David L. Cook

David Cook is a speaker, consultant, coach, author, and film-maker in the field of Sport and Performance Psychology.  He served as "Mental Training Coach" for the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 – 2004 that included two World Championships. Golf Digest (2013) named him one of the “Top 10 Mental Game Experts” in the world of golf.  He is currently coaching several of the Tour’s top players. As past president of the National Sport Psychology Academy he is known as a leading authority in the science of Peak Performance.  He has coached performers from the PGA (over 100 players), NBA (two NBA MVP’s, David Robinson and Tim Duncan), NFL, MLB, Olympics, and collegiate national championship ranks.  His business clients have included The PGA of America, Exxon Mobil, Sprint, HP/Compaq, USAA, Heinz, American Express, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Texas Instruments, Bayer, Interstate Battery, StorageTek, Pitney Bowes, US Filter, State Farm Insurance, Robert Half International, Key Bank, Conoco/Phillips, and many others.  

In 2006 he released his first performance novel, Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia that was featured in the USA Today Life Section in the fall of 2009.  This book was made into a movie, Seven Days in Utopia, summer of 2010 with academy award winners Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo and was released in theaters across the country September of 2011.  This movie was built around the performance principles he speaks about in his keynotes. He served as Executive Producer on this project and President and Chairman of the Board of Utopia Films the Production Company. The book sequel, Golf’s Sacred Journey, The Sequel, was released in May 2018.  The Psychology of Tournament Golf: Playing Your Best When it Means the Most was released Christmas 2014.

Dr. Cook's consulting firm bridges the gap between the sports and business arenas.  He is the former Director of Applied Sport and Performance Psychology at the University of Kansas (1984 - 1996) where his peers elected him President of the National Sport Psychology Academy in 1992.  During his twelve-year tenure at K.U. he counseled over 2500 athletes and coaches and directed the graduate program in Applied Sport Psychology.  He also directed the Mindset Academy at the Westin La Cantera Resort, a nationally recognized mental training academy for aspiring competitive golfers from 2001 - 2006.  David’s articles have been featured in Golf Magazine, Golf Illustrated, and Golf Tips.  In 1988 David represented the United States at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece.

David received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in 1980.  He completed his Ph.D. in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Virginia in 1984.  He is married to Karen and has two daughters.  They live in the Hill Country of Texas.