Are you a golfer who is constantly trying different swing thoughts? Trying to find that perfect answer to hit it sweet every time? Just too many technical 'how to' thoughts running through your mind when you're over the ball?
You need to look at shifting your focus to what’s in front of you. The environment is hugely influential on how we move and is constantly changing shot by shot. Hitting ball after ball from the same flat lie to the same flag with the same club is generally how a lot of people practice, but is it mirroring how we perform on a golf course?
As golfers we tend to have these swing thoughts due to the fear of hitting a bad shot, but does it really help? Well for some people thinking about their swing whether it's internally or externally can help them perform better, but if you are somebody who is guilty of the above but not having much success then maybe it’s time to shift your focus of attention.
Letting the shot create the swing
Do you ever find that you hit some amazing recovery shots? Bend it around that tree, keep it below those branches? This is a good example of the shot creating the swing. It’s most likely that you weren’t holding onto many swing thoughts here and just let the creativity take place. However, we don`t always have a tree to play around and sometimes the canvas can be quite plain.
So, what may this look like? Rather than pulling a club out the bag and being heavily invested into the swing thoughts to help prevent you hit a poor shot let’s look at what could help create the swing.
Let’s start with asking good questions:
- What is the yardage?
- How is the lie? And how will it affect the strike and flight of my ball?
- Is there any wind and if so, how will it affect my ball flight and yardage?
- Where would I like to play my next shot from?
- What will the trajectory look like?
- What shape am I going to play?
- What club should I use?
- How am I going to play it?
You are probably thinking, "I'm not good enough to think about things like that…" I disagree. You didn’t have any issues when playing your magical recovery shot so maybe you are much more skilful than you thought.
I always find I play my best when I have a strong picture of the shot I want to play, commit fully to feeling how to create that shot in my practice swing and then trust the shot. The fewer technical or how to thoughts I have, the better.
You may be surprised how much this approach may free you up and allow you to enjoy your golf more. Give it a go and feedback to me on your progress. Developing skills is just as important as technique.
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