About the Founders
Dr. Deborah Graham is a licensed Counseling Psychologist specializing in golf performance. Working with professional and amateur golfers from around the world, her client list includes over 350 players on the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours, 13 of which she helped guide to 16 major championships.
Beginning in 1981 with a study of LPGA players she determined the statistical differences between champion and average players on tour, collecting data with the assistance of LPGA hall of fame member, Carol Mann. The findings helped earn her doctorate and identified 8 critical traits important for success in golf. This study was duplicated on the PGA and SR. PGA tours with the assistance of her husband, Jon Stabler, again finding the 8 champion traits and forming the foundation of the GolfPsych mental game training system. These studies and their Tour experience resulted in their book, "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", published by Simon and Schuster in 1999.
Dr. Graham has also authored numerous articles for newspapers and golf magazines, published a mental game newsletter and appeared on golf programs for a variety of networks including ESPN, Fox and CNN.
Jon Stabler is co-founder of GolfPsych. Along with being a co-researcher and co-author in the personality study of golfers and the resulting book, "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", Jon has developed and conducted our GolfPsych group schools and Instructor training programs. He has worked with numerous players and college teams including TCU, SMU, A&M and Baylor.
Jon invented the patent pending Mind Meter and patented Zone Training Software used exclusively in GolfPsych schools & programs. It enables GolfPsych clients to quickly learn to manage emotions and attain optimum tension levels for golf.
About GolfPsych
Our GolfPsych System is based on over 25 years of research and Tour experience. We have helped over 350 PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA Tour Professionals. Some of them are listed on the right.
Using these results and experiences we have refined our system of mental skills training techniques to get the best results, in the shortest time. We have used these methods to help thousands of golfers, of all ages and abilities, to reach their personal goals!
- Our professional clients have won 16 'Majors' and many other professional events on the PGA, Champions, LPGA, European, Australian, Nationwide, Canadian, Asian, Japanese, Hooters, Tight Lies, and other Tours in the U.S. and around the world.
- Our college clients have won many division and regional tournaments as well as the NCAA Div. I National Championship.
- Our Junior clients have won numerous district and regional titles, as well as State Championships, and many have achieved national rankings and been signed by top Division I schools.
- Our competitive amateur clients have won numerous top amateur titles as well as state and national championships.
- Our avid golfer clients have broken through their personal best scores, and have won or placed well in numerous club and city events.
We used to travel to Tour events over 25 weeks each year and worked primarily with the Tour players. We have now retired from full time Tour travel (not from supporting our Tour clients).
This has given us the time and energy to focus on bringing our knowledge and system to you through this website, our book, newsletters, schools and GolfPsych Instructors.
Over time we will increase the useable knowledge available on this site for free. The newsletters and newsletter archive are already free to you.
Our new goals are contained in our mission statement below and put simply are to help you play your best golf and be the happiest and healthiest that you can be.
Our Mission
To help people, through our work, our instructors and our tools, using golf as our channel, to be happy, healthy and successful in all ways possible.
What the Tour Pros and College Coaches think about GolfPsych
Brandie Burton, Winner of 2 LPGA Majors: "I thought I'd be the last person to see a sport psychologist, but it (GolfPsych) turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me."
Lee Janzen: "Th(e) year after working with Dr. Deborah Graham (GolfPsych), I started trying to forget about analyzing my swing after a bad shot, and concentrate much more on feeling my swing."
Dave Stockton, Champions Tour: "In 1993, my second year on the Senior PGA Tour, I won five tournaments and $1,175,944, was leading money-winner and was named Player of the Year...the main reason I had a year that for me was unbelievable is that I worked hard on the mental side of my game (with GolfPsych)."
Stephen Ames, PGA Tour: "I started working with Deborah Graham (GolfPsych) down in San Antonio and the things we've hit on talking to each other have made a difference. I'm finally using things I'd never used; that I never knew I had."
Gary McCord, Champions Tour: "I never had a (sports psychologist) before. I knew I had some abilities and wasn't getting the best out of them. I said, 'Doc, I just keep choking towards the end.' So she gave me ...a pre-shot routine, and ...helped me get out of the future and into the now."
Henry Brunton, Canadian National Golf Coach for the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) and a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, in a message to the Canadian National Team Members: "We highly recommend that all golfers in the Royal Canadian Golf Association Player Development Program read and study this book (GolfPsych's the Eight Traits of Champion Golfers). As well, players should strongly consider obtaining a "GolfPsych Profile" and report."
GolfPsych has been a large part of the RCGA Player Development Program and Achievement Guide since 2000.
Jay Loar, Director of Golf & Head Coach SMU Golf: "You all (GolfPsych) have been a big part of the success of the SMU golf program over the past 7 years---thank you. We are on (our way) to Regionals for the 7th year in a row!" The SMU Golf program produced the 2007 National Amateur Champion and Publinx National Champion, Colt Knost
Fred Fruisen, Men's Golf Coach, Savannah College of Art and Design, NAIA: "I really didn't believe we could make such a huge jump in such a short time (five of my team of nine were incoming freshmen). I projected it would take 2 years to get this team ready to compete regularly on the National level. Happily, I was very wrong. Golfpsych I feel really gave our team a competitive edge..that (is what) got us to the National Championships. Thanks very much!"
Scott Benson, Amateur Golfer, Robins, Iowa after attending our Level I school in the Spring: "My handicap is at a 4.0 now and still dropping as our golf season is starting to come to an end. At 57 years old now that is the lowest it has ever been. Thank you for something I wish I had 30 years ago. (GolfPsych) But as a good wine improves with age, so does my golf".
Ron Faria, PGA professional, Long Island, NY: "It's easier to think there is something wrong with your swing than with your brain. I wish I had done it (work with GolfPsych) sooner."
Gary McCord had played 376 PGA Tour events but was winless when he began working with GolfPsych in 1998. Through that work Gary learned how to overcome his challenges and proceeded to win 2 of 17 events in his Rookie year on the Champions Tour! If only....
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