What do you think about on the course?

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Topic is dancing around in a couple of threads -- finding the talk fascinating!

 

What do you think about during a round, competitive, friendly or otherwise? I have friends I play rounds with and because of the banter, can't possibly stay in the moment. One buddy, whom I love like a brother, is a club-thrower of the highest order. Find myself wishing/hoping he hits a good shot so he feels good about himself that I don't really pay attention to my game. Result? Whenever I play with him, I suck!

 

I also limit myself to two or three rounds per year with him.

 

Usually play best when I play by myself, walking and joining complete strangers. Glad to get to know them a little, but can focus on what I'm doing with just enough socializing.

 

Play in charity events at work -- now those are FUN!

 

Swing thoughts -- too many and results aren't good. Mostly stick with "smooth" or "gently, boy. Gently." Remind myself to stay relaxed, don't overswing and watch the grip pressure.

 

What does the gathering say?

[RoverRick]

I asolutely makes more no difference what you think about between the shots. Well, maybe it does, you should laugh and joke and have a general good time between shots. However, it is the 22 seconds before the shot that matters. Several years ago someone did a study of tour golfers and found that while the average was 22 seconds, all good golfer (Pros) spent the same time doing the preshot routine each and every time. It varies from golfer to golfer but it does not vary for an individual. If Tiger takes 40-41 seconds each and every time. where Jason Dufner took 45 seconds, and Bubba take 15 or whatever.

 

It is very important to focus on the shot during the preshot routine but it does not matter what you think about traveling to the ball.

[Matt Saternus]

What DO I think about or what do I WANT to think about? Two very different things.

 

When I play badly, I'm probably thinking swing thoughts. When I'm playing well, I'm probably thinking about the target.

 

I tend not to vary much in my thinking whether I'm playing alone or with others. If I'm playing with others, I'll talk to them between shots. If I'm playing myself, I'll talk to myself between shots.

[Flv02]

I always play my best when I am joking around with my playing partners. The second I start thinking about my swing and shots, my round becomes a complete disaster. If I can limit myself to thinking about golf only to my pre-routine, things will go perfectly. I'm at the point where the only thing I can tell myself is not to swing flat. If I tell myself to swing easy, I swing too easy. If I tell myself to swing a little harder, I swing too hard. I think that's just because I am early in my golf career though.

[RoverRick]

A couple of years ago after my round and the celebration afterwards I went out and played 9 holes trying to not think about golf. Just look at the hole and hit the ball. It turned out to be the first time I broke par on 9 holes. I have several times since but usually have a couple of holes on the next 9 that are deal breakers. I start to get close and double bogey an easy hole. Since then every time I have broken par was when I was thinking about something else and did not realize the score until it was over.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

When I have scored my best, I was thinking of nothing, only mentally vusualizing the target, the shot & the outcome & executing...When I have struggled, I have let swing thoughts creep in..As I stated on another post, I tend to "come out of" my mid-irons and block my shots rights & I'll then have the thought of "stay down, stay down" in my mind...

 

When I'm "on" and I come out of a shot, my only thoughts on my next opportunity is a mental image of me coming through a 7i, & it taking off & flying 175 yds with a two yard draw & dropping down, pin high, 2-4' from the hole...

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever.....

 

Must be what they mean by being "in the zone."

 

Best round of my life came when being paired up with a guy and we played as a twosome. We both walked, chatted and swapped stories, congratulated each other on shots hit and putts made and had a very nice time. Mind was blank most of the day - just swing the club, go find the ball and swing again.

 

When the round was over we were both surprised to post sub-80 rounds (75 for me). And it turned out to be one of the few times I'd ever played 18 without losing a ball - finished with the same one I had started with.

 

Weird game....

[JohnBarry]

I am always focused on having fun, enjoying the course, the layout, especially if it's a course I have never played! I am there to relax and have fun and play golf, in that order!

[Tyk]

I'm usually pretty good about staying focused on the shot at hand. I walk and I find that helps. Usually the guys I play with are pretty good on the tee shot, there's the usual banter but when its a person's time to hit everyone respects that. If I'm playing with a group of other walkers then we'll converse down the fairway if we're heading the same direction. Usually once I get to where I can see my ball I'm beginning to size up the shot, considering wind and better miss points etc. Once I get to the ball I'm getting my distance and checking the lie and then waiting for the order of play. Pretty much once I pull the club I'm getting into my pre shot routine. I start about 12 feet behind the ball getting a point a few feet in front of the ball for my aim point, then a full practice swing beside the ball focusing mostly on any concerns about the lie that might require something different. Then as I address the ball I usually take a 1/2 practice swing that reinforces NOT coming over the top, focusing starting with my lower body, then I hit it.

 

Barbajo, I totally know what you mean about playing with people that can throw you off your game. One of my best friends is a guy who will get totally steamed on the course, losing his cool, tossing clubs, and just constantly bitching about whatever went wrong the most recent horrible shot he hit. It takes everything I have in me to not tell him "sorry man, but you realize that you aren't very good at this game, you don't practice, and your swing is a complete compilation of every error that can be made in every facet. Its more amazing that you do occasionally hit good shots than it is that you screw up most of them. . ."

 

But I don't. I only get to play with him a couple times a year and I just treat those rounds as what they are, good time spent with a friend and take advantage of the beer cart!

[Matt Saternus]

 

Barbajo, I totally know what you mean about playing with people that can throw you off your game. One of my best friends is a guy who will get totally steamed on the course, losing his cool, tossing clubs, and just constantly bitching about whatever went wrong the most recent horrible shot he hit. It takes everything I have in me to not tell him "sorry man, but you realize that you aren't very good at this game, you don't practice, and your swing is a complete compilation of every error that can be made in every facet. Its more amazing that you do occasionally hit good shots than it is that you screw up most of them. . ."

But I don't. I only get to play with him a couple times a year and I just treat those rounds as what they are, good time spent with a friend and take advantage of the beer cart!

 

Awesome. This made my morning.

[JMiller]

It depends on my purpose of the round honestly, if I am out their by myself and no one around and I am their to 'practice' then I do just that, have swing thoughts behind the ball, hit 3-5 balls into greens, play all 3-5 balls into the hole for both short game and putting practice. So not really taking a score seriously and normally don't even keep score for these rounds, if I do I play the 1st ball I hit for score only and mark it differently so I know which one is which easier.

 

If it is a competitive round, money round or more serious golf round then the thoughts and approach is a lot different. I normally just focus on what is in my control when playing the best golf. What is in my control is the process of making shots and decisions not the results of the shots.

 

Once I am through my pre-shot routine and have hit the ball, at impact I know fit was a good strike or not for the most part based on sound, feel and body positions when I hear the impact. Watching the ball is more about okay well did i hit the shot I wanted to? Once ball stops, I just turn off the golf thoughts as much as possible, you have done everything you can that you are in control of once the ball leaves the face on a stroke / swing.

 

I use turning my brain off after a shot as a way not to allow my emotions to swing up or down due to a result, bad swing sometimes turn out good, good swings sometimes turn out bad that's golf for you. Just go and hit the next shot starting the process again when it is your turn to hit.

 

If it is a slow round a lot of times I pull a club like a wedge something other then what I probably will hit and make a few swing lightly to stay loose not thinking about anything other then just moving my body and muscles, most time it is with my back to the group in front of me, just glancing up there once and awhile to get a clue when to start my process for that shot by placing my club back in the bag that i was using to stay lose. This is just something that I have found keeps my rhythm and my body good and relaxed and lose over years of experimenting.

 

Everyone is different and handling distractions is the hardest part. It might be a bad result, maybe a great result like an ace, getting anxious in a slow round, letting a playing partner get on your nerves because of poor etiquette, if someone does something right in your back swing and makes you flinch just have to roll with i not get too upset, etc. Just stay mentally stable and emotionally stable and play better golf a lot of times and enjoy the game more.

 

I read this article that Hunter Mahan talks about his 10 rules to go low a long time ago and I find all of them to be pretty true from a mental aspect

--> http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2010-09/hunter-mahan-10-rules?mbid=social_retweet

 

I guess that for a lot of people they need to get excited about a good round or good shot, or react to a bad one, only do it for 30seconds then go back to the process.

[Tyk]

Thanks guys! And thanks fot the Mahan article jmiller, I'm famous for letting good rounds get away down the stretch! I was 1 under on 14 last week and finished with a 77!

[HighFade]

A lot depends on the company. I'm normally a pretty quiet guy, but on the course I become a chatterbox. So it definitely makes for a good round if I play with someone who talks a lot too. The conversation may be anything from families to the latest driver on the market. But during that 22 seconds (or for me about 10) it's always one swing thougt. It changes from round to round. But most often it's "trust your swing, and just put a good swing on THIS ball."

 

Match play is entirely different though. In stroke play, I try as hard as I can to ignore what my playing partners are doing, and play my own game. But match play you have to know where you stand. Because sometimes bogey is a good number!