Visualization

[revkev]

From Jack Nicklaus in "Golf My Way" to Ty Webb's "Be the Ball" to all the inside the head golf guru's that tag along with tour players these days we've all heard about visualization of shots.

 

Who here does it?

 

If you visualize do you practice it? If so how?

 

Do you visualize your short shots?

 

Do you include any sense other than sight in your "visualization", feel, sound, smell, taste? (Okay maybe not taste but who knows)

 

I'm curious because I do on all types of shots but not 100 percent of the time which I think is nuts on my part. So I'd even be curious as to how you've incorporated it into your preshot routine and how long you think the visualization process might take.

[whiskey golf]

I just visualize where I want my ball to start and my landing spot. I work on it at the range when I'm there for a more serious practice session rather than just hitting. I'm trying to work on visualizing the actual ball flight and trajectory more.

[Blade]

When I'm disciplined about visualizing my shots, I make better shots, period. The place I'm the best at doing it is pitch shots around the green. I'll burn the landing spot I picked into my mind, close my eyes as I turn back to the ball and then just drop the ball there. For some reason, closing my eyes as my head turns to look at the ball keeps that mental image in mind better than letting something I see between the landing spot and the ball enter my mind. When I really focus and keep my routine, I surprise myself how the ball lands where I wanted. In November I played a few times and I just wasn't doing it, and my touch was gone. Now that you bring it up, I need to develop that into my routine for full shots as well. I'm at the point where real improvement will come from mental focus and course management (and putting ) far more than any swing change.

 

I know Richard will have a good description of visualizing.

[Will Par]

I think there are two things necessary to score low... visualization and focus. I remember recently standing on a par 3 and deciding to visualize a bulls eye painted on the green around the flag. That's not something I normally do and I'm not sure why I did it that time. My ball landed 6 inches directly in front of the hole. (It didn't go in.) That's visualization, but I think I was also focused on hitting it close.

 

Another recent example... after playing poorly I came to the 18th and needed birdie. I really focused on making birdie telling myself I needed birdie. I visualized my drive drawing into the middle of the fairway. It went exactly as I visualized. I'm still thinking birdie when I'm standing over my approach. I hit the ball to 12 feet and made the putt while telling myself I was going to make the putt. I made what I thought was a poor stroke, but the ball went in anyway. I was visualizing those shots, but I felt it was the focus on making birdie that made it happen. After the round I realized I didn't use that level of focus on any other hole. So I'm asking myself why I don't focus like that on every hole and every shot. I normally try visualize every shot but I'm not always as focused as described in these examples. It takes a lot of mental effort. Much easier to just set up and swing.

[Rickles]

I think that visualizing is different for different people. Rotella always says that it could be anything from focusing on an exact target to actually visualizing the shot exactly as it will fly where it will land, everything. He also said that some people see bulls eyes, or a red line where they are going to putt or they just see the ball rolling on the intended line.

I make visualizing a part of my routine. I stand behind the ball, Think about the shot I want to hit and consider all the variables. I Pull the club, take practice swings or just think about where I want it to go from behind. I Line up using a spot in front of my ball on my intended line of flight. Then I get set, look to the target, look back to the ball and then swing. When I play my best all I think about for the entire process is where I want the ball to go. No swing thoughts, just the shot and the target.

For chipping and putting the only difference is the practice swings are next to the ball rather than behind it. I also usually focus on nothing but how hard I want to hit it.

I think it is all about making it your own. Find what works for you. Then you practice it by always doing it on every shot while practicing or playing.

I also do what Rotella prescribes before playing an important round or tournament. Here you visualize and try to feel everything about tomorrows round the night before, what shots you are going to hit, the smells, sights sounds, getting up and down feeling nervous making a clutch putt towards the end to win. Even nervous or trouble situations. He says that more you can get into it the more it will feel like you've already been there and handled it when the pressure's on. I do this the night before while I go to bed. I also do it while driving to the course.

[JMiller]

From Jack Nicklaus in "Golf My Way" to Ty Webb's "Be the Ball" to all the inside the head golf guru's that tag along with tour players these days we've all heard about visualization of shots.

 

Who here does it?

I do it every shot as best as possible. I stand behind the ball in my pre-shot routine and visualize the flight of the ball.

 

If you visualize do you practice it? If so how?

 

Do you visualize your short shots?

On the driving range / practice tee I only hit 20-25 balls making sure to go through my pre-shot routine every swing. I first pick a target A / B {for shot shape starting at A curving towards B}, I picture that ball flight at the target A curving to B at my selected trajectory (just like i would on the course) then walk into the ball find my alignment waggle etc. Then just pull the trigger. I focus mostly on the process more then the results of the shot on and off the course.

 

Yes, I do visualize the shot in the way I just said, mentally picture the ball flight starting at target A curving at target B at my selected trajectory (low, mid, high). Tiger woods has a 9 pane drill that he does and tries to hit 9 shots through each pane with various clubs. For a RH golfer it would look like this

High Fade   | High Straight   | High Draw

Medium Fade | Medium Straight | Medium Draw

Low Fade    | Low straight    | Low Draw

 

Do you include any sense other than sight in your "visualization", feel, sound, smell, taste? (Okay maybe not taste but who knows)

Feel yes, sound not really, smell not really, taste no, I take 1 or 2 practice swings at 20% power to feel the weight of the head and the body motions that need to happen to hit the shot I am attempting to play. It also helps me keep my muscles from tightening up so it works two proposes really.

 

I'm curious because I do on all types of shots but not 100 percent of the time which I think is nuts on my part. So I'd even be curious as to how you've incorporated it into your preshot routine and how long you think the visualization process might take.

 

Really the key is flipping it from the left brain (analytical side), to the right brain (creative / athletic side) in your preshot routine pretty early in the process. I'll sort of go through my own pre-shot routine and mark where the switch happens.

 

 

LEFT BRAIN

Step 1) Get the distance, wind, etc to help select a club and shot.

Step 2) pull the club for the shot you want to play and commit to the decision.

Step 3) pick two targets Target A (where the ball starts towards), Target B (where the ball curve towards)

>> example on TV they say "He is going to start it at the TV tower and play a draw to the left pin"

 

RIGHT BRAIN

Step 3) From behind the ball with club in hand picture the ball flight starting at target A and curving to target B

Step 4) Make 1 or 2 practice swings at 20 to 40% power to FEEL the head and the motion of your body while still picturing the shot in your mind

I most the time make 1 practice swing and then visualize the shot again afterwords, just like I did before my practice swing

Step 5) I like to pick a spot 1 to 3 yards in front of my ball on my line for alignment purposes

Step 6) I walk into the shot set the face down on line, let my feet set up naturally while I look at the target and waggle the club. I have a bit of a Dufner style waggle, but I also like to have an earlier wrist set in my swing so it's more to keep the forearm muscles lose.

I picture the shot in my mind as my feet set up to support my body naturally and i am waggling. I don't even notice my feet movement or my waggle as I picture the shot it happens sub-consciously. So this is why it is still Right brain I am consciously thinking about and visualizing my shot not worrying about my feet placement or anything else going on.

Step 7) I briefly double check my face alignment, more as a double check to subconscious alignment.

Step 8) I glance up one last time to get a final picture of the shot in my mind.

Step 9) My last thought is always a feel thought and normally the word SMOOTH.

Step 10) Swing, pull the trigger.

 

 

I think the most important thing is at any point if you have a doubt about what you are about to do STOP. re-set from step 1 and go through the process again. You see tour players do this all the time, wind shifts a little and they back off immediately they go over the change or just wait for the wind to switch back to their original shot selection.

 

 

Where I might vary the process a little, the visualization is always in place. Where I might take 1 practice swing one time, three another, etc the visualization is interlocked in some way.

 

 

GolfPsych has a free video of a mental routine you just type in your email address and it gives you a link to the video:

http://www.golfpsych.com/blog/free-mental-skills-video/?CFID=248401&CFTOKEN=61243181#

 

Of you can sort of cheat the system by doing this

http://www.golfpsych.com/[email protected]

http://www.golfpsych.com/free-video.cfm?email={replace brackets and text with your e-mail}

EXAMPLE: (this link actually works)
http://www.golfpsych.com/[email protected]

 

 

Here is another link for you to try out and see what scores you get and where you might be able to improve your mental game.

http://golfpsych.com/blog/free-8-traits-quiz/

 

OR you can skip the info part by this link:

http://golfpsych.com/quiz/?Id=16958&FirstName=John&LastName=Doe&Email=johndoe%40test.com

[revkev]

Very nice jmiller - thanks - I've been computerless all weekend and so am just checking back in.

[JMiller]

Another post on visualization can be found here >> http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/8247-visualization/