Target Oriented Golf

[aasimzkhan]

Golf fam. Hope everyone's well.

Considering all that's been said/written about external attention focus, and quietening the left side of the brain during the golf swing, I came across this book, "Target Oriented Golf: Training the eyes, mind and body for success", by Dr. Tony Piparo and Colin Cromack, and found the blurbs etc quite interesting. Wondering if anyone has read it, and if so, was it useful, in any way? 

Happy to hear your thoughts!

Best

Aasim

 

 

[Lihu]

Golf is a target oriented sport because we’re targeting a tiny hole hundreds of yards away?

If you take focus away from your body when you’re starting golf, there’s less chance to develop good swing mechanics?

Every time you go to the range to practice you’d focus on the inner self and your body mechanics and on the course focus on the target? If that makes sense?

[uitar9]

Interesting. The last couple of years when I've been spending any practice time with a golf ball, focusing on a specific target. (Wedges into fake greens) Maybe it is in LSW or some other TST material. I see golf like any other throwing or racket sport. I don't think about my mechanics when I throw a ball to first base, or hit a shot with a tennis racket, I just focus on the target.

I've gotten competent inside 100 yards, Now that I can make contact with the golf ball a little more consistently, I'm gonna spend more time on longer club full swing practice this winter and learn to focus on a target further away. 

[GolfLug]

Brain has to be able to trust both cause and effect. To say forget the mechanics and just focus on target is like asking a beginner driver to have no fear factor and drive like they have been driving for years - just follow the road. 

Isn't why we ask them to drive slowly in an empty parking lot first?  - to develop the 'database' of how much pressure to apply on a gas pedal and how much resulting speed, steering rotation and actual resulting turn, etc. 

Develop trust through mechanics and good results of how to start and get the ball to target - repeatedly. 

 

[phillyk]

I have not read the book.  I took a sports psychology class and one section talked about "cancelling the noise".  When I'm on the course with my students, I tell them what focusing on the target really means.  It means there are no trees, bunkers, water, other people, animals, etc. (this all assuming the target is a reasonable one).  For a lot of golfers, they have hit a particular club perfect/really good at least once.  Letting yourself drift towards negatives doesn't do any favors.  Telling yourself that you have hit this shot before and you can do it again gives people comfort.  When you are over the ball, it's just you, the ball, the specific target, and lastly the swing.

[Patch]

I am thinking for this topic that being "target oriented" is much like playing your best golf, while being in "the zone". Everything in our swing just clicked. 

Most of us have done it. We run off a string of great scoring holes with out really thinking about it. We total up our score, and go "wow how'd I do that".

Another analogy might be you drive some where. You arrive at your destination, but don't remember the actual drive.

There is another thread on this forum that deals with playing without any swing thoughts. I do this all the time. I see the shot, pick a club, and swing it. All my swing thoughts are used during practices. 

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, phillyk said:

I have not read the book.  I took a sports psychology class and one section talked about "cancelling the noise".  When I'm on the course with my students, I tell them what focusing on the target really means.  It means there are no trees, bunkers, water, other people, animals, etc. (this all assuming the target is a reasonable one).  For a lot of golfers, they have hit a particular club perfect/really good at least once.  Letting yourself drift towards negatives doesn't do any favors.  Telling yourself that you have hit this shot before and you can do it again gives people comfort.  When you are over the ball, it's just you, the ball, the specific target, and lastly the swing.

Be the ball Danny. 

Nice post. 

[Vinsk]

28 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Be the ball Danny. 

Nice post. 

[aasimzkhan]

On 11/6/2019 at 8:15 PM, Lihu said:

Golf is a target oriented sport because we’re targeting a tiny hole hundreds of yards away?

If you take focus away from your body when you’re starting golf, there’s less chance to develop good swing mechanics?

Every time you go to the range to practice you’d focus on the inner self and your body mechanics and on the course focus on the target? If that makes sense?

Yes, the last sentence makes sense. But my post was more about the book, target oriented golf, than anything else. Increasingly my focus had turned too inward, because i was trying to manipulate the golf swing, and that ruined everything for me. Now, i'm trying to have an external focus when i'm out on the golf course so that my body can swing the club the way its learnt to. 

11 hours ago, GolfLug said:

Brain has to be able to trust both cause and effect. To say forget the mechanics and just focus on target is like asking a beginner driver to have no fear factor and drive like they have been driving for years - just follow the road. 

Isn't why we ask them to drive slowly in an empty parking lot first?  - to develop the 'database' of how much pressure to apply on a gas pedal and how much resulting speed, steering rotation and actual resulting turn, etc. 

Develop trust through mechanics and good results of how to start and get the ball to target - repeatedly. 

 

I agree. But the problem right now is that I've become a range wizard. Can do magic with the ball there, because my brain is switched off. The left side anyway. On the course, is a different thing altogether. I'm afraid to miss the fairway. So i'm thinking too much. Hence the need to get out of my head.

11 hours ago, phillyk said:

I have not read the book.  I took a sports psychology class and one section talked about "cancelling the noise".  When I'm on the course with my students, I tell them what focusing on the target really means.  It means there are no trees, bunkers, water, other people, animals, etc. (this all assuming the target is a reasonable one).  For a lot of golfers, they have hit a particular club perfect/really good at least once.  Letting yourself drift towards negatives doesn't do any favors.  Telling yourself that you have hit this shot before and you can do it again gives people comfort.  When you are over the ball, it's just you, the ball, the specific target, and lastly the swing.

I had a league match a few days ago. Been playing atrocious golf. Duck hooks with the driver and push fades with irons. Came up against the league MVP. Told myself i was bound to lose so wth. Decided to focus on a target behind the greens/fairway. Had butterflies in my stomach on each tee. But managed to win on the 16th. Don't know what clicked. But i was trying my best to stay out of my head. 

[Lihu]

6 hours ago, aasimzkhan said:

Yes, the last sentence makes sense. But my post was more about the book, target oriented golf, than anything else. Increasingly my focus had turned too inward, because i was trying to manipulate the golf swing, and that ruined everything for me. Now, i'm trying to have an external focus when i'm out on the golf course so that my body can swing the club the way its learnt to.

What I mean is books like this are likely intended for more advanced players who already have decent swing mechanics. Assuming that you get the first 95% of the game which is physically trained, then this last 5% of the game would be all mental. Something like that, I suppose?

I read a couple chapters and descriptions on line before posting, so I was actually attempting to comment on the book a bit. Seems like this last 5%-ish part of the game is very personal. Basically, whatever works for you is “good” 😊

[Vinsk]

6 hours ago, aasimzkhan said:

Don't know what clicked. But i was trying my best to stay out of my head. 

What clicked was probably your swing. A mechanical issue. Because ‘trying to stay out my head’ is being in your head.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Vinsk

[aasimzkhan]

1 hour ago, Lihu said:

What I mean is books like this are likely intended for more advanced players who already have decent swing mechanics. Assuming that you get the first 95% of the game which is physically trained, then this last 5% of the game would be all mental. Something like that, I suppose?

I read a couple chapters and descriptions on line before posting, so I was actually attempting to comment on the book a bit. Seems like this last 5%-ish part of the game is very personal. Basically, whatever works for you is “good” 😊

Ah, I didn't get that. Where did you find the book online?

I think I've got a dependable swing. Draw shape, 5/7 yards. When I was regularly shooting 82/83 (best being 78 a few times), I thought I was fast headed to single digits. So there was always this pressure to score. Then I started watching YouTube videos and tinkering with my swing without any supervision. As my game went down the gutter, I was still trying to score and thanks to all that pressure I was putting on myself, I arrived to yips city. So I'm pretty sure my problem is mental and conscious. 

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

What clicked was probably your swing. A mechanical issue. Because ‘trying to stay out my head’ is being in your head.

I'm not so sure about that. Read above.

 

[Lihu]

54 minutes ago, aasimzkhan said:

Ah, I didn't get that. Where did you find the book online?

I think I've got a dependable swing. Draw shape, 5/7 yards. When I was regularly shooting 82/83 (best being 78 a few times), I thought I was fast headed to single digits. So there was always this pressure to score. Then I started watching YouTube videos and tinkering with my swing without any supervision. As my game went down the gutter, I was still trying to score and thanks to all that pressure I was putting on myself, I arrived to yips city. So I'm pretty sure my problem is mental and conscious. 

Yips, I agree are mental, but what gives you the yips is possibly physical like having sore muscles or whatever. I’ve gotten yips putting or chipping many times.

We score about the same on my good rounds and my best and worst days playing vary because of good or bad mechanics. I could shoot low 80s one day and mid 90s the next, and the cause is generally because I’m not striking as well. More shanks and such. 

The only thing that helps me is proper and focused practice back on the range.

[Patch]

20 hours ago, phillyk said:

I have not read the book.  I took a sports psychology class and one section talked about "cancelling the noise".  When I'm on the course with my students, I tell them what focusing on the target really means.  It means there are no trees, bunkers, water, other people, animals, etc. (this all assuming the target is a reasonable one).  For a lot of golfers, they have hit a particular club perfect/really good at least once.  Letting yourself drift towards negatives doesn't do any favors.  Telling yourself that you have hit this shot before and you can do it again gives people comfort.  When you are over the ball, it's just you, the ball, the specific target, and lastly the swing.

There was a golf movie that showed this mental idea quite well. "The Greatest Game Ever Played" I think was it's title. 

The golfer. (H. Vardon ?) would look down the fairway, and in his mind, all the hazards, other obstructions, and the all area between his ball, and target would disappear. All the golfer saw was the area he wsnted his ball to land in.  In the movie, the golfer was usually zeroing in on the flag stick. 

My own swing guru of many years (decades) taught this same, "mental picture" idea. He called them "landing zones". 

Edited November 8, 2019 by Patch

[iacas]

1 hour ago, aasimzkhan said:

"I started watching YouTube videos and tinkering with my swing without any supervision. … my game went down the gutter… So I'm pretty sure my problem is mental and conscious.

Uhmmmm…?

[billchao]

1 hour ago, aasimzkhan said:

Then I started watching YouTube videos and tinkering with my swing without any supervision. As my game went down the gutter, I was still trying to score and thanks to all that pressure I was putting on myself, I arrived to yips city. So I'm pretty sure my problem is mental and conscious. 

Yup, your problem is mental. You made the mental decision to tinker with your swing unsupervised based on YouTube videos and f***ed it up 😜

[Vinsk]

7 hours ago, aasimzkhan said:

I'm not so sure about that. Read above.

I did.

 

7 hours ago, aasimzkhan said:

Then I started watching YouTube videos and tinkering with my swing without any supervision. As my game went down the gutter,

Nope, I’m sure. It’s not mental.

6 hours ago, Patch said:

There was a golf movie that showed this mental idea quite well. "The Greatest Game Ever Played" I think was it's title. 

The golfer. (H. Vardon ?) would look down the fairway, and in his mind, all the hazards, other obstructions, and the all area between his ball, and target would disappear. All the golfer saw was the area he wsnted his ball to land in.  In the movie, the golfer was usually zeroing in on the flag stick. 

My own swing guru of many years (decades) taught this same, "mental picture" idea. He called them "landing zones". 

I think you’re referring to the Legend of Bagger Vance’ scene where Bagger explains to Juna how Bobby Jones gets in his zone. Then Juna proceeds to do so as well. 
 

[iacas]

7 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I think you’re referring to the Legend of Bagger Vance’ scene where Bagger explains to Juna how Bobby Jones gets in his zone. Then Juna proceeds to do so as well.

Both movies did that.