Mick Flattery

It just means more. @MarchMadnessMBB x @TheIowaHawkeyes

Don’t be a slow-plow parent. Snow-plow parents clear a path free of adversity for their kids. So their kids never learn how to handle hard things So when ‘hard things’ happen later in life, they are not prepared and life hits them. And then… bigger problems occur.

Kate Martin needs to give a pep talk at halftime

Houston HC Kelvin Sampson - Why Coaches Fail - "I think the coaches that fail at every level, are the coaches that are passive aggressive. Passing aggressive coaches are usually afraid to hold kids accountable, they rationalize." - "If you're going to build a culture, the first thing you have to come to grips with, you're going to have confrontation." - Consistency - Competence - Confidence - Confrontation

Basketball Scriptures! Play to your strengths. Play off 2 Feet. Limit Turnovers. Make free throws & layups. Be able to catch & shoot. You check these boxes you’ll find PT!

@Hassel_Chris @bgoetz12 Great hire Thanks Beth for doing what many wouldn’t

Want to take a moment and just recognize @bgoetz12 who has had the guts to make the moves that many in her position would be too afraid to make.

Attn: Coaches “If you disappear on a guy when he makes a mistake, I’m not so sure that’s a genuine relationship you built”

“When positivity meets toughness; that’s when you get a champion.” – Rick Pitino amzn.to/3QMPBrZ

“This is for all young people. Anything is possible with hard work and perseverance and having some thick skin. When you live right, you do the right things, you become an everyday guy,” Byron Smith Make winning a habit not your goal.

Why you shoot 70 in practice, but 78 in tournaments... Ever notice how your swing feels like butter on a Tuesday morning, but by the first tee on Sunday, it feels like you’ve forgotten how to hold a club? It’s rarely a “swing” problem. It’s a mindset problem. 🧠 The “Tightness” Trap When the stakes go up, our brains naturally start focusing on outcomes instead of actions. We start trying to “play safe” and “not mess up.” But here’s the truth: Careful golf is bad golf. Emotional reactions like doubt and over-caution inhibit your natural athletic performance every single time. ✅ The 4 Pillars of a Pro Mindset The best competitors don’t get tighter as the pressure builds… they get looser. They stop trying to control the ball and start controlling the only four things they actually can: 1. Attitude: Stay neutral. Don’t let a bad break dictate your energy. 2. Routines: Lean on your process. It’s your safety net when nerves kick in. 3. Decisions: Be 100% decisive. A “bad” club choice hit with commitment is better than a “perfect” club hit with doubt. 4. Acceptance: Once the ball is in the air, your job is done. Accept the result and move to the next shot. 🚀 The Goal: Swing freely to your targets. Commit to the routine. Sign the scorecard at the end. If you focus on the process, the score will take care of itself. 👇 What’s the biggest difference you notice in your game when the pressure is on?

Fairfield Boys Golf Team—Nothing like Spring Golf in Iowa. 50’s out with snow in the background #getoutnplay

For any coach mulling over stepping down after this season. Let me break down how it felt, the pros, and the cons. First of all. Don’t make this decision quickly. Let the emotions from the season settle. Give yourself time to evaluate what’s best for you. You might’ve just had a horrible year. Don’t let one season be the driving factor. What it felt like: It was an identity change. When I walked around town I was no longer “Coach”. I was just another guy. I’m still not sure I’m comfortable with losing that identity. Pros: I get amazing quality time with my family every Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s the first thing that shocked me. It’s unbelievable how much time normal people have on holidays to relax and enjoy. Not ever having to ride on the cold compact buses was a major win. I get to tuck my kids into bed every night and I didn’t realize how much of a blessing that is. Lastly, I’m free to say any of my opinion without fear of admin, board, or parents. It’s kind of fun actually. Cons: You can’t replace that thrill of competition with anything else. You will feel like a part of you is missing for a while. Your hoops opinion won’t matter much in the world either. Youth coaches and parents think you’re just one of them now. It’s hard not to have your ego hurt tbh. Watching high school sports is really hard. You’ll wonder if you made the right decision for a while. You have a ton of info in your brain that is no longer useful and that sucks.

2️⃣ teams, ✌️brackets. Hawkeye Nation, who’s ready to dance? 🏀#TogetherWeFightForIowa @IowaHoops @IowaWBB

The first shot shown on @THEPLAYERS broadcast? Fred Couples. We love to see it.

@DavidEickholt Congrats Fran

This Ivy League Championship is ELITE hoops. TJ Power has 40 and just buried a fadeaway with .9 seconds left to send it to OT.

80% of kids quit youth sports by age 13. Eli Manning says he hopes his kids say: “I want to ride home with your dad.” That tells you everything. Parents: The game ends with the whistle. The ride home decides if they want to keep playing.

Most junior golfers practice. Very few practice efficiently. After watching thousands of hours of range sessions over 25 years, here are the most common practice mistakes I see: 1. No goal, plan, or purpose. Showing up and figuring it out as you go is not training. It’s killing time. Elite players walk onto the range knowing exactly what they’re working on, why it matters, and how they’ll know the session was successful. Purposeless practice builds lazy habits. 2. Not warming up dynamically before starting. Stretching your arms across your chest and hitting a few wedges is not a warm-up. Your body needs to be activated before it can perform its best. Dynamic movement, mobility work, and a progressive build from short to long prepares your nervous system for what’s coming. 3. Too much technique, not enough skill development. Working on mechanics has a place. But if every session is about swing positions, you are building a range player, not a golfer. Skill development means learning to control the ball under conditions that simulate real golf. 4. No clear idea of separation value. Most players practice what they enjoy, not what actually separates them from the competition. Separation value is simple: what parts of your game, if improved, would translate directly into lower scores? 5. All range, no course. Hitting perfect 7-irons from a flat lie in silence is not golf. It’s a drill. Real golf has uneven lies, wind, nerves, and consequences the range removes entirely. You cannot simulate pressure in a vacuum. Schedule at least as much on course practice as range time. Play games. Create competitions with yourself. That ratio alone will change your scores faster than any swing change. 6. Practicing strengths. Players naturally gravitate to what they’re already good at. It feels productive. It isn’t. Find the pattern in your data and go to work on what actually hurts you. Comfort is the enemy of improvement. 7. No sense of urgency or consequences. Hitting ball after ball with nothing on the line is not preparation for competition. It’s just repetition. Elite practice creates stakes. Hit this shot or you run. Make five in a row or you start over. Compete against a partner. Invent a game with a loser. If nothing matters in practice, nothing will feel familiar when everything matters in a tournament. 8. Skipping mental reps. If you’re not going through your full pre-shot routine in practice, you’re not practicing golf. You’re practicing mechanics. The routine is the bridge between thought and execution. Build it on the range so it’s automatic on the course. Under pressure you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to your preparation. 9. No feedback loop. Practice without measurement is guessing. Track something. Face contact. Face to path. Strokes gained. What gets measured gets improved. What gets ignored stays broken. 10. Ignoring speed training. Distance is the most undervalued asset in junior golf. Coaches value it. Courses reward it. Speed work is non-negotiable. Clubhead speed is trainable at every age with the right protocols. 11. Phone and social media distraction. The phone is one of the most underrated killers of productive practice. One notification pulls you out of the work. One scroll breaks the focus you spent 20 minutes building. Practice demands presence. Leave the phone in the car, turn it off, or give it to someone else for the session. The players who protect their practice environment protect their development. 12. Never planning for creative and fun exploration. Not every session needs to be structured and serious. Some of the best development happens when players give themselves permission to experiment, try things that might fail, and play without judgment. Work harder than everyone else. But work smarter first.

GOLF TIPS FROM UNCLE CUTTER mainly aimed at the amateur playing the resort or private courses 1. before arriving at the 1st tee, put some tees ball markers and a divot repair tool in your pocket...preferably the non glove hand pocket 2. before arriving at the 1st tee, acquire a scorecard and pencil 3. when coming out of a bunker, exit on the same entry trail and be sure to tap off the sand on the bottom of your shoes(it's a pro move) 4. when marking your ball on the putting surface don't use the entire length of your putter...simply put down your flat marker and wait for another golfer to ask you to move it one way or the other 5. have your golf glove on prior to having to hit your tee shot...don't be the 4th player to tee off and make everyone watch you fumbling around with your glove 6. keep your eye on your golf ball after hitting it until it comes to rest...so many people turn away in frustration and then don't know where their ball has come to rest 7. before arriving at the golf course, read and memorize Ben Hogan's The 5 Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf 8. Read and memorize the USGA Rules of Golf before arriving to your golf destination 9. On the first tee, while standing over the ball remember to execute a 'one piece' takeaway with your left arm straight, firm grip pressure, eyes on the back of the ball, slight weight shift to the back foot, keep the club from going past parallel, leading the downswing with the lower body while staying connected with your hands and your core and transfer the weight to your forward foot all while keeping your head down for best impact results 10. don't have too many swing thoughts Okay, that's it sports fans. Have a wonderful weekend and stay tuned for more golf tips from Uncle Cutter. 😉

@adamdejoode Congrats Marty. Always enjoyed working camps with you

Marty is a legend & icon for HS coaching in Iowa. In the summer of ‘03, I asked him to come in June to teach my Charles City GBB team his run & jump defense. He drove over, brought Jon, and was so generous with his time and knowledge to a young and dumb GBB Coach. Thanks, Marty.