How many times have you instructed yourself to keep your head down before hitting the ball over the green? Have you ever tried in vain to avoid a repeat of an error by remembering it?
That has already been done.
In my experience teaching over 11,000 students, the majority make an effort to correct technical errors through conscious thought. Simply reinforcing the memory of improper technique is what conscious instructions like “keep your left elbow straight,” “shift your weight,” or “delay the wrist release” do.
The idea that golf is a game of feel is well known to all players. How do you feel when your mind keeps replaying the mistakes you’ve made in the past? In truth, this practice gives you the impression that you’ll never be proficient enough to set aside technique and hone your intuitive sense of feel.
The situation is hopeless.
The dominant feel is what triggers a response from your nervous system rather than conscious thoughts. You feel confident and have a good chance of making solid contact if your most vivid memory as you approach the ball is one of previous success.
The attempt to make up for it, however, could be interesting if the memory is that the ball hit the ground a foot behind it.
The “secret” to consistency is recalling the memories of success. These memories will give you the best feeling possible, allowing you to concentrate on where you want the ball to go rather than dwelling on previous errors or proper swing mechanics.
Have you ever been forced to wait behind a student driver? Do you wonder what’s causing them to move so slowly? The driver is trying to consciously process everything, including the speed of the approaching vehicle, whether the pedestrian will cross the street or wait, and whether the light will change before they reach the intersection.
The golf equivalent to the above scenario, is the player afflicted with “paralysis by analysis”.
Every golfer who struggles to break ninety consistently, is trapped in the “new driver” syndrome; they try to consciously control every action, instead of trusting their sense of feel.
Do you have experience with pre-shot procedures? Contrary to popular belief among golfers with a mid to high handicap, the main objective is to enable the player to temporarily set aside swing mechanics in favor of simply hitting the ball for 1.5 seconds.
The best players in the world’s pre-shot routines are examined in the following article to help you learn a trick for raising the bar on your performance.
Thanks for reading.