Hitting it solid. The mental side. Whats in your head??

Hello fellow GRians,

I just wanted to share my experiences at the range over 2 driving sessions. I count myself as an average golfer. If I had to put a Handicap I would say 17 or 18. I like to think that I strike the ball pretty well though I do get my fair share of duffs, pulls, slices and my worst nightmare the push slice. I guess when i'm swinging bad I tend to go from out to in but I do know my swing pretty well so that by the end of range sessions I'm back on plane and hitting well. I tend to rotate my upper body first when swinging bad. But this post isn't about that.

A few days ago while I was at the range I decided to do the downswing with the mental picture in my head of hitting a wall using my iron or driver etc. So eyes on the ball but don't think about hitting the ball, don't think about the downswing just think about hitting a wall using the club that I had. Lo and behold I hit it solid . I did it again and it didn't happen. Tried again and it did. This happened towards the middle end of my driving range session. I walked away at the end of the session a happy camper having learnt something new.

Just now 8.00 PM I was at the range so I decided to continue where I had left off previously. So I did what I did before eyes on the ball but think of hitting a wall with club and the outcome was slightly better but I would say it was a 50-50 kind of thing. Streaks of solid contacts followed by streaks of bad. So after 15 balls or so I stepped back and gave it some thought and eureka it came to me. Maybe the reason I'm not hitting it flush every time is because the wall doesn't exist because it is imaginary!! So I thought we have to be more specific, more accurate, which came to the conclusion that I will hit my target which at the time was the 150m marker. So right before the start of the swing I would glance of 150 marker think I am going to hit the 150m marker. The results were amazing flush almost every time either straight or with a slight fade. So fellow Grians in summary I guess what I'm trying to say is this

Eyes on ball, don't think about hitting ball, don't think about the mechanics of the downswing, think about hitting the target with the club that you have in your hands so if its a pole hit the pole, if its the 150m sign board hit the 150m signboard. I bolded and highlighted the important bits.

I guess by now some of you might be feeling suspect and might be thinking If you're not thinking about hitting the ball how are you going to hit the ball? I too was wondering about this while driving back home just now and the answer is simple, what determines that you're going to hit the ball are your fundamentals i.e your setup. If you have an okay posture, an okay swing, an okay alignment etc. you will hit the ball without a doubt 100% you don't need to think about hitting the ball.

Long post but I do hope that some of you will try this. It might work for you, it might not but do give it a try. If I've or my writing have come off as slightly pretentious I do apologize, I'm still learning this great game and even more important learning the greatest lesson that is life . Last but not least Happy golfing everybody!!

I have another though of my own .. Just do not think of hitting the ball but just swing and complete your swing ...

This is what mind guru, Dr. Bob Rotella advocate.
Focus on ball and target.

I'm thinking,

Good days: usually nothing, blank

Bad days: pls dun duff, pls dun duff...

Thanks for sharing

for me..... my thougths are:

1. make sure aim for the little 'marker' 5 inches fm the ball in the direction of the ball

2. make sure to pivot my right armpit...to ensure I am inside out

3. then....try not to cork my wrist on backswing...else, sure shank

4. remember to have my left hand ahead of the club and back of palm facing the direction upon contact

5. if I miss out any...I repeat fm #1

I never thing over the ball . as i do my pre-shot routine which include my practice swing behind the ball which will focus on key part of my swing . i try to breath and relax while walking to the ball . my main focus over the ball will be alignment and set up . If you have a good pre-shot routine the bad shot will be better than before as you will be more relax over the ball with confidence of being able to hit the ball the way you want to .

No, no, please don't be shy, by all means share. Your status, whether beginner or seasoned player has no bearing on your sincerity in sharing, which shines through.

If you have a point, it stands on its own merit regardless whether people may doubt you or not.

Great that you have discovered something that works. Am sure when you bring it to the course you'll have fun with it.

Similarly, I do my aiming in the alignment and set up. After that, like Slicer51, I focus on completing the swing, and finishing in balance, esp on uneven lies.

Lee36328 wrote:

No, no, please don't be shy, by all means share. Your status, whether beginner or seasoned player has no bearing on your sincerity in sharing, which shines through.

If you have a point, it stands on its own merit regardless whether people may doubt you or not.

Great that you have discovered something that works. Am sure when you bring it to the course you'll have fun with it.

Similarly, I do my aiming in the alignment and set up. After that, like Slicer51, I focus on completing the swing, and finishing in balance, esp on uneven lies.

Haha, so you are no longer religious anymore?

for me, eyes focus on the ball then swing normally. dont think of hitting it hard so can get more distance, just focus on my normal swing.

Hitting it solid. The mental side. Whats in your head??

I only think of the HOLE nothing but the Hole........!

For me, I would simply picture where I would like the ball to travel in my head before I pull the trigger ...

Denmeister wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

No, no, please don't be shy, by all means share. Your status, whether beginner or seasoned player has no bearing on your sincerity in sharing, which shines through.

If you have a point, it stands on its own merit regardless whether people may doubt you or not.

Great that you have discovered something that works. Am sure when you bring it to the course you'll have fun with it.

Similarly, I do my aiming in the alignment and set up. After that, like Slicer51, I focus on completing the swing, and finishing in balance, esp on uneven lies.

Haha, so you are no longer religious anymore?

Since being born again, it is against my new faith to pray to any other deities, golfing or otherwise. So I put my trust in the setup and alignment instead.

I adopt what Greg Norman uses, "Greg, smooth rhythm."

Thanks everybody for the replies.

Went to the range just now and started to incorporate the thought into my pre-shot routine. I've been experimenting with different thoughts. Sometimes its like breaking glass using the club or sometimes a pole. I find that the close it is to personal experiences the better the shot so in the end breaking glass was the most effective so I'm sticking to that... I once broke a glass cabinet and window while practicing indoors . Its much more simple now as I don't think of where the club should be etc. I'm more comfortable when I'm over the ball and I don't worry if I'm going to strike it well anymore and if I don't.. meh.. focus on the good stuff. Like lee I trust that my setup will aim the ball properly.

Dont think, just stare at the ball and smack it

Not near, still on the green. Not on the green, u still have yr short game. No short game, go buy a good wedge.

Just complete the swing is what I was taught. Do not aim for the ball. Remember your finishing,