Copyright Athlon Sports
The Player Who Had Everything (Except Results) Andy Matthews was that player. You know the type. He trained hard. Practiced efficiently. Surrounded himself with some of the best coaches, trainers, and sport psychologists in the game. On paper, he was doing everything right. But when it came time to put a score on the scorecard, the results never matched the work he was putting in. For ten years, Matthews chased the PGA TOUR dream across PGA TOUR Canada (now part of PGA TOUR Americas). He watched it slip away incrementally, frustratingly, inexplicably. The disconnect between his range performance and competitive results became impossible to ignore. Eventually, impossible to accept. “That gap between practice and performance became my obsession,” Matthews recalls. “And eventually, it became my goldmine.” The turning point came during the offseason between his fourth and fifth years playing professionally. Matthews finally learned how to breathe better. Not just deeper. Not just slower. But with precision, intention, and measurable impact on his nervous system. What happened next changed everything. “I went from barely keeping my status to finishing top 10 on the Order of Merit the next season, and winning the year after that,” Matthews says. “That experience taught me that most players don’t need to change their swing. They need to change their state.” It’s a lesson that would eventually reach some of the biggest names in professional golf. The Science Behind the Simplicity Breathing seems almost too simple to be transformative. Most golfers obsess over swing mechanics, course management, and mental toughness. But Matthews has discovered something that most coaches overlook: breathing is the most powerful performance lever a player has. “Under pressure, the body automatically shifts into fight or flight, which raises heart rate, tightens muscles, and disrupts rhythm,” Matthews explains. “By breathing rhythmically, a player can flip that switch back toward balance and control.” This isn’t just theory or feel-good advice. It’s measurable, real-time physiology that players can see through the NTEL BELT, Neuropeak Pro’s patented precision breathing training device that Matthews uses with all his clients. The device displays actual breathing patterns along with Heart Rate Variability (HRV). It provides clear visibility into how a player is breathing and the impact that breathing is having on their stress response in real-time. When paired with Matthews’ coaching, it becomes a powerful tool for learning and practicing proper diaphragmatic breathing. “This isn’t just about calming down,” Matthews emphasizes. “It’s about building consistency under stress.” The proof is visible on tour every week. Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Madelene Sagström, and Bryson DeChambeau all make breathing a deliberate part of their preparation. Watch closely and you’ll even see Keegan Bradley place his hand on his belly before a shot. A reminder to breathe with intention. “When they intentionally slow their breathing, they’re aligning their physiology with the performance state they need to execute,” Matthews says. “Once a player experiences that connection, it changes the way they train, compete, and recover.” From Competitor to Coach: An Unconventional Transition For most athletes, the end of a playing career creates a massive void. The identity shift from competitor to coach can be emotionally devastating, especially when the playing career didn’t end the way they hoped. Matthews’ transition was different. “The shift wasn’t necessarily difficult for me. It was just unconventional,” he reflects. Even before he was done playing, Matthews had already started a company with his college roommate from the University of Michigan called iFlightPlanner, a flight-planning platform for private and corporate pilots. Aviation had always been a passion, and after earning his pilot’s license during an injury break, it became a creative outlet that filled what might otherwise have been an empty space. The turning point came when Neuropeak Pro (the organization that had helped Matthews learn to breathe better himself) reached out for help with one of the NFL franchises they were supporting. It was supposed to be a short-term consulting project. Then PGATOUR.com ran a story about Bryson DeChambeau’s work with Neuropeak Pro. “Suddenly, golfers started reaching out,” Matthews remembers. “I began helping players use breathing to manage nerves, and the results were immediate. I saw players not only perform better but also carry themselves differently.” That’s when the realization hit: Matthews could have a much bigger impact helping others find balance than he ever could chasing it himself. Over the past seven-plus years, he’s worked with over 200 tour players, elite amateurs, national teams, and college programs. His client list reads like a who’s who of professional golf. His methods have been featured in major golf publications and media outlets. The Jordan Spieth Breakthrough When Jordan Spieth reached out to Matthews, the former world #1 was sliding toward the edge of the world’s top 100. A stunning fall for a player who had once dominated the game. Four weeks into their work together, Spieth shot 61 in the third round of the WM Phoenix Open. He eventually climbed back into the top 10 in the world rankings. Matthews is careful not to claim credit for the entire turnaround. “I’ve always believed that great performance is the product of a system working well, not a single fix,” he says. “With Jordan, my role was to help him get back in control of his physiology. To regulate what was happening inside so all the technical and strategic work he was already doing could show up.” Over those first few weeks, they focused on building awareness around Spieth’s breathing and how it influenced everything from his tempo and focus to his recovery between shots. Once Spieth could see that connection in the data from the NTEL BELT, it gave him confidence that he had another lever to pull when things got stressful. “What stood out about Jordan was his curiosity,” Matthews recalls. “He wanted to understand why it worked and how to train it like any other skill. That mindset made it easy to integrate breathing into everything he was already doing with his team.” Matthews sees his role as complementary, not competitive, with a player’s existing team. “His breakthrough was the culmination of a lot of hard work, and for me, it was about helping his body and mind operate in sync. That’s the real power of this work. It doesn’t replace what coaches or trainers are doing. It enhances it.” Beyond Golf: The Universal Application One of Matthews’ most telling success stories didn’t come from a tournament leaderboard. It came in a text message from a college golfer: “I used my golf breathing for my chemistry final, and I did better than I thought.” That message revealed something profound. The work transcends golf entirely. “When a player learns to control their breathing, they’re learning how to regulate stress in any situation,” Matthews explains. “Whether it’s a putt to win or a test they’ve been anxious about all week.” Over the years, Matthews has taken his framework beyond golf, working with executives and leadership teams who face pressure in very different arenas. Through his Precision Breathing Training programs, he’s seen leaders report the same outcomes his players do: better sleep, sharper focus, and more composure when the stakes are high. “That crossover reinforced for me that stress is universal, but so is the solution when you know how to train it,” Matthews says. Yet golf remains his core focus. “I like staying grounded in golf because it keeps me close to the environment that started it all, even as the work continues to reach far beyond it. And in golf, I can immediately measure impact on a scorecard and on leaderboards.” The Productization Problem Despite seven-plus years of success at Neuropeak Pro and work with over 200 tour players, Matthews still struggled with something that plagues many expert coaches: clearly packaging and communicating his services. “For a long time, my coaching was built entirely on relationships and referrals, which was great,” Matthews admits. “But it wasn’t organized in a way that allowed people to clearly understand what I did or how to get started.” The breakthrough came when Matthews realized that if he wanted to scale his impact, he needed to make the first step simple. You won’t find Matthews on social media. Instead, he maintains a focused landing page at neuropeakpro.com/golf where players and coaches can book a free discovery call. That’s where everything begins. “On that call, I walk them through the coaching process, show them how the NTEL BELT and training framework work, and outline how we’ll personalize the experience to their goals,” Matthews explains. Beyond individual players, Matthews has found his sweet spot working in corners of the coaching community, helping instructors integrate precision breathing into their player-development systems so they can stay focused on what they do best. “Having that clear structure has made all the difference,” he says. “It gives players and coaches confidence that there’s a plan, a framework, and accountability behind every session, which makes the results more consistent and the work far more scalable.” His 12-week one-on-one program provides a consistent roadmap for every player, regardless of location. They start with an evaluation, build a personalized plan, and track progress through the NTEL BELT app so players and Matthews can see the data together in real time. The Specialist Strategy: Creating Your Own Lane Matthews has positioned himself brilliantly. Not as a swing coach competitor, but as the specialist resource that golf coaches refer to for mental and performance issues. It’s a strategic move that creates a steady referral stream rather than direct competition. “That positioning really came from my own experience as a player,” Matthews explains. “Every coach I worked with had deep expertise in their area, whether it was swing mechanics, short game, fitness, or psychology. But there wasn’t anyone helping players train their physiology in a measurable way.” When Matthews started coaching, he made it clear that he wasn’t there to replace a player’s coach. He was there to make that coach’s job easier by helping the player self-regulate. “That approach built a lot of trust because I was filling a gap, not competing for space,” he says. His advice to other coaches trying to break through in crowded markets? “Look for where players and teams are struggling most and create clarity around how you can solve that specific problem. If you can define your lane and deliver real results, people will find you. The golf industry can feel crowded, but there’s plenty of room for specialists who make everyone around them better.” Data Meets Intuition In a field that can sometimes feel subjective or “woo-woo,” Matthews’ use of the NTEL BELT provides objective data that proves his methods work. The device measures breathing patterns and Heart Rate Variability in real time, giving players concrete evidence of their physiological state. “The data gives players confidence that what they’re feeling isn’t just placebo. It’s physiology they can see,” Matthews says. “That objectivity helps take something that might sound abstract and make it practical and measurable.” But Matthews is quick to acknowledge that data alone isn’t enough. “The art of coaching is knowing how to translate that data into something meaningful for the person in front of you,” he explains. “Every player is wired differently. Some respond to numbers and graphs, others to feel and feedback. The science builds the foundation, but the relationship is what makes the change sustainable.” It’s a delicate balance. The hard science of breathing mechanics and Heart Rate Variability on one side. The softer, more intuitive elements of understanding what makes each individual player tick on the other. “At the end of the day, it’s not about technology,” Matthews says. “It’s about teaching someone how to trust their process under pressure.” Coaching Without Borders From his base in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Matthews works with clients across China, South Africa, Australia, and beyond. Coaching globally has taught him how universal the stress-performance connection really is. “Whether it’s a junior in South Africa or a tour player in Australia, the physiology of pressure looks the same,” Matthews observes. The biggest challenges are time zones and understanding how athletes train, communicate, and manage themselves and their golf in different parts of the world. That’s where his structured 12-week program becomes essential. “The system keeps everyone accountable and allows me to coach asynchronously when needed, which has made the results incredibly consistent,” Matthews explains. “Whether we’re separated by an ocean or a few time zones, we’re still speaking the same language: lower scores in their biggest moments.” The NTEL BELT app enables Matthews and his players to see data together in real time, regardless of location. It’s a system that maintains consistency and results across continents and cultures. Turning Struggle Into Specialty Matthews’ journey embodies a powerful principle: your biggest struggle can become your specialty. The crushing gap between practice and performance that nearly ended his career became the foundation for helping hundreds of elite players perform at their best. But that transformation required an internal shift. A willingness to own his story rather than hide from it. “For me, the turning point was realizing that the end of my professional golf career wasn’t the end of my story,” Matthews reflects. “It was the start of the one that actually mattered. The gap that used to frustrate me as a player ended up being the very thing that gave my coaching depth and purpose.” Once Matthews started sharing his struggle honestly with players, it became a bridge rather than a barrier. “Most people relate more to your struggle than your success,” he says. “And when they see that you’ve lived what they’re feeling, it builds instant trust.” His advice to other coaches sitting on their own “crushing gap” or failure they’re embarrassed about? “Stop trying to polish your story and instead embrace the part that once hurt. That’s usually where the real value is. What makes you different isn’t what you’ve achieved. It’s what you’ve overcome. When you can turn that into a framework that helps others avoid the same pitfalls, that’s when your work starts to matter.” The Breath Between Shots In the end, Matthews’ work comes down to something deceptively simple: the breath between shots. That moment when a player steps up to the ball. When the pressure is highest. When everything they’ve practiced either shows up or disappears. That’s when breathing matters most. “Most players don’t need to change their swing,” Matthews says, returning to the insight that changed his life. “They need to change their state.” It’s a lesson learned through ten years of chasing a dream. Through the pain of watching potential slip away one shot at a time. Through the humility of accepting that his playing career wouldn’t end the way he hoped. But it’s also a lesson that’s now reaching the highest levels of professional golf, helping tour winners and major champions perform at their best when it matters most. From the range to the first tee. From practice rounds to Sunday back nines. From barely keeping tour status to top-10 finishes and victories. The gap that once crushed Andy Matthews has become his goldmine. And the key to unlocking performance for hundreds of players around the world. All through the simple, powerful act of learning to breathe better.
