may seem unconventional – the brain training, the single-length shafts, the other scientific methods he explains in ways that often are difficult to comprehend.
Yet there’s one thing every golf fan can understand: Number of wins.
DeChambeau has five on TOUR — four coming in the calendar year of 2018. At age 25, he’s only getting started.
“You guys haven’t seen what he’s going to become yet,” Royer says. “The way he’s applying himself and what his abilities are neurologically under the surface – I mean, we haven’t even really started.
“Over the next year or two, if he keeps going at the rate he’s going, from a neurological standpoint he’ll be untouchable.”
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Source: PGA tour
