There are about as many ways to swing a golf club as there are blades of grass on the 18th green of your favorite golf course.
The game of golf offers a special challenge for every level of player. Whether you’ve just started, you’re a good amateur golfer, or a seasoned golf professional.
There are so many aspects to this seemingly simple game of golf. It’s no surprise that even the worlds best, the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McElroy or Jordan Spieth seem to be able to find the secret and have it last. Although Tiger Woods in his prime was a remarkable specimen to watch for us all. Bringing a level of excitement and precision to the game of golf that was unmatched.
Golf Swing Thoughts Help Develop Consistency
Should I have a swing thought?
You may opt to have a golf swing coach or just ask your buddy that you play with.
“Hey what do you see, what am I doing wrong”?
No matter the case, what is important is that you find a golf swing thought that you can call your own.
If your golf technique happens to be a very simple swing thought or is a very complex golf system. You must realize that the thought or system in and of itself isn’t enough for you to continue to improve your golf game.
Can focus help my golf game?
What is vitally important for you to take your golf game to another level is to be able to consistently execute which requires a higher level of focus.
This focus requires you as a student of the game golf to intimately be aware of your technique or swing thought.
Whether it’s a simple swing thought or complex system, the technique itself must be identified by you in simple terms or simple words the fewer words the better.
Keep in mind the swing thought you choose must provide beautiful ball flight. If the thought isn’t highly effective keep tweaking the thought until you see a very nice result.
Once you’ve achieved great ball flight lock that thought in, that’s your new swing thought.
How can a golf swing thought help me?
There are several steps that take place from the beginning to the end on the golf swing.
First of all, a golfer will get him or herself positioned over golf ball, commonly known as the setup position or your posture position.
Secondly, this step can often become overlooked or maybe not even that well known to many golfers. Implementing some sort of relaxation technique both physically and mentally so you’re positioned over the ball in a relaxed state.
Thirdly and the focus of this article is the movement of the golf club.
How do I take my golf game to another level?
Of those three steps this article will focus mostly on step 3, being your golf technique. Further, how using your technique and applying focus, combined can take your golf game to another level. As mentioned your technique alone is not enough to take your golf game to another level.
What can a swing thought be?
Let’s for simplicity just call your golf technique a “swing thought”. We’re referring to, while the club is in motion from start to finish.
Each persons in motion thought will be different. One may favour swinging the club head, others keeping the head down or keeping your right elbow tucked. Again there are a million ways of swinging a golf club, identifying what you do or what your “in movement thought” is, is very important. What you want to achieve once your thought is identified, is you then learn how to properly focus on said thought.
I keep my head down and still can’t hit a good shot why???
When you’re just starting the game it’s a very basic instructional for instructors or friends to say “keep your head down” or “keep your eye on the ball”.
Keep your head down or keep your eye on the ball, with golf sadly, it’s not all that easy.
The focus has to be much more intense than just saying the words, you can say to yourself to keep your head down but that doesn’t necessarily happen. My wife asked me to take out the garbage about three hours ago, as I sit here writing this, the garbage has yet to move.
Sometimes words can get lost??
How many golf balls do I need to hit?
Think about this, in large bucket of range balls there are maybe 80 golf balls give or take.
You finish those then make your way to the first tee, you go on the course and take another 80 or so strokes.
We can become very dis-interested or bored of our own words. Or not very attentive to our self talk on each and every golf swing. When we say to our self, keep your head down 160 times on the golf course & practice tee covering 4 to 5 hours.
How many times do you think of the 160 attempts would have been done effectively & precisely enough to result in a solid golf shot?
In order to achieve a highly effective golf swing that’s relatively consistent and results in solid strikes. All your senses must be utilized to focus in on the task at hand and produce optimum results.
Swing plane is this a good swing thought?
So we’ll leave behind for the moment the very most basic instruction of “keep your head down”. Let’s move along to more sophisticated golf swing thought. In this case let’s use “swinging the club head” or “swinging the golf club on plane”.
Let’s say the thought or focus will be “swing the golf club head on plain”.
How do I visualize a golf swing plain?
It’s a great thought, now let’s apply focus techniques to make it even more highly effective. It’s a good idea to get an imprint or picture in your minds eye what the perfect plane of a golf swing looks like.
One afternoon, when your honey do list is clear spend an afternoon watching golf on TV. You’ll see the likes of Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Brooks Kepka, Jordan Spieth & Rory McIlroy.
They all have great swing planes they’re not all on an identical paths. Justin Thomas as an example has a much more upright plane. In any case the back and down movement of the golf club head is traveling on virtually an identical path back as they are down.
How should I practice my golf swing?
Watching the PGA stars so effortlessly and precisely swing the golf club on plain paints for you a picture of what path or plain looks like. Now you can go to the practice tee with a picture of plain line in mind the golf club head will travel on back and down. Picture their golf club head as a paint brush attached to the end of the golf shaft soaked with bright white paint.
Watch them again as they paint a perfect plain line up and down with the club head on the exact same line. There’s not much painting outside the lines with these guys any more.
Used to be only Tiger Woods had that plain line figured out precisely, now many of the PGA stars do it.
Another good image is to YouTube the “Iron Byron”. It’s a mechanical golf device that tests golf balls & clubs. This mechanical device swings a golf club on a precisely perfect plain. This will also provide you a very good visual image to have in mind of proper club movement on plain line.
Golf…practice makes perfect
Back to the driving range we go we have more work to do.
The goal now that you’ve identified the plane line as it relates to the golf swing. Your task simply becomes, move your golf club head on the plain line both back and down . This is where the concept of more than just saying the words comes into play.
In your minds eye you can see the plane line or visualize the plane line.
Fast forward…
You’re all set up to strike the golf ball. You’re in a set up position, the golf club head is resting in behind the golf ball. From the moment the club head starts its movement away from the golf ball it’s time to engage all your senses to help guide the club head on plain.
Visualization of the golf club head
Firstly, you can physically see in your normal field of vision the golf club head start moving on plane line.
You can literally watch the golf club head move on plane probably to at least hip high on the backswing.
Watch the golf club head for the first 18- 24 inches in your immediate field of vision. From the point of hip high and beyond your peripheral vision picks up the club head without consciously move your eyes with the club head.
You don’t have to move your eyes with the club head you just become aware of the golf club head moving on plane.
The golf club head continues moving smoothly along plain to hip high and beyond, make the club head and plane line one.
What can I do to keep the golf club head on plain?
Now other senses need to become involved.
You can no longer see the club moving on plane beyond hip high but in your minds eye you know where that plane line. You start “feeling” the club head continue to swing up on that plane.
So now you are feeling the golf club head move along plain line. You’re also sensing in your minds eye the golf club head is on the plane line you’re visualizing it. Even though you can’t see the club head on plain beyond hip high your sense of feel directs the club head on plain.
Throughout the backswing you’ve seen the first few feet of the golf club head on the plane line. Beyond that you’re feeling it on line your sensing it on line. Continue to direct the club head along that plane line to the very top of the golf swing. All your senses stay in tune with the golf club head which is now at the top of the golf swing (end of the backswing plain line).
The golf club head is going to start making its way back down the plain line towards the golf ball. You continue to feel the golf club head travelling back down the plain line. You’re felling it, visualizing it and sensing the golf club head is staying in perfect connection with the plain line.
Will feel and visualization improve my swing?
Once you get good at the feel and visualization technique of moving the golf club head on the plain line it will becomes easier and you see it clearly.
So when you think that words are not enough? It’s this writer’s opinion that it’s not fun enough either.
Expanding your focus to include using your physical vision, using visualization technique, using feel, using your minds eye is a much more fun. It’s an engaging and exciting way to stay connected with your golf swing.
Practice golf…play golf…in that order
Keep in mind when you start engaging more senses and tracking the movement of the golf club head. At first it may seem unclear with flashes of brilliance. The more reps you get in the more clearly you’ll you connect the club head with the plane line and the results will speak for themselves. You’ll feel flush solid contact with beautiful ball flight.
It’s imperative to get in a lot of time on the practice tee. First, identify your thought then quietly say your thought to yourself while in motion. See your club head on plain, feel the club head on plain. Visualize your thoughts in motion.
Make the plane line and your club head one. The result will be magical!!
Happy Golfing Friends!!
