More importantly, Wilkinson's routine in kicking may be of value to your own game. The seemingly peculiar sequence that he goes through has much to teach us. Wilkinson uses a technique from baseball called 'centering'.

As he goes through his routine, Jonny is taking deep abdominal breaths and placing his attention on his physical centre, a spot a couple of inches below his navel. This is literally the centre of your body, the balance point. With your attention fixed on this, the effect can be a dramatic balancing of body, but also a calming of the mind as busy thoughts subside.

So if you are about to challenge for the British or US Open, win your first monthly medal, or break 100 for the very first time, and you start to notice your mind racing, just set up for your practice swing, place your attention on your centre, breathe deeply, and you will notice a pleasant feeling of balance and control. Keep your attention on your centre as you swing and trust yourself to send the ball towards the target.

It's also important to keep your mind on your own game rather than involve yourself with anything to do with your playing partner, because one of the most damaging emotions we can feel on the course is resentment. If you play golf and are honest you will know exactly what I mean.

You start off with two great shots to the first, on in two to the par four, while your opponent hits a scratchy tee shot, a sloppy second, not a great third, and then drains the par putt from 25 feet while you manage to take three, missing from three feet for a bogey. The pattern continues, and you can hear that little voice getting louder and louder saying, 'This is not fair, I don't deserve this!

What a lucky so-and-so.'

This emotion tends to build and build to the point that it becomes a massive distraction and stops you from focusing on the only things you can control, which are you and your own game. You become so obsessed with the good fortune all around you your concentration flies completely out of the window, and another round that you could possibly have salvaged is lost.

Your swing didn't cost you the day, but your attitude certainly did.

There are three keys to overcoming resentment.

First, remember you deserve nothing on the golf course. Jack Nicklaus once said golf was not meant to be fair and, with this in mind, you can make a commitment to keep focusing on the only thing that you can actually control which is your reaction to the chaos that is the game.

Secondly, ask yourself what game are you actually playing? Are you playing golf or are you playing the 'what will they think of me' game?

And if you're playing that game, recognise that it's one you will never ever be successful at, because no matter how you perform on the course, you cannot force other people to think about you in the way that you would like.

Thirdly, actually think back and run a video in your mind of the last time you reacted badly to what was happening on the course. As you bring that to mind, how stupid do you look and how silly was the reaction?