Don't think mechanics - Let your brain react
 

Do you have too many mechanical thoughts going though your head when you play the course? This is a common problem and often can be the difference between scoring well or not.

The time for mechanical thoughts is during your practice sessions, that is what they are for. You break the swing down into parts and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Then you put it all together into a complete motion again. Once you are on the golf course your focus, with every shot, should be solely on the target.

Think about it. Your brain is target oriented. When you throw a ball, you don't think of the mechanics needed to send it toward a target, you let your brain run on autopilot. It sees the target and tries its best to coordinate the body motion in a way that the ball will somewhat head in the right direction. If you think of a small child learning to throw, they are not very good in the beginning, but the more they throw the better they get because their brain starts to make the necessary compensations in body motion to get the ball on target. Notice I didn't say the brain made the body motion fluid and efficient (that is a topic for another day).

Anyway, golf is similar, but instead of having the ball in your hand you are trying to hit it with a stick. A little more difficult, but the process from your brains perspective is the same. If your brain can clearly picture where you are trying to get the ball to go your odds of it heading that direction are greatly improved. When you are thinking mechanics during the swing you are distracting your brain from the primary goal, which is hitting the ball squarely and sending it towards a target.

I believe this is not only the reason Tiger Woods was so dominating over the last decade (he was able to clear his mind for each shot and focus like a laser on his target), but it is also the reason he is struggling today (his mind is distracted by a multitude of thoughts). It is also the reason I think Phil Mickelson will have a good season in 2011. He spent the last couple years working on his swing, but this year he has already come out and said he is done tinkering with his swing, his focus is going to be on hitting golf shots. To me that is a pretty strong statement as to what he will be focused on when standing over the ball.

Trust me, this whole concept is much easier said then done. In my opinion, it is the basis for why golf can be such a difficult, frustrating sport. But, like most everything else in golf, if you want to improve your thought process on the golf course you have to... you guessed it, you have to practice it. So, the next time you head out for a practice session, spend some time hitting balls with only one thing in mind, the target you are trying to hit. Start out with short little pitch shots (5 - 10 yards at most) until your brain starts to get the hang of not being cluttered up with anything other than the target. It may actually help to throw some balls underhand to become aware of how to get the clutter out of the brain. Once you begin to get the hang of it you can start trying it with longer shots.

Remember the key to practice is patience and perseverance. Don't give up if you struggle with this in the beginning. As I eluded to earlier, this is probably the most difficult aspect of playing the game. Keep at it, good luck, and let me know how it goes.

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