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Feel an Efficient Swing

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Most golfers have inefficient down swings.  By this, I mean they are wasting energy.  An efficient down swing uses the least amount of energy to create the greatest result.  If you watch the LPGA golfers, you will see women who are barely over five feet tall hit their drives 250 yards.  That is what I mean by efficient.

Energy is built by creating tension like drawing back the string of an archery bow.  It is a fallacy to say that there should be no tension in the golf swing.  What is meant is that there should be no tightness in the golf swing.  If there is tightness in the golf swing, resistance cannot be created. Tension is the feeling of stretch created by resistance.

Back Swing

  • Feel the chin swing to the right and feel the top of the right thigh “bounce” to the left
  • Using maximum energy, feel the back inside of the ball of the right foot “bounce” down and feel the top of the right pectoral stretch up
  • Feel the momentum swing the right shoulder, upper arms, and hands up
  • Feel the point at the top inside of the right leg remain fixed in space while the upper and lower body pivot around the fixed point

The momentum of the coil created by the active back swing swings the arms and hands up quickly.  The coil should be actively quick: not slow or jerky.

How long should the back swing be?  Every golfer has their own optimal back swing length.  The key is to be aware of the amount of stretch that will result in the most distance.  The amount of optimal stretch is much less than what most golfers realize.   My blog post, “Do More by Doing Less,” describes how to find the maximum back swing length.

The “Bounce”

The “bounce” is an important part of an efficient golf swing.  The concept of an efficient “bounce” in the golf swing is unknown in traditional golf instruction.  The “bounce” in the golf swing is done unconsciously in accomplished golfers.  At the end of a stretching motion, the “bounce” is a very quick and very short action to generate the maximum snap in the opposite direction.  For example, to create the snap up of the back inside of the ball of the right foot in the back swing, feel the back inside of the ball of the right foot start with a subtle stretch down before doing a very quick and very short “bounce” down to generate a forceful snap up.  The “bounce” is not visible, but the effect of the “bounce” is seen.  So, the quick downward “bounce” of the back inside of the ball of the right foot is not visible, but the resulting upward snap is seen.  In an efficient golf swing, the “bounce” is executed by the lower body, upper body, arms, and hands.

Key Components of the Down Swing

The arms snapping down over a supporting lower body is the most efficient method to cause the club to snap toward the target.  The following describes how to effectively snap the arms down.

Stretch

Feel the right pectoral stretch up some more, feel the bottom of the front right hip bone stretch up against the resisting top of the front right hip bone, and feel the stretch up of the hands mature.  The Stretch causes a counter move of the left hip shifting onto the left foot, as the shoulders continue to coil, that Ben Hogan feels is the most important move to start the down swing.  My blog post, “How to use the Fingers,” describes how to feel the stretch in the hands.

Snap

Feel the bottom of the front right hip bone “bounce” up and feel the hands stretch up.  This causes the right upper body to snap down and the left side to snap up to the left and causes the arms to snap down and up to the finish.

The Stretch followed by the Snap occurs very quickly, less than a tenth of a second, to produce an efficient golf swing.  It is important to feel the arms snap down and up to the finish and not care where the ball is going.  The ball will go somewhere.

Do Vertical Motion but Feel Horizontal Motion

It is more efficient and precise to use vertical motion to create horizontal motion.  This concept is crucial to creating an efficient golf swing.  It is important to do vertical (up and down) motions but feel horizontal motion.  The horizontal motion is created because the arms are attached to the shoulder and the upper body is attached to the spine.  The attachments of the arms and the upper body are pivot points that transform vertical motion to horizontal motion.

During the back swing, feel the back inside of the ball of the right foot “bounce” down and feel and feel the top of the right pectoral stretch up.  Feel the momentum swing the right shoulder, arms, and hands up.

During the Stretch, feel the right pectoral stretch up some more, feel the bottom of the front right hip bone stretch up against the resisting top of the front right hip bone, and feel the stretch up of the hands mature.

During the Snap, feel the bottom of the front right hip bone “bounce” up to the left and feel the hands stretch up.  This causes the right upper body to snap down and the left side to snap up to the left and causes the arms to snap down and up to the finish. Vertical (up and down) motion provides the best chance for a solid impact of the club to the ball.

Golfers with efficient swings do vertical motions and allow the body to react in order to feel horizontal motion of the arms and the club.  Golfers with inefficient swings do manipulative horizontal and diagonal motions.  Embrace the concept of doing vertical motions and feeling horizontal motion to create an efficient down swing.

When the arms use vertical motion in the down swing, gravity is being exploited because the force of gravity’s direction is down.  The force of gravity is also powerful with an acceleration of 32 ft/sec/sec.  Any attempt to use horizontal motion is very inefficient because horizontal motion does not exploit the force of gravity efficiently.  Young and strong golfers can be inefficient because they are young and strong.  Older golfers cannot overcome inefficient motion and lose distance dramatically because they lose their strength and explosiveness as they age.  Using vertical motion and gravity can extend the years a golfer can continue to play from the back tees.

The Slot

When professional golfers talk about feeling the club dropping down into “the slot” on the down swing, the slot is not at a fixed location at the right of the body.  What they are feeling is the vertical motion of the right upper arm.  The club dropping into the “slot” is automatic when vertical motion is used.  The position of the “slot” is always in front of the upper body.  The slot moves to where the upper body stops at the end of the back swing.

Empty Forearms

The proper use of the fingers as described in my blog post, “How to Use the Fingers,” relaxes the wrists and forearms and eliminates any attempt to hit or help the ball and enables the wrists and forearms to stretch to add power.  The attempt to hit the ball or to help the ball up will cause the forearms to tighten.  The forearms must feel empty or hollow, but not tight, in order to feel the stretch in the forearms.  During the Stretch, feel the top of the right pectoral stretch up and feel the stretch of the hands mature.  This stretches the forearms.  During the Snap, feel the hands “bounce” up and feel the front right hip bone snap down.   This automatically spins the right forearm down with abandon in the way that is described in the following video:

Applying more energy to create the stretch and the “bounce” of the inside of the right elbow will increase the club head speed by increasing the speed of the right elbow.

Leverage the Ground

“Leverage the ground” to add power during the down swing is a popular concept in the analysis of the golf swing.  Using the ground to support vertical motion is much more efficient than using the ground to support horizontal motion.  Feel the lower body “leverage the ground” to support the upper body and arms during the back swing and the down swing.

Back Swing

Use the ground during an active back swing.  When the top of the right thigh “bounces” to the left, feel the back inside of the ball of the right foot “bounce” down, feel the top of the right pectoral stretch up and feel the bottom of the pelvis stretch down.  Feel the momentum swing the right shoulder, arms, and hands up.

Down Swing

Feel the right pectoral stretch up some more, feel the bottom of the pelvis stretch down to the right, feel the left shoulder blade stretch down to the right, and feel the stretch up of the hands mature.  This causes the feet to leverage into the ground to stabilize the lower body and causes the weight to shift to the left.

Feel the bottom of the pelvis “bounce” down and feel the hands stretch up.  This causes the left shoulder blade and the feet to “bounce” down, the upper body to unwind, and the arms to snap down and up to the finish.  There is no conscious effort to swivel the hips and the lower body toward the target.  This happens automatically as a reaction to the “bounce” of the lower body.

These down swing actions can be seen in the video of all professional golfers: the stretch of the right pectoral and the “bounce” of the bottom of the pelvis and the left shoulder blade.  My blog post, “Famous Golfers Swing Videos,” shows that even though back swings are individual, the down swings are the same efficient motions.  It is the efficient stretch and “bounce” triggering the snaps of the lower body, upper body, head, and arms that results in the powerful down swing motions.

The Right Side of the Head

A subtle, but important, movement of the right side of the head is seen in all of the best golfers.  This movement is done subconsciously and is key to triggering the motion for an efficient, rhythmic, and powerful back swing and down swing.  The movement is seen in the back swing, the Stretch, and the Snap.

  • Back Swing – Feel the back of the right temple stretch up to trigger the start of the back swing.
  • Stretch – As the back swing is completing, feel the stretch in upper and lower body and feel the back of the right temple stretch to the right.  This loads the lower body, upper body, and the arms.  This puts the head and the body in a balanced and powerful position.
  • Snap – Feel the back of the right temple remain steady and feel the bottom of the left shoulder blade “bounce” down to the right.

The action of the right side of the head in the back swing and the down swing helps to develop a consistent golf swing.  Focus on the action of the right side of the head to maintain the spine angle and support the actions of the lower body, upper body, and the arms.  This subtle action of the right side of the head can be seen in my blog post: “Famous Golfers Swing Videos.”

Here are additional videos that show the motion of the right side of the head and the bottom of the pelvis and the left shoulder blade:

LPGA Golf Swings

PGA Tour Golf Swings

 

 

 

 

What You Must Know About the Golf Swing

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Having written over fifty blog articles describing what must be done in order to play a consistent round of golf, I am writing this article as my “golf swing manifesto” trying to summarize the most important aspects of my blog about learning how to make a consistent golf swing.

My golf journey has shown me that there are a lot of fundamental things that are ignored when golfers are trying to learn to develop a consistent golf swing.  This makes developing a consistent swing much more difficult than it should be.

Most golf instruction is given by instructors who have golf swings that are very accomplished.   Most have learned their swings when they were young.  Learning the golf swing is much easier as a child versus learning the golf swing as an adult.  My blog article, “It is a Challenge for Adults to Learn the Golf Swing,” describes those challenges.  When the child learns the golf swing, their path to learning is different than when adults try to learn the golf swing.  Young golfers “just swing” until they discover, by feel, what works and they can repeat the motion that works.  Adults have lost the ability feel the swing and to repeat what works.  When adults hit a good golf shot they say “I don’t know what I did.”  This is why golf touring professionals, who learned the golf swing as a child and who decide to go through a swing change, can become “lost” if the swing change does not work.  They learned to “just swing” and now, as adults, they do not know how to go back to the old swing they learned as a child.

A lot of what is taught about the golf swing is derived from visual observations.  It has been shown that the eyes are the least reliable in determining what is happening in the golf swing.  This is one reason there are so many different golf “tips” to try to teach the golf swing.  One person’s interpretation of what is seen is different from another person’s interpretation.

Having said that, I have created my High Percentage Golf method over the years based on what I have seen in others’ golf swing and what I have felt in learning my golf swing.  I have settled on the following, rarely taught, fundamentals about the golf swing.  If I had learned the following fundamentals when I first started almost 40 years ago, I believe I would have significantly shortened my learning curve.

Golf is a Mental Game

People say golf is a really hard game.  That is true because golf is a mental game.  It is about developing a consistent mental focus to execute the same golf swing.  It takes a lot of mental strength to only focus on the motion and to not focus on trying to hit the golf ball.  My blog articles, “The Mental Game” and “One Plus One Equals Three,” describe how to develop a focused mind and how to adopt the correct attitude in order to achieve a consistent golf swing.

Do Not Try to Hit the Ball

Most golf instruction is focused on hitting the ball.  The golf tips and drills emphasize what to do with the arms and hands at impact.  Actually, when arms and hands arrive at the ball, the arms and hands are moving so fast that very few golfers, have the skill to do anything consistently.  The focus should be on what the arms and hands do while they are on the right side of the body during the back swing and the down swing.

If the objective of golf is to develop a consistent golf swing and not about hitting the ball, my blog article, “The Most Important Focus in the Golf Swing,” describes what to focus on during the golf swing.  It is about five or six things to focus on.  Committing to focus on five or six things during the golf swing is a good way to block out thoughts about hitting the ball.

Do vs Feel

As stated above, what most golfers think they should do is wrong.  Golfers watch videos and read golf instructions that describe what to do in the golf swing.  The reality is that there is no need to do what traditional golf instruction teaches because most of the recommended actions are actually reactions.  The majority of instruction tries to teach the reaction instead of teaching the motion that causes the reaction.  My blog article, “Action vs Reaction,” describes the action that causes the reaction.  Do the action instead of trying to do the reaction.

Rhythm

The most important feature of a consistent golf swing is the rhythm of the swing.  The rhythm of the swing is unique to each golfer, but it must be the same for every golf shot.  My blog article, “How to Feel Rhythm,” describes how to create a rhythmic swing.

Patience

The key component of creating a repeatable rhythmic swing is the patience used during the transition between the back swing and the down swing.  I describe in my blog article, “Patience in the Golf Swing,” that the right amount of patience is the key to a good shot.  If the down swing is started even a millisecond too soon, the result will be a bad shot.  When the touring pros say that their swing was too quick, it means they were impatient.  Patience makes the golf swing a binary action.  A bad shot means not enough patience.  A good shot means the right amount of patience.

Vertical Motion Creates Horizontal Motion

The most efficient way to move the club away from the target on the back swing and move the club toward the target on the down swing is to use vertical motion.  Most golfers try to use horizontal motion, especially on the down swing, which is a very inefficient and a very inconsistent motion.  This is described in my blog article, “Feel an Efficient Swing.”

Most golfers think they need to move the club toward the ball instead of feeling the club move toward the ball.

Tension vs Tightness

Some golf instruction says that tension is bad in the golf swing.  What is really meant is that tightness is bad in the golf swing.  Tension is feeling the stretching of loose muscles.  Tightness is the stiffening of the muscles.  Feel the tension caused by stretching the muscles to build and release energy.  Stiff muscles are like cement and cannot build and release energy.  My blog article, “Feel an Efficient Swing,” describes what stretches to feel in the back swing and especially during the down swing.

Eccentric Motion is an Efficient Motion

Eccentric motion is the muscle resisting a primary motion to create a stretch in the muscle.  Eccentric motion is used to efficiently produce power in the golf swing.  This is why having loose muscles is better than having tight muscles.  My golf blog article, “Chain Action Using Eccentric Motion,” describes how to use eccentric motion effectively, in the body, arms, and fingers in the golf swing.

How to Use the Fingers

One area of the golf swing that I believe has the greatest affect on the golf shot is how the fingers are used during the golf swing, especially the little fingers.  My blog article, “How to Use the Fingers,” describes how to use the fingers to reduce tightness in the arms and what they should do in the back swing and down swing.  My blog article, “How to Curve the Ball,” describes how the little fingers can be used to hit a fade or draw.  My blog article, “Chain Action Using Eccentric Motion,” describes how the little fingers create eccentric motion to create lag in the down swing.

Swing Thoughts

Golf instruction encourages golfers to adopt a swing thought during the golf swing that produces a successful golf shot.  The swing thought should be a feel-based thought instead of a swing mechanic thought.  But why only one swing thought?   Do golf instructors believe we can only handle one swing thought?  Jack Nicklaus said “most golfers can think of one, maybe two, things during the golf swing.  I can think of five or six and do them.”

Is Jack Nicklaus saying that to imply that only Jack Nicklaus can have that many swing thoughts or is Jack Nicklaus telling us how to be a better golfer?

I believe Jack Nicklaus is telling us how to be better golfers.  It does not mean five or six thoughts at once but five or six swing thoughts in sequence.  Some may say that is too many thoughts, but in fact, there are at least six thoughts that are used when you back your car out of the garage.  My blog article, “The Most Important Focus in the Golf Swing,” describes more than one swing thought that are used to develop a consistent golf swing.

Bunker Technique

I have tried to develop a consistent bunker swing for a long time and I finally realized that the bunker swing is not like a regular full swing.  Once I realized I needed a different swing, my bunker shots became more consistent.  I realized that the bunker swing is what most golfers do when they hit a fat shot; they only use their arms and hands!  My blog article, “Basic Bunker Shot,” describes how to use the arms and hands in the bunker shot.

Patience in the Golf Swing

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The difference between a rhythmic and efficient golf swing versus a quick and inefficient golf swing is patience.  Good players are patient enough to wait for the energy to gather completely before executing the down swing.  Most amateurs are impatient and do not wait long enough for the energy to completely gather.  When a golfer has a bad shot, even a professional golfer, it is caused by a rhythm that is too quick because impatience prevents the complete gathering of energy and the golfer must compensate by using the hands and arms in an inefficient and disconnected manner.

It is amazing how a rhythm that is too quick by even a millisecond will result in a bad shot.  It is also amazing how a patient rhythm will produce a good shot.  Almost all bad golf shots are caused by a rhythm that is too quick.

My blog article, “How to Feel Rhythm,” describes how rhythm is the most important part of the golf swing.  A proper length of pause creates an efficient rhythm.  Patience allows for an automatic pause of the proper length.

Have patience to feel the following to create the automatic pause:

  • As the arms are swinging up, feel the right pectoral stretch up some more, feel the bottom of the front right hip bone stretch up against the resisting top of the front right hip bone, and feel the stretch up of the hands mature

The stretch in the hands and the front right hip bone provides the following benefits:

  • Creates additional loading of the lower body
  • Keeps the head behind the ball
  • Makes it feel like the arms swing under your body instead of around your body
  • Best of all is the creation of additional power and the result is more distance

This may seem like it would take too long and it does feel like it will take about one-half second to accomplish.  But in fact, the patience to feel the stretch of the upper body takes one millisecond!  If this action is cut short by one millisecond, a bad shot will occur because it does not allow the time to do all that is needed.  If it takes one millisecond too long, the shot will not be optimal, but the shot will be playable.

Have patience to feel the complete gather of energy at the end of the back swing and the release of energy with abandon.  That one last millisecond of patience creates the last 20 percent of the power in the back swing.

In the following video, notice how Jack Nicklaus displays patience to feel the end of the back swing, the complete gather of energy, and the release of energy with abandon.  Everyone watching this video will only notice how Jack is swinging so hard and fast.  Instead, look at the video and sense how Jack has the patience to wait for the back swing to mature before releasing the energy as fast as he can in the down swing:

In the short game (putting and chipping), use the same patience to feel the end of the back swing, the complete gather of energy, and the release of energy with abandon to create the same rhythm.

Golf is a Really Hard Game

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Here is a fact that very few people want to acknowledge: the game of golf is an extremely difficult game to learn and to maintain proficiency.  The game of golf is a challenging game for people who like challenge.  Golf is a marathon, not a sprint.  It is a game you can never master, but the challenge is in trying to master each of the various facets of the game.  Because golf is so difficult, the game is not well suited to the perfectionist, the overly emotional, the easily frustrated, or the multitasker.  This does not mean they cannot play golf, it just means they will derive little joy from the game.

Here are some of the reasons why I think that golf is such a difficult game:

We are human

Golf shows us every day that we are humans and not robots.  What is needed to play golf consistently is better suited to robots.  Golf requires the execution of the same motion over and over; difficult for most humans.  Golf requires extreme precision; another challenge for us humans.  Humans are like a box of chocolates, we never know what you will get (how you will perform on the golf course from one shot to another.)

Golf is a Game of Feel

Golf is a game that requires the golfer to feel the golf swing.  This is why young children can learn a correct golf swing more quickly than an adult.  Young children can feel their bodies and are aware of what their bodies do.  When young children make a swing and achieve a decent ball flight, they are more likely to be able to repeat the swing. When adults make a swing and achieve a decent ball flight, they are more likely to wonder what happened: the adult has no clue about the swing that was just executed.

Successful Adult Habits are an Obstacle to Playing Consistent Golf

My blog, “It is a Challenge for Adults to Learn the Golf Swing” describes that successful adults want to do a little “extra”, try harder, and try to hit the ball or try to help the ball in the air.  All of these “natural” habits of successful adults sabotage the learning of a consistent golf swing.  Unless the successful adult finds a way to block these “natural” habits, the chance to develop a consistent and efficient swing is very low.

The Fundamentals Required to Play Golf Well are not Obvious or Logical

The most illogical aspect of the game of golf is that the objective is not about hitting the ball.  Rather, the objective is to execute a repeating and efficient motion.  Another important but not obvious aspect about golf is that golf is a mental game.  Golf requires the golfer to focus on areas that make no sense to the average golfer.

The golfer must focus on making a proper grip, address position, stance, and posture and including them into a precise pre-shot routine.  The golfer must focus on using his personal rhythm and executing an efficient motion.  Most golfers know these fundamentals but most golfers do not seriously practice these fundamentals.  Failure to precisely execute these fundamentals greatly reduces the chance of playing consistent golf.

Hitting the Ball is the Biggest Distraction

As mentioned before, the game of golf is not about hitting the ball. But for most golfers, the “hit the ball” thought overwhelms any attempt to focus on executing the fundamentals in order to play golf well.  For most golfers, this focus on hitting the ball will forever prevent them from playing consistent golf.

Golf is an Extremely Precise Game

Golf is so precise that the margin of error is measured in a few degrees, a sixteenth of an inch, and a few milliseconds.  A shot that is one or two degrees offline, teed a little too high, or executed with a slightly different rhythm can result in a less than desirable outcome.

Unrealistic Expectations

Most golfers have unrealistic expectations on how they should play. Golf is a game of misses and the objective in learning to play golf is to have better misses.  This is hard to accept by most golfers.  So the game becomes a very frustrating endeavor.

Hard to Remember

It is very difficult to remember the precise mental and physical process required to generate a successful golf shot.  Successful adult habits, focusing on hitting the ball, and other distracting thoughts makes it extremely difficult for the average golfer to remember what to do to generate a good shot.  Golf is a mental game that requires a strong mental discipline.

Golf Instruction is not Properly Focused

Golf instruction is about trying to fix whatever the golfer believes needs to be fixed.  This is evident by observing what the golfers are doing or not doing at the practice range.  The average golfer does not have a rhythmic swing.  No one on the practice range is practicing a pre-shot routine.  Most golfers on the range are trying to hit the ball or trying to help the ball in the air.

The best golf swing method I have seen so far is the method of Dr. Kwon, a biomechanics professor at Texas Woman’s University.  He teaches his students how to have a rhythmic and efficient swing motion.  He does not teach how to hit the ball.

Dr. Kwon on YouTube.

You Still Need to Get the Ball into the Hole

The average golfer spends most of the practice time at the driving range.  Even if the golfer can drive the ball over 300 yards, if the golfer cannot avoid three-putts and make more one- putts, the scores will not be very good.  The driving range is crowded with golfers while the practice putting green is empty.

Yes, the game of golf is a really hard game.  It is time to acknowledge this and just focus on executing a rhythmic and efficient swing, proper use of the fingers, and adopting a realistic attitude towards the game.

 

Releasing the Club

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Releasing the golf club in the down swing is a motion of the arms and hands that causes the club to efficiently propel the ball towards the target in a consistent manner.  In a proper release, there is no attempt to manipulate the hands.

An efficient and repeatable release is an important part of a consistent golf swing.  The release motion that is described here is appropriate for use in chipping, pitching, and the full swing.

Ben Hogan in his book, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, mentions that the release of the right arm in the impact area “is quite similar to the one an infielder makes when he throws half underhand, half sidearm to first”.  In golf, this motion is the release of the right arm to swing the club towards the target.

In order to execute an efficient release of the club, the little fingers and the right triceps need to work together correctly to build and release energy in the right arm.  As I describe in my blog, “How to Use the Fingers,” the stretch of the little fingers is used to create supination of the left wrist.  The little fingers must maintain the stretch throughout the swing.

The right upper arm is crucial for building and releasing energy:

  • Feel the stretch up of the right elbow, while the top of the right triceps resists up, to build energy in the right upper arm
  • After the pause, as I describe in my blog, “How to Feel Rhythm,” feel the right triceps snap the right upper arm down and release the energy

The action of the right arm is similar to how an infielder “throws half sidearm to first.”  When the right upper arm snaps down, the result is the snap down of the right shoulder, the right forearm, the hands, and finally, the release of the club.  This sequence is the most efficient way to release the club towards the target.

Golfers who develop an efficient and repeatable release will hit the ball straighter and farther.

Biggest Challenge of the Golf Swing

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Golf is the most difficult game you will ever play.  The biggest challenge of the golf swing is not trying to hit the ball.  After all, the ball is NOT MOVING!  The biggest challenge of the golf swing is not the swing itself.  After all, an eight year-old child can produce a beautiful golf swing.  I have said before that golf is a mental game and yet most golfers do not embrace that fact.  The fact that golf is a mental game is not the biggest challenge of the golf swing.  But it is related to the biggest challenge of the golf swing.

The biggest challenge of the golf swing is TO REMEMBER.  Remember what?  The biggest challenge in the golf swing is to remember what works.  What works in a golf swing is a combination of the setup, rhythm, and efficient motions that make the golf ball go the desired distance and direction.  I am sure you have the experience where a swing thought or tip from a teaching pro, a friend, magazine, or the golf channel has resulted in consistent golf shots.  But how long did the tip last?  I am sure not very long.  Why did the tip stop working?  The tip that was working stopped working because you forgot the tip.  You forgot TO REMEMBER!  You must remember to focus on the swing thought on every swing in order to create good shots.  Focus is the key word, not think.  Focus refers to visualizing the shot and feeling your swing thought you must execute to create a good shot.

Distractions

The biggest obstacles that prevent you from remembering are the many and varied distractions in the game of golf.  Since your brain can only focus on one thing at a time, if you are distracted you will not remember.

What are some of the distractions?

Attitude – how you feel about yourself, the weather, the course you are playing, the hole you are playing, the shot you are playing, etc.  A negative attitude will always be a distraction.  You must learn to adopt a positive attitude on the golf course.  A major distraction is assuming you no longer have to focus:  “just let muscle memory take over.”   It is a myth that muscle memory does not require focus.  In fact the only way muscle memory works is when you focus.  When golfers are “in the zone” they do not think but their focus is extremely sharp.  That is why they become oblivious to what is happening around them externally.

Greed – Once you start hitting good shots, the natural tendency is to want to do more.  If you try to do more, you are no longer focused on remembering the swing thought that produced the good shots.  You are now doing something extra in your swing. Doing something extra is doing something different, not the same.  This is one of the biggest distractions in golf.  Rarely is the word “same” used in golf.  You rarely read in the magazines or hear it in the discussions about the golf swing.  Once you have something that works focus on doing it the same for the next six months.

Golf Course – Just because the swing thought you are using works on the practice range, this does not guarantee that the swing thought will work on the golf course.   This is because your brain knows you are no longer on the practice range and you are in a different environment: the golf course.  The golf course is a big distraction.  Mentally, it is so different from the practice range that it is like going from the Earth to Mars. Try to not keep score for a few rounds while you are getting accustomed to remembering to focus on your swing thought on the golf course.

Golf Ball – Most golfers do not embrace the fact that the game of golf is a mental game and not about hitting the ball.  You have probably seen players that have great practice swings when they are focusing on the swing thought that produces good shots.  When they step up to the ball they suddenly use a different swing!  They use a different swing because they are trying to hit the ball!  The golf ball is a huge distraction.  When you step up to the golf ball you must remember to focus on your swing thought.  You will be aware of the ball, but the focus is on your swing thought.

Hazards – The reason golf course architects put hazards on the course is to create distractions.  They know that a hazard will distract the golfer to not focus on the swing.  It only takes a tiny distraction to cause an improper swing motion.  The key is to ignore hazards and focus on visualizing your shot landing on fairways and greens.  Golfers in “the zone” only see fairways and greens.

The Value of a Pre-shot Routine

All good players have a pre-shot routine.  Most golfers discount the pre-shot routine as trivial and unnecessary.  In fact a consistent pre-shot routine is needed to remind you to remember.  If you do develop a consistent pre-shot routine, the chances are high that you will remind yourself to remember the swing thought that produces the good shot.

Remember to focus on your swing thought.

Be a Magician on the Golf Course

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My blog post, “You Must Believe in Magic,” states that you must believe in magic in order to have the proper mental attitude for developing a consistent swing.  In addition to believing in magic, you must be a magician on the golf course.

Why a magician?  A magician does magic tricks that amaze your friends and family.  That is how you should view your golf swing.  It is a swing that will impress your friends and family.  In order to perfect a magic trick, the magician must spend many hours practicing before the magic trick is perfected.  The magician must be very precise, have a rhythm in the banter and timing of the moves, and do it the same every time the trick is performed.  When the trick is successful, you wonder how it was done, it is magic.  To the magician, the satisfaction is not the final effect that amazes the audience.  Instead it is the satisfaction of executing the intricate and precise process that results in the desired effect.

This is how you should approach your development of your full swing.  Your magic trick is an effortless looking golf swing that makes the ball go far and straight.  But the focus should be on executing the motions that result in the desired effect: a good golf shot.  This approach defines what you are doing on the practice range.  Instead of just beating the balls as hard as you can, your objective is to make your swing look effortless.  You must practice being focused on being precise.

You must practice to develop a precise:

  • Setup
  • Rhythm
  • Efficient Swing

A magician does not do the magic trick in a haphazard fashion.  You may not be aware of it but the magician is highly focused on the precise execution of the trick.   Precise focus is required every time the trick is performed.  The golf swing has the same requirement for precise focus.  When the golf swing is successfully performed, it is like magic.  The ball goes straight and long and the swing feels and looks effortless.  Magic!!!

The reason you need to be a magician is to override the logical and natural thoughts that interfere with executing a consistent golf swing.  When you focus on producing magic, your focus is extremely precise.  Thoughts of avoiding hitting into the water, bunker, canyon, or rough are blocked if you focus on performing your magic.

Golf is a mental game.  You need to adopt a mental attitude and focus that allows you to avoid distractions and execute your swing.  Adopting the approach that magicians use can help you develop your mental game.  Magic asks you to suspend your belief in the logical and embrace the possibility that anything is possible.  When you focus on the process to execute precise motions, you will block out doubt or worry about executing your swing.

One of the easiest magic tricks to do on the golf course is to show how you can hit the ball farther and straighter by not swinging very hard.   It takes some practice, but the trick is to be rhythmic and smooth.  This is a secret that nobody will notice.  Only you will know how you are creating the magic!  Your secret is safe with me.  I won’t tell anybody.

Another trick is to show how hitting down makes the ball travel up.  This is not as impressive, but still a good trick to show.  It is not as easy as it looks.

The hardest trick is to show how to make the golf club swing towards the target by not trying to push the club towards the target with the right hand.  The secret to this trick is to focus on what I have described in my blog posts: “Feel an Efficient Swing,” “How to Use the Fingers,” and “How to Feel Rhythm.”   Mastering this trick will show that you are a true magician on the golf course.

Be a magician on the course and you will amaze your friends and family.

How to Use the Fingers

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The fingers are used to do more than grip the club. It is important that the fingers work correctly in order to create an efficient and consistent golf swing.  The fingers have more of an effect on the golf swing than most people realize.  Inappropriate action of the fingers will cause the hands, arms, and body to execute an improper golf swing.

The little fingers provide 50% of hand strength.  Thus, subtle changes in the engagement of the little fingers can have a significant effect on the golf swing.  The little fingers control the tightness of the grip on the club.  When the little fingers grip the club with too much force, the wrists and forearms become too tight and immobile.  The best way to see if the golfer’s grip is too tight is to keep the elbows against the side of the upper body and bend the elbows until the club’s shaft is parallel to the ground   Have someone gently pull the club head away from the golfer and notice if the wrists are bending.  Loosen the grip of the little fingers until it feels like the pressure of the little fingers are providing a pressure of only 1 where the maximum pressure is 10.  Now when the club head is gently pulled away from the golfer, the wrists will move up.  This movement in the wrists indicates the correct grip pressure of the little fingers.

The little fingers barely do anything; they just lay there.   The friction of the middle fingers, ring fingers, and the thumbs on the club provides sufficient pressure to control the club.

Ben Hogan’s Secret

OK.  Everyone has said they know Ben Hogan’s “secret” to his golf swing.  You may have heard things such as:

  • Cupping his left wrist at the top of the back swing
  • Driving his right knee in the down swing
  • Manipulating his arms or hands in the back swing or down swing
  • It was his strong mind and mental strength

Now, I will tell you about my version of Ben Hogan’s secret.   Well, it is really not a secret, because it is in his book “Five Lessons the Modern Fundamentals of Golf.”  Ben specifies that supination of the left wrist is the most important action for the best ball contact.  On page 104, Ben states that “Every good golfer supinates his left wrist. It is a ‘must’.”  Ben spends five pages (101 – 105) discussing the benefits of supinating the left wrist.  Unfortunately, he does not specify what causes the left wrist to supinate.  I would like to describe how to efficiently create supination of the left wrist.

The Secret is in the Right Index Finger

Ben Hogan mentions in his book when describing the grip how the fingers of the last three finger of the left hand press up.  That is part of the secret but not the whole secret.  What is omitted is what he describes in this video:

The key words are “at all times.”  This means the fingers are engaged throughout the whole swing!  Feel the inside of the tips of the little fingers stretch up to cause the other fingers to apply the pressure that Ben Hogan describes.

In the following video, Bobby Jones states: “here’s a thing about the hands that is very important.”  He shows how the left little finger has a light touch so that the grip of the club moves freely in the left hand.  Feeling the grip press against the tip of the left little finger allows the back swing to mature.  This creates the pause that results in a rhythmic swing.

Feeling the inside of the tips of the little fingers stretch up allows the grip to move freely and is not a forceful feeling.  Rather, it is a constant engagement.  The stretch of the inside of the tips of the little fingers creates supination in the left wrist.  The constant stretch keeps the hands in the proper orientation during the swing, and prevents the hands from trying to hit or help the ball.  This engagement of the inside of the tips of the little fingers provides the best chance to make solid contact with the golf ball.  When I feel the vertical stretch, I am able to achieve a “smash factor” of 1.5 with my driver.  The smash factor of 1.5 means the ball was hit on the sweet spot of the club face and results in the optimal ball speed for a given swing speed.

My blog post, “Feel an Efficient Down Swing,” states to feel the hands stretch up in the back swing created by the momentum of the upper body.

During the Stretch, feel the stretch up of the inside of the tips of the little fingers.  Feel the grip press against the tip of the left little finger.  Feel the stretch in the arms.

During the Snap, feel the bottom of the pelvis “bounce” down, feel the top of the right abdominal “bounce” up, and feel the inside of the tips of the little fingers stretch up.  This causes the right elbow to snap down in front of the body and causes the right upper arm to quickly snap down and up to the finish.  This action creates the supinating left wrist and makes it difficult for the right hand to overpower the left hand.  This is why Ben Hogan wished he had “three right hands.”

During the down swing, as the hands reach the level of the right hip, the “power zone,” feel the inside of the tips of the little fingers “bounce” up.  This adds more club head speed and makes the club head “shallow out” at the bottom of the swing which creates a more consistent contact.

This is what, in my opinion, is Ben Hogan’s secret.  At least this is the first explanation of how to create supination of the left wrist and what to feel in the fingers during the swing to produce a shot that is straight and long.  The average golfer does not know how to engage the fingers to produce consistent shots.  Accomplished golfers do so unconsciously.

My blog articles, “Chipping” and “Basic Bunker Shot,” describes the additional use of the right index finger.

 

Famous Golfers Swing Videos

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Here are some videos of great professional golfers.  I present these videos to show that even though their back swings look different from each other, they all have common motions in the down swing that must be incorporated to be consistent and efficient.

Common traits:

  1. Precise Setup
  2. Personal Rhythm
  3. Swing in Balance
  4. Efficient Swing Motion
    • Loading the right side with the snap down of the back inside of the ball of the right foot down
    • Snapping down of the top inside of the right latissimus dorsi
    • Snapping up of the front outside corner of the ball of the left foot
    • Snapping down of the right upper arm that results in circular and horizontal motion

Ben Hogan

Amy Yang

Mickey Wright

Jack Nicklaus

Lee Trevino

Sam Snead

Bobby Jones

Byron Nelson

Rory McIlroy

Lydia Ko

Inbee Park

Bryson DeChambeau

Jin Young Ko

Lorena Ochoa

Tiger Woods

Putting

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There is an old saying in golf:  Drive for show, putt for dough.  It means that most golfers are attracted to the long drive but golf is really about making a putt.  Look at which club brings the most revenue to the club manufacturers:  the driver.   People will pay hundreds of dollars to buy a new driver and will spend countless hours on the driving range trying to hit the ball farther.  Most amateurs would rather drive the ball farther, but all the professional golfers make their living by being great putters.

Very few amateur golfers embrace the fact that if they want to score better, they must putt better. When you go to the driving range, the range is crowded with golfers banging away with their full swings.  The practice putting green is usually uncrowded.  This is why golf is such a hard game. Most golfers would rather drive the ball 300 yards instead of making more one-putts.

Why is putting so important?  You will become a better golfer if you eliminate three-putts and make more one-putts.  The “old” Tiger Woods was an amazing putter.  When the old Tiger Woods needed to make a putt to save par or make a needed birdie, he would make the putt.  It got to the point where we would expect him to make a crucial putt.  Tiger Woods can dominate again if he regains his putting skills.  If he does not, he is like the rest of the professional golfers, we hope that he will be able to make the crucial putt!  Tiger lost his dominance when he lost his dominant putting.  Jack Nicklaus is the only other professional golfer that I know of who would always make a putt that mattered.  When you look at the wining Ryder Cup teams, the one common trait is that the winning team made the most putts that mattered.  When you look at the dominance of the Korean LPGA golfers, they are all great putters.  I believe that in Korea they choose the golfers who can putt and then they teach them to develop consistent full swings.

The goal of putting is to get the ball into the hole.  But that is not the focus of all great putters.  All great putters do not focus on the outcome.  The focus of great putters is to read the green correctly, start the ball on the desired line, make the ball travel the precise distance.  They focus on the process of precise read, line, and distance.  That is the only thing that the golfer can control.  There is a story that after Jack Nicklaus missed a crucial putt in a tournament a reporter asked Jack how he missed the putt.  Jack looked at the reporter and said “I made the putt. The ball didn’t go into the hole”.  That shows you where Jack’s focus was; the process, not the outcome.  It also shows the confident attitude that Jack has in his putting.

Putting is all about creating confidence and belief.  You need to take the time to experiment and to be open to try anything to develop a technique that gives you absolute confidence and belief that the ball will travel the precise direction and distance and fall into the hole.  There is no right or wrong way to develop confidence and belief.  Whatever method is used does not have to be pretty or logical.  It just has to make putts.  It is very personal and you are the only one who can say what works and what doesn’t.

PUTTER

You must take the time to find a putter and a putting technique that gives you confidence.  The putter must look good to you and must also feel good to you.  When the putter is placed behind the ball, the putter must be square to the target and look like it will roll the ball on the desired line.  The putter should feel that is a natural extension of the hands and that the face of the putter will be remain square to the swing arc.  The putter must also feel that it will transmit the appropriate force to roll the ball the desired distance.  The appropriate force is the force needed to make the ball roll twelve inches past the hole if it does not go into the hole.

The look and feel of a putter that inspires confidence is almost like a magic wand.  This “magic” putter should immediately start to make putts and also provide a sense of confidence that every putt will go the desired distance and direction and into the hole.

All putters have torque when the putter is swung.  This means the face will open and close as the putter swings.  The “magic” in a putter is one that allows the golfer to confidently manipulate the putter head during the swing so that the face stays square to the swing arc.  This is the “feel” and the “magic” that differentiates one putter from the next and is what the golfer is looking for in a putter.

Over time, this “magic” will go away.  Then you must either find another magic wand or find another technique that will make putts.  Usually, it is better to find another putter than to try to change the putting technique, but nothing is immune to being changed.

One putter technology that has the potential to change the putting landscape is the Lie Angle Balanced (L.A.B or LAB) technology.  This technology is designed to automatically keep the face of the putter square to the swing arc.  With the LAB putters, it is no longer necessary to manipulate the putter to keep the face square.  In order to use the LAB putters, it requires the golfer to abandon the manipulations that were used with the conventional putters and just let the grip rest in the hands and feel the putter just swing.  This concept of “letting the putter swing itself” may be too challenging for some golfers to change.

Here is a link that demonstrates the L.A.B. technology:

https://labgolf.com/

The L.A.B. technology shows that when using conventional putters, manipulating the putter, however slight, is required to putt well.

TECHNIQUE

The putting technique should also evoke complete confidence.  A confidence that you believe that the putt will travel the correct direction and distance.  The goal of an effective putting technique is to have the putter face strike the ball with the face of the putter pointing down the target line.  Experiment with different putting techniques until a technique is found that provides complete belief.  A technique that creates belief produces a confident stroke that makes solid contact with the ball to roll the ball the desired distance and direction.

The putting technique should be simple.  It needs to be simple in order to be precise.  A complex technique is not precise.  The technique should take the putter back and forth in a rhythmic motion.

Whether the putter moves straight back and forward, inside to inside, or inside to straight, the putter head should be square to the target line at impact and accelerating through impact.

Jack Nicklaus said “Acceleration through impact is a must, both to reach the hole and to keep the ball online.”

Golfers have used many different putters and techniques to keep the putter face square: left hand low, claw, saw, arm lock, long putter, etc.

Just as in the full swing, you must use a pre-shot routine in putting.  The pre-shot routine must include an effective green reading technique.  Green reading is crucial in putting because you may have the best putting stroke, but it does not matter if you cannot determine the correct distance and direction to putt the ball.

The basic green reading technique uses the bottom of the feet to feel the slope of the green as you walk around the green.  The bottom of your feet will tell you if you are walking uphill, downhill, or on a side hill.  You should start by looking at the putt from below the hole, the low part of the green, to determine if the putt is uphill or downhill.  Look at the putt from the side to determine the distance of the putt.  Stand half the distance to the hole and look at the last half of the putt.  Look from behind the ball to determine if the putt will break left or right.

MIND SET

Once you have determined the direction and distance the ball should roll, you must confidently make a pure stroke.  The attitude to adopt before making the stroke is the belief that the ball will go into the hole.  No worry or doubt.  Here is a drill to feel no fear:

  1. Place a ball six inches from hole. While using your rhythm, stroke the ball into the hole. Be aware of what it feels like to confidently accelerate the putter so that the ball travels the precise distance and direction.  It is this confident feeling that is needed for every putt regardless of the length of the putt.
  2. Keep moving back one foot at a time and see if you can keep the same confident mind set.
  3. When you get to a distance where you begin to worry or doubt, go back to six inches from the hole and start over.
  4. The objective is to learn what it feels like to adopt a confident mind set for every putt and believe that the ball will go into the hole.

It is better to use a confident mind set than to use a fearful or doubtful mind set.  Using your rhythmic stroke helps to maintain the confident mind set.  No worry or doubt.

For short putts, from three feet or less, confidence is the key.  This means the focus is to confidently roll the ball so it bounces off the back of the cup or hits the flag stick if you leave the flag in the hole.  When you tap the ball into the hole from six inches, you have complete confidence.  Tap a putt over a virtual hole on the green six inches in front of the ball and notice how far the ball rolls.  The ball will roll two to three feet.  So, on short putts, just aim at a virtual hole six inches in front of the ball in line with the cup and confidently tap the ball into the virtual hole.  Nine times out of ten the ball will roll two or three feet and into the hole.

Another way of creating a confident mind set is to use mind games.  Good putters use mind games.  The objective of using mind games is to create confidence and to take pressure off of the putt.  When Stuart Appleby shot a 59 at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic, he said that when he was putting, he knew the putt was going in the hole before he made the stroke.  When Vijay Singh won the FedEx Cup, he told himself that he was the best putter in the world.  When Tiger Woods needed to make a six-foot putt to tie Bob May in the PGA Championship, he told himself that the putt was so easy his mother could make it.  When Tiger Woods needed to make a twelve-foot putt to tie Rocco Mediate in the US Open, he said he did not care if he made the putt or missed the putt; he only cared about making a pure stroke.  Another mind game is to pretend you have just missed the putt.  When you actually execute the putt, you pretend you are practicing the putt you missed.  The pressure is off because you “know” this is just a “practice” putt.  If professional golfers can use mind games, you can use mind games.

Even though you are not on the PGA tour, you must adopt a confident mind set, have an effective routine, and just execute a confident stroke.  You must TRUST your stroke and BELIEVE the ball will go in the hole.

MY TECHNIQUE

I focus to always make a putt with the precise amount of acceleration.  Even on a one-foot putt, my focus is the appropriate length of the back swing and making a stroke that will produce a stroke that accelerates through impact to eliminate any chance of deceleration.  I am aware of the length of my back swing so I can feel the buildup of the appropriate amount of force that is required for that particular putt.  The feel is one of being rhythmic and continuous.

My current putter is the red L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max Custom.  The specifications are:

Length: 35”, Lie Angle: 63 degrees, Shaft: L.A.B. Golf x TPT, Grip: Press Pistol 2 degree, Alignment Mark: Dot.

I place the left hand at the butt of the grip and the right hand below with the palms facing up.  I place the back of the grip across the base of the middle fingers with the fingers wrapping lightly around the grip.  I place the left index finger across the back of the fingers of the right hand.  The thumbs are positioned up and off of the grip.  The grip pressure is just enough so that I can feel the club swing in the fingers.

To determine the direction of the putt, I visualize the curve of the putt and I pick a point on the target line that will give me a straight putt.  I pick an intermediate target two feet in front of the ball.  I start behind and to the inside of the ball and feel the weight of the putter in my fingers as I approach the ball.  I place the putter so that the ball is at the center of the putter face.  I feel the tips of the little fingers barely touching the grip as I aim the face of the putter at the intermediate target.

I stand so the ball is opposite the left big toe and that my eyes are positioned inside the ball about two inches.  The left foot is placed a couple of inches inside to create a slightly open stance.  I keep the shoulders square to the target line with the butt of the putter on top of my left thigh.  I stand so when my head turns 45 degrees to look at the intermediate target, the left side of the bridge of my nose is in line with the intermediate target.

I stand with a little bend at the waist with the inside of the left upper arm parallel to the left side, the right arm fairly straight, and the hands relaxed.  This allows me to look down the target line.

Once I have “locked in” the direction, I focus on the distance.  I focus on the amount of force I want to use.  I consider the “appropriate” amount of force to be the amount of force required to make the ball accelerate a specific distance and then roll to the hole.  I divide the distance the ball must travel into two parts: acceleration distance and deceleration distance.  My view is when the ball stops accelerating it is decelerating.  I use the length of the back swing to determine the amount of force that is released in the down swing.

I use the hands to swing the putter.  I feel the tips of the middle and ring fingers stretch up to swing the putter back the required distance to produce the acceleration distance.  I feel vertical energy emanating from the inside of the tips of the little fingers to keep the hands engaged as I feel the putter, with the tips of the middle and ring fingers, swing back and forth.

When I feel the length of the back swing has reached the desired distance, I maintain the energy in the inside of the tips of the little fingers as I feel the “bounce” up of the tips of the middle and ring fingers to trigger the swing of the putter toward the intermediate target.  For me, this allows the putter to swing and to trust that the swing of the putter will cause the ball to roll down the target line the desired distance.

My focus is to feel putter swing back and forth.  There is no need to use the hands to manipulate the putter to keep the putter square to the swing path because the L.A.B. putter automatically stays square to the swing path.

For me, this technique keeps the ball on the target line and the amount of force I use is very precise.  It takes a lot of practice to create the trust and belief that it will make putts.  The bottom line is that this method currently works for me.  Once it stops working, I will need to find something else that works.  No one ever said golf was easy.

 

 

 

 

 

What Causes a Missed Shot?

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Golf is a game of misses.  Ben Hogan said that in a round of golf where he had 36 full swings, he only hit two perfect shots.  A perfect shot means the shot went the desired distance, direction, and trajectory.  Two out of 36 shots is less than ten percent!  More than ninety percent of Ben Hogan’s shots were misses.  Similarly, Tiger Woods said that he had two to four perfect shots per round.  Again, that is approximately ninety percent of his shots were misses.  Of course, the misses of Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are much better than our misses.

What causes a missed shot?  The answer to that question is actually very easy.  Here is the answer that you have been waiting for:

A missed golf shot is caused by a swing rhythm that is too quick.  

That is it.  It is not more complicated than that.  Now when you hit a bad shot, you can be certain that your rhythm was too quick.  What happens when the rhythm is too quick?  The result is the incomplete gathering of energy.  The body will react subconsciously to try to make up for the less energy by moving the body, the arms, and hands in a jerky motion.

A quick rhythm is caused by pause at the top of the back swing that is too short.  A quick rhythm does not allow the upper body and the right upper arm to completely gather the energy that is required for a good shot.  My blog article, “How to Feel Rhythm,” describes how to feel the correct pause.  A rhythm that is too quick by even one millisecond will result in a bad shot.

If you have a rhythmic swing and still have a bad shot, the cause is allowing the right hand to try to hit the ball or to try to lift the ball in the air by using diagonal or horizontal motion.  My blog post, “How to use the Fingers,” describes how to engage the fingers to prevent the right hand from trying to hit the ball or trying to lift the ball in the air.

My blog post, “Feel an Efficient Swing,” describes how to use vertical motion to snap the right upper arm down and feel the club snap down and up towards the target.  Using diagonal or horizontal motion means the golfer is focused on hitting the ball which prevents the focus of executing a graceful golf swing.

Correcting a bad shot is not about focusing on what you did but instead about focusing what you did not do.  When you hit a bad shot, ask yourself:

  1. Did I feel the pause?
  2. Did I feel vertical motion of the right upper arm?
  3. Did I feel the constant engagement of the fingers?

The answer will always be NO to one or more of the questions.  Not doing any one of the above actions will cause the loss of synchronization between the right side and the right upper arm.

One of the good aspects of the game of golf is you will have a chance to create a good shot on the next swing if you can focus on feeling the pause, the engagement of the fingers, and feeling the vertical motion of the right upper arm.

Patience is the key to allow yourself the time to do the correct motions.   My blog article, “Patience in the Golf Swing,” describes the patience required to execute a successful golf shot.

The cause of a bad shot is no longer a mystery.

 

Top Four Distractions in Golf

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Golf is a mental game.  Distractions are an integral part of Golf.  When a golfer stands on the tee box and looks at the hole, more than likely the golfer is thinking about the hazards (sand bunkers, water, rough, and trees).  Any time a golfer is distracted, the chance of a successful shot is virtually zero.  A distracted golfer is not in the zone.  A distracted golfer is not being in the moment.

From the myriad of distractions in the game of golf, I  am going to discuss what I think are the top four distractions in golf.  Two of the distractions is associated with the golf ball.  Two of the distractions are associated with our upbringing.

Golf Ball Distractions

Why is it that a golfer’s real swing is so different from a golfer’s real swing?  I see this all the time on the golf course and the driving range. The reason is the golf ball is a big distraction.  Golf is the only game that we play with a ball where the objective is not to hit the ball. George Knudsen, one of the greatest ball strikers, said that “golf is a stationary ball game in which we make a motion towards a target. The ball simply gets in the way of the motion”.  This concept is easy to say, very hard to do.  Why?  Because any time a golfer sees the ball the natural tendency is to either hit the ball or lift the ball up in the air.  These two tendencies, help the ball and hit the ball, are two of the top four distractions.

“Keep your eye on the ball” is the worst thing a golfer can do because the golfer  will be distracted to either try to help the ball into the air or try to hit the ball.

Distractions from Our Upbringing

What we have learned in order to be a successful adult does not work in golf.  From the time we enter school, we are taught to “try harder”.  When you want to get the best grade on a test, you did the extra credit problems.  “Trying harder” and “do a little extra” is very natural for us adults. We do this automatically.  Unfortunately, trying harder in golf never works.  When you do the extra credit problems, you get a higher grade.  In golf, when you do a little extra, you get a failing grade.  Trying harder and doing a little extra are the two distractions that are learned from our upbringing.

These four distractions are very powerful and prevent golfers from executing proper golf swings. This is why a consistent pre-shot routine is so important.  Focusing on your pre-shot routine will focus your mind so you can block distractions.  If you do not consciously put something in your mind you will be distracted.

Focus on your pre-shot routine.  Focus on your rhythm.  Focus on a balanced swing. Focus on an efficient swing. This is the best way to minimize the top four distractions.