When Phil Mickelson teed off last week in the first round of the British Open golf tournament in Carnoustie, he did so happy in the knowledge that he had benefited from the best possible help in preparing for the competition.
At his side since April had been the coach, Butch Harmon, who previously spent several years working with Tiger Woods.
Mickelson was striving to achieve that extra 5 per cent of performance that could have make the difference between success and failure - if Padraig Harrington hadn't come along.
As a discipline, coaching has come a long way in the past 20 years, and the number of people describing themselves as coaches has risen sharply.
The International Coaching Federation estimates conservatively that there may be as many as 30,000 coaches worldwide, generating revenues of about $1.5 billion (€1 billion). The US accounts for half this market.
In the past, executives tended to maintain a level of secrecy about any coaching they may have been receiving. As the story goes, they would put the word "haircut" in their diary to conceal visits to their coach.
Coaching has also had to overcome the perception that it is a remedial treatment, offered only to people with big problems.
But as an unregulated industry, it has remained something of an unknown quantity. Anyone can call himself a coach. It has often been hard for potential clients to know who is a legitimate and effective coach and who is simply trying their luck.
The central challenge for coaches is to ensure their questions are answered fully and accurately, and that they understand the answers. That is why they often use the technique of playing back answers: "So, if I am hearing this correctly . . . "; "Can I make sure I have got that right?"
Experienced coaches will develop a sense of when they have to dig deeper, be more challenging or step out of questioning mode to offer observations and, very occasionally, direction.
But the core skill is listening.When you consider it in these terms, it is clear why organisations often talk about developing a "coaching culture" in their senior management teams.
The ability to listen sensitively is rare. On the positive side, a coaching culture can be contagious. When one team is performing better on account of the coaching provided by its leader, other colleagues will want to replicate that. Crucially, the coach is also there to get the subject to commit to specific actions. This is not therapy: coaching is about raising people's performance.
Good coaches will: listen carefully and play back what they think you have just said; ask open questions that invite you to think harder about your situation and how you might improve it; review the situation after six or 12 months rather than seek an open-ended arrangement; and hold you accountable for making progress on the things you have discussed, measuring your progress against agreed criteria.
