Golfing, Life and Covid-19
Robert Karlsson is a Swedish professional golfer who has played on the European Tour, PGA Tour and currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Robert is regarded as one of the most successful European and Swedish players of his time. He has been active on tour for over 30 years, with 12 worldwide wins. He was number 1 in Europe in 2008 and reached number 6 in the world rankings. He is a double Ryder cup player and is currently vice captain for the second time. Robert has been recognized for his achievements and contributions to the game with the 2019 CPG Lifetime Achievement Award, in a career spanning over 25 years and amassing over 600 tour starts.
Many thanks to Robert for taking the time out to chat to us about Metrifit and how he is coping with the current Covid-19 global situation.
Why did you initially decide to look into using an athlete monitoring product like Metrifit?
In October 2018, after being very disappointed with my game for a long period of time, I decided to restart my career with the goal of qualifying for the PGA Champions Tour. I felt that I needed to improve my own understanding of how I felt and what my body was telling me. I looked around for a few different apps and felt that Metrifit was very suited to the main areas I wanted to focus on. I started using it towards the end of 2018 with the aim of gaining more insight and becoming more self aware about how different key elements (sleep, nutrition, stress, mood, training to mention a few) were affecting my overall performance.
How do you feel Metrifit has helped you as a golfer and an individual?
Over some time, it became clear to me that I was not eating the way I expected of myself, neither was I sleeping enough and those things among others put extra stress on myself and my whole system. It took a while to see the patterns but when it became clear it was really easy to see where I had my “holes”. Armed with that clarity I found it easier to break bad habits and to put my effort and energy where it should be. Now things are starting to turn around and I am enjoying feeling a lot more control over not only my career but also my health and well-being. It is even more satisfying that I have seen results on the course.
How are you finding the PGA Champions Tour so far?
To play on the champions tour is really great. The atmosphere is more relaxed and the whole tour itself is more relaxing. We only play three days competitively with an extra day between the events used to play an additional pro am which I am enjoying. I am starting to get used to the new situation and I like it. Obviously, I have had a nice start with a couple of top 10 finishes in my first 3 events, so it was a bit disappointing to have to stop like this. But now I am using the time to try to develop my game in a positive way and at the moment I am still able to practice. But I am looking forward to everything getting back to normal and getting back out on the tour.
What advice have you for younger golfers starting off on their careers?
Don’t get too focused on making the team or succeeding in a short time frame. You need to start with baby steps. To build a good career you need to understand yourself and how you work under different situations. So be patient and learn, there is a lot of time to develop. In my mind becoming self-sufficient and self-driving is the most important thing in your career. You will meet many people who will influence you and you will have many coaches throughout your career, the only thing that will be consistent and fundamental to your success is your relationship with yourself.
Robert at Greenore Golf Course in Ireland last year
How have you been affected by the Covid-19 crisis?
Now in this long break we have courtesy of the corona virus outbreak, Metrifit has been a great help to keep me focused on my plan and to keep me going, even if it is uncertain times and tournaments are far away. I know when I am faced with such a long time off competitive play, I need to have the right tools for myself to get through it and hopefully I might even be able to use the break to my benefit. So let’s start this break and make the most out of it. It does not matter if I end up not being able to practice at my club or if I become isolated in my house, I am still going to make the most out of the situation. Metrifit is going to be an important tool to get me through this testing time.
About Metrifit
The role that an athlete’s lifestyle can have on their performance should never be underestimated. Metrifit is an excellent tool to monitor, evaluate and make the right decisions for your well-being and performance on a day to day basis and to address an issue or potential issue before it becomes a problem. Metrifit has a customized product for golfers, which Robert has been using for the last 1 and a half years. To find out more about Metrifit, visit our Metrifit Overview page or contact us at for a free demo.
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