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Swing thoughts.

post #1 of 23
4/26/07 at 6:20pm
Thread Starter 
Ok so you've lined up your shot whether it's off the tee or in the fairway...etc.

What is the one or two things you remind yourself before you begin your take away?


For me I think "back of your left hand towards the target" "shorten back swing"(which means don't over swing. My main issue) and "swing through the ball down the target line not at the ball"

Then I swing. Just 3 real quick thoughts.

Now I need to come up with some thoughts on the putting green cause as of now I just kind of line it up and hit it.
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post #2 of 23
4/26/07 at 6:33pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Unless it is a specialty shot, I try to ingrain a relaxed and balanced feel in a practice swing and then move into my shot only visualizing the target.
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post #3 of 23
4/26/07 at 6:37pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Have you ever seen "the greatest game ever played" ? The golfer focuses strictly on the hole and trys to imagine it without any trees or bunkers and just focuses on his target. Thats what I try to think about. I try to forget about the competition and the obstacles and just focus on where I want the ball to land. I have this problem that if I think about the pond, I go in the pond!!
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post #4 of 23
4/26/07 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Swing thoughts.

Originally Posted by jb1982 View Post
Have you ever seen "the greatest game ever played" ? The golfer focuses strictly on the hole and trys to imagine it without any trees or bunkers and just focuses on his target. Thats what I try to think about. I try to forget about the competition and the obstacles and just focus on where I want the ball to land. I have this problem that if I think about the pond, I go in the pond!!
I think that's kind of what I'm doing when i'm just thinking about keeping the back of my left hand moving toward the target. I realized a while ago the more I worry about a hazard the more likely i'll be to hit it there.
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post #5 of 23
4/26/07 at 6:44pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Originally Posted by TarDawg View Post
I think that's kind of what I'm doing when i'm just thinking about keeping the back of my left hand moving toward the target. I realized a while ago the more I worry about a hazard the more likely i'll be to hit it there.
Yeah. I used to think about the hazards too much. If there was ob left I'd think "don't go left. don't go left" and then I'd block one into the trees on the right. Same with ponds. Think "don't chunk it" then I blade it into the pond. Now I try to forget the hazard is there and concentrate on where the ball is going to land. It really doesn't matter what the ball flys over on it's way to the green! if only it always worked that way
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post #6 of 23
4/26/07 at 7:06pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

I take one, maybe two practice swings. Right before I begin my take-away, I think "Get in the hole" reguardless of how far away I am.
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post #7 of 23
4/26/07 at 8:27pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Right before takeaway I tell myself "Stay Connected". By saying that, I'm really telling myself two things: 1) Don't let your lower body outrace your upper body, and 2) Maintain the linkage between your hands, arms, and chest/shoulders.

All the mental stuff about hazards comes before I set up for the shot. I'll stand behind the ball and figure out where I need to hit the ball, and under a worst-case scenario, where I can miss and be ok. Even the miss scenario seems positive to me because I know it's not the end of the world if it happens.
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post #8 of 23
4/26/07 at 9:25pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Drives - "low and slow"
irons - "swing through and finish"
putts - "finish to the hole"
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post #9 of 23
4/26/07 at 11:56pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Originally Posted by TarDawg View Post
Ok so you've lined up your shot whether it's off the tee or in the fairway...etc.

What is the one or two things you remind yourself before you begin your take away?
Sometimes nothing (i.e. I'm just holding onto the visual I just had or a "feeling"), sometimes it's one swing thought. NEVER more. The swing thought varies depending on what's working that day and/or what kind of shot I'm trying. Sometimes, again, I don't even have a swing thought.

There's an inverse relationship between the number of thoughts a golfer has over the ball and the quality of the resulting shot.
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post #10 of 23
4/27/07 at 12:07am

Re: Swing thoughts.

All i think when im shooting is "Make good contact" and also "Swing back straight"
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post #11 of 23
4/27/07 at 12:31am

Re: Swing thoughts.

Tempo 1,2,3,4

and to keep my weight back.
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post #12 of 23
4/27/07 at 2:29am

Re: Swing thoughts.

On approach shots my only thought is the distance. So my only thought for a 170 yard shot is "hit it 170". On drives I have no swing thought. I saw a great interview with Freddie Couples during his prime. He had no swing thoughts at all.
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post #13 of 23
4/27/07 at 2:42am

Re: Swing thoughts.

sometimes the best thing is to have no thoughts at all. I tell my friend not to think about anything when he is driving and he cranks it straight down the middle. I personally have never tried that.
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post #14 of 23
4/27/07 at 12:45pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

I agree with the no thoughts theory. I always take that deep cleansing breath and THINK POSITIVE. It doesn't always happen though.
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post #15 of 23
4/27/07 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Swing thoughts.

Originally Posted by Ogg View Post
I agree with the no thoughts theory. I always take that deep cleansing breath and THINK POSITIVE. It doesn't always happen though.
Yeah Raymond Floyd is a HUGE believer in the think positive frame of mind.
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post #16 of 23
4/27/07 at 1:54pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

Well it was like Corey Pavin said, you cannot get up to a hit over water and think "Don't hit it in the water". You have just made two negatives in the same thought. The first is "Don't" and the second is "water". You need to clear your mind and tell yourself that you are going to "hit it on the green." Commit to your shot and hit it.
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post #17 of 23
4/27/07 at 2:14pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

It's usually something simple that I've been working on... "no tension", "full turn"... something like that. My main point of concentration is my target, not my swing.
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post #18 of 23
4/27/07 at 2:26pm

Re: Swing thoughts.

It us usually something like, "Man, it is going to be a long freakin' walk into that other fairway...".
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