Meet STAMINAPRO Ambassador, Liesbeth Pauwels. With over a decade of experience, Liesbeth’s work has gone beyond that of a typical golf coach; she's a visionary working to build a strong and healthy golf community. Her coaching philosophy is a testament to her belief of prioritizing the person over the athlete and golfer, emphasizing the interconnectedness between personal development and athletic performance.
“I go from person to athlete to golfer. That’s the foundation of my philosophy. The things that we can enable within a person inevitably connect us to what they can do as athletes and golfers.”
Can you start by sharing a bit about yourself and your journey in the world of golf performance coaching?
My name is Liesbeth Pauwels, and I've been a golf performance coach and movement expert for over a decade now. It's been a really exciting journey helping athletes perform to the best of their abilities, and realize their full potential on the golf course, on tournaments, and outside of the golf course.
When I was just a teenager, I dreamed of playing on the LPGA, but quickly ran into some serious shoulder injuries, as well as some mental and emotional challenges on my path to becoming a professional golfer. From there on I started researching things that I could do to reduce my own pain and stop the injuries, but back then there was nothing available, so it was a very difficult search. Regardless, I was always very interested in learning how I could optimize my own training and enable myself to prevent any more pain.
I ended up going to university to study kinesiology and that was right up my alley — I loved it. I was still training very hard, but I wasn't on a team and so I reached out to some trainers and was able to connect with Jason Glass, who was — and still is— one of the leading experts in the field. I ended up assisting him for the next couple of years and shadowing his work. From there on I very organically transitioned from wanting to play golf at a high level to wanting to help other people do it.
How would you define your training approach?
Usually, you’ll look at the golfer first to get the overall picture. The next step is looking at them from an athletic perspective and the third part, which is the most important and most overlooked in my experience, is the person.
I go from person to athlete to golfer. That’s the foundation of my philosophy.
The things that we can enable within a person inevitably connect us to what they can do as athletes and golfers.
Reflecting on your coaching journey since 2010, how have you seen the coaching industry transform?
Well my job wasn't a job over 15 years ago — hardly anybody was doing it. Hardly anybody knew about fitness and training to help prevent injuries to be able to perform better on the course.
So first of all, it became a job and became way more popular to study in the world of the elites. Now everybody is implementing some sort of strategy for their body or for their mind. A lot has changed, the culture has changed, but I think we've barely scratched the surface of what's possible when athletes do this from the time they're beginning. We’re now starting to see that generation of athletes that is working with strength and mental coaches specifically tailored for golf.
What initially drew you to golf?
Nothing attracted me to golf because I initially found it very boring. I was a very competitive horse rider before I got into golf.
I got into golf at the age of 12/13, so it was quite late and I thought it was boring. I ended up working with a coach who was from Iceland and he was this very tall and huge coach who was into training in the gym, into nutrition, and he knew some things about horses as well. So we connected through these aspects of training and performance, and he helped me see golf as a sport.
Back then he was way beyond his years because nobody was really approaching golf as a sport — there was Tiger Woods and Annika Sörenstam, but that was about it.
The incorporation of yoga into golf training is fascinating. Could you share why you find it beneficial?
Yoga promotes mental clarity, calmness, and emotional stability. It also provides a controlled and safe environment for athletes to explore various movement variations they may not be accustomed to, enhancing their body awareness and positioning.
From a mental and emotional standpoint, yoga is super beneficial. It aids in regulating the nervous system, a crucial skill not only on the yoga mat but also out on the course during high-pressure moments in competition when everyone is watching.
It also empowers the lower body by engaging muscles and facilitates safe exploration of ranges of motion required for their swing. The list goes on and on.
Beyond exercises and strength training, are there any daily habits you recommend for athletes?
The most important habit I recommend is a daily effort to check in with yourself and your body.
It could be just two minutes of sitting down, focusing on your breath, and asking yourself several questions: How am I feeling right now? How is my breathing? How smoothly have I transitioned from my morning rituals to the beginning of my day? What challenges might I face today?
These very small moments of checking in with ourselves and with our bodies is an amazing start to the day, especially if you live a very high paced life.
It all comes down to establishing small, consistent routines that can be maintained throughout the year. While big changes can be fulfilling, it’s better to stick to a regular routine, even something small. That’s especially important during tournament and travel season when it gets busy because they can do it anytime, anywhere in the world.
Are there any upcoming developments or trends in the coaching industry that excite you?
Yes! There is so much more awareness around mental health that I believe will definitely be infused into the culture among pro athletes. I hope that this topic will continue to be talked about more often.
Regarding female golfing athletes, there's a new app available that enables them to track their cycles alongside the tournament season. So that's happening here in Europe, and it’s something I'm super excited for because there is so much more to be unlocked through being able to track your cycle. It’s something I do with the athletes that I coach, but now it’ll be available for all of the athletes in the league.
Looking ahead, do you have any future plans or goals as a coach and movement expert?
I'm currently in the process of transitioning my coaching base to the US while also expanding my reach in Europe and a bit in the Asian industry — which is very exciting as one of my main goals is to grow internationally as a coach.
Also just continuing to work with such talented athletes brings me much joy, and I look forward to this ongoing opportunity.
How did you first come across STAMINAPRO, and why has it become a staple in your recovery routine?
I was first introduced to STAMINAPRO by Dr. Craig Davies back in 2018, and I have not stopped using them since. It has been the biggest game changer for me that’s also super easy to carry and travel with, especially when I’m out on the course with my athletes. To be able to always have that support is amazing. Also, the company's values of maintaining high quality and being proactive align perfectly with my own values.
Where can our community connect with you?
They can find me at my website at lpgolfperfomance.nl and my Instagram @lp.golf.performance
