Experience/suggestions with flushing out swing thoughts when playing?

[jibbs1082]

Mid cap- 7.5….

 

So like everyone, over the past 18 months specifically I have been really dialed in on practice and changing some swing flaws, specifically with wrist flexion and P4 positions.

 

I find that I when I go to play, I end up playing “golf shot” vs golf. The practice has lead to better scores as my dispersion has tightened but I feel like I am grinding around a course and never hit a “zone”.

Maybe 1-2 rounds over the last couple seasons I have been totally immersed in the round and have just focused on “being athletic” and seeing the shot and hitting the ball to the target. They have been great scores. However I find it very hard when taking my practice rep and even during takeaway of the actual shot, not thinking about technical stuff.

 

Any suggestions on the mental side of this and how to segregate practice from playing? I find it very difficult.

 

Is it just a matter of doing 1 technical practice rep, one rep feeling like your just envisioning the ball flight and target, and then pulling the trigger?

 

Is this the hardest part of improving at my level of golf??

 

 

[iacas]

Tour players often have a swing though (which is really just a feel) when they play. Why shouldn't you?

I also don't remember the last time I played without a swing feel.

[SNIPERBBB]

If its not a intentional swing thought but rather a random one that pops up into your mind, I would think that is pointing to a confidence/doubt issue. Lots of ways to build up confidence, best way IMO is game experience.

 

Another way to go, and often my favorite strategy is the "darn the torpedos" strategy and just dont care about the results.

 

Don't get too technical with your pre-shot routine either. Limiting yourself to X amounts of practice swings or none at all arbitrarily is a silly thing to me. I go when I feel I have the shot. Which might mean I dont take a practice swing or I might take as many, if not more, as 6. Sometimes that feel doesnt come and I revert back to the torpedo thing

[Lasorcier]

One way may just be to memorize the target picture and just keep that in your mind's eye.   Sounds weird. 

 

When I am in the think box I have thought of the swing stuff and set my grip.  I am looking at the target the entire time,  memorizing it.  When I step into the play box, I will set my club behind the ball and then resume memorizing the target and I let my mind get my body into position without really thinking about it.   I then look at the ball and commence the swing quickly (within a couple of seconds) so as to not lose that image. 

 

When I do that that it seems to keep my mind uncluttered. 

[CSagan]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Its super hard to just stay "target oriented" and just blackout and hit the shot. Some days you'll feel great and stay focused but some days you'll be recovering from a night out and some heavy food and you'll be all out of whack. Just know that thoughts may creep in and that its ok.

 

But as @Lasorcier said above. Have your think box behind the ball...make your practice swing with your technical thoughts...then when you step into the ball you just hit it while picturing the shot or picturing the target. Over time you'll get better at it but don't let the mind slipping sometimes bother you. Golf is hard game, but its a game...have fun. You get to try again next time!

[Zitlow]

The swing happens quick, how many thoughts can someone jam into a .25 second downswing? People would be better off swinging the club dynamically instead of trying to think their way through it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[angler99]

I'm about your handicap and been going through a 3 year process of improving my swing. I'm not scratch or better by any stretch, but I have to have a swing thought.  I do limit it to one and don't change the thought mid-round. I see what thought or feel is working on the range and go with that.   Feels or thoughts help bad habits or old techniques from rearing their ugly heads during your round. Justin Rose, Speith and a ton of pros seem to have a feel on every shot. Do we really think they have their feel in their pre-shot routine and then completely just focus on the target when making their real swing?  I'm not really sure, but kind of doubt it.

[wagolfer7]

13 hours ago, iacas said:

Tour players often have a swing though (which is really just a feel) when they play. Why shouldn't you?

I also don't remember the last time I played without a swing feel.

This is it.  

 

We all have something we're cautious of or working on.  And the solution is boiled down to a feel.  It feels like this at this point.  Just rehearse the feel and you move on to make the shot.  

 

The other problem with higher handicaps and amateurs is analyzing every missed shot.  Then changing their swing thoughts / feels from hole to hole trying to fix the previous miss.  This is not what good players do.  Good players still hit bad shots.  There is no way your going a whole round without missing some shots.  You have to be consistent with what your feel is for the round.  

[iacas]

6 hours ago, CSagan said:

Its super hard to just stay "target oriented" and just blackout and hit the shot.

 

It's also not necessarily (I'd argue often) the most optimal way to try to play. The idea that you should think of only "target" or, worse yet, think of nothing is not helping most golfers.

 

6 hours ago, Zitlow said:

The swing happens quick, how many thoughts can someone jam into a .25 second downswing? People would be better off swinging the club dynamically instead of trying to think their way through it.

 

@Zitlow response 1A right there, and as unhelpful as ever. PGA Tour players don't do this — they have swing thoughts, feels, etc. that the employ during the swing. I don't know how fast your brain works, but a thought takes way less time than 0.25 seconds.

 

3 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

We all have something we're cautious of or working on.  And the solution is boiled down to a feel.  It feels like this at this point. Just rehearse the feel and you move on to make the shot.

 

Yes, and you can still be "feeling" the feel during the swing. Want to focus on the process and detach yourself from the outcome a little? The feel is (or can be) the process.

 

3 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

The other problem with higher handicaps and amateurs is analyzing every missed shot. Then changing their swing thoughts / feels from hole to hole trying to fix the previous miss.

 

I agree.

[mikpga]

Need to practice separating the two…

 

On the course…

 

Think Box to Play Box…

[golfinbrad]

Sounds like you are trying to hard on the course vs. letting things happen.  Getting in a "zone" happens more when you are in a good mental state than how the golf swing is that day.  I don't think that is something you can just force.  It is common for players trying to improve to become more focused on the golf swing on the course vs playing.  2 things that help me are: Stop judging/analyzing each shot (my real job is an analyst, so I find this one very difficult).  We're human so bad shots are going to happen.  Doesn't mean something needs fixed right there.  Secondly, trying to play golf shots (draws, cuts, varying flights, etc.).  This allows my athletic/natural side take over.  I find it interesting when faced with a challenging shot (ex. In the trees and have to create a shot), I just see it, hit it and usually goes as planned.  However, when struggling mentally I hit worse shots that are straight forward.  That's how I know it is a focus issue for me. Good luck.

[phizzy30]

Even tour pros only peak 2-4x a year on average so don't be discouraged by shooting average to mediocre scores more often than good to great ones.  Tour pros also recognize their swing faults during a round and usually know how to self correct whereas most ams have no clue.  I'm a huge believer that one should only have 1-2 swing thoughts/feels max during any given round.  Anymore and it causes the brain to go haywire which affects the body.  When the swing goes to s***, what I usually do is clear my mind and move to a more feel based strategy which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.  Lastly, good golfers have very short memories so forget about your blow up holes and have a positive frame of mind for the rest of the round. 

Edited November 21, 2023 by phizzy30