'The Zone'

[right handed phil mickelson]

We all know what 'The Zone' is. But, have you ever been in 'the zone', and do you know what it feels like?

I experienced it the other day while shooting a 38 on the front nine. I feel it to be a state of being in which senses are heightened (you are aware of so much more things), your judgement is better(not switching clubs all the time, and putting is so much better), and your in a good mood overall.

I would like to know what your zones are? and, how did you play?

[Golfaway]

I know what you're talking about. When it's a good golf day it's a good golf day. I can hit score successive pars, even a birdie on rare ocassions. Hit the green from the tee shot on par 3's, GIR's, two putts with the 2nd just being a small tap or even sometimes one putt, and the most indicative of "the zone": your short game.

I just love these days. Sadly they don't come a lot.

[TomDonS]

I have the pleasure of saying I've been in the zone. More than a couple times. It is the most exhilarating feeling knowing you can do "no wrong" I shot 61 -13 through 15. "CHOKE" and shot 62 smooth birdie the last. The fairway is 100 yards wide. Your wedges "FIND" the pin and the hole looks like a 5 gallon bucket. You also cant wipe that S&*% eatin grin off your face for the life of you. I got up and down out of the "figurative" trash can 3 holes in a row. then the next hole holed out from 120 for eagle.

I wish ANYONE luck on finding "the ZONE" it is the best feeling possible.

[timwalsh300]

I've experienced this more in other sports than in golf. I grew up mostly playing baseball.

I can recall more than once standing in the batter's box and knowing (literally knowing ) that I was going to hit the very next pitch over the center field fence for a homerun. The first time it happened I felt so sure that I almost turned around and told the catcher.

It is hard to describe... I felt more powerful than usual. Everything seemed to be clearer and moving slower. More than anything it was an overflowing confidence, as if there were just no way to miss.

I was never able to recreate that precise feeling at will. Believe me, I tried. I guess this is what sports psychologists get paid big bucks to do.

Tim

[goblue107501]

I have been there before in golf. Unfortunately, I have never been able to put all three parts together.

One day the distance control was dead on with my irons. Almost every swing produced the correct distance. It didn't matter the club or if I was in the rough or fairway, I was pin high. That day was fun because after a while I went after every pin, it didn't matter if it was tucked behind a trap or just over the water.

I can remember a few rounds when I knew the driver wouldn't get me into any sort of trouble. Pound away and watch it fly. Not every ball was in the fairway, but almost every ball was hit solid and far.

The putting 'zone' is a little more rare for me. I consider myself a very good putter. I just haven't had one of those days where everything wants to drop.

[iacas]

I've put it together for 18 holes once. Also happens to be the best round I ever shot. I didn't think about anything, but almost everything I did was pretty good.

I have spurts where I can get into it for a few holes at a time, or even for one shot at a time, but obviously nobody can say it comes frequently enough.

[Prairie Golfer]

Only when I'm playing golf with Rod Serling.

[Clambake]

It is a strange and wonderful feeling. Twice in my life I've felt I was in a deep zone. The first time was while running on a track when I was a couple years out of college - I was just jogging some laps and suddenly felt separated from my body, like I was watching myself run from twenty feet away - almost like an out of body experience (sounds weird, I know). My speed suddenly picked up significantly but I didn't feel the least bit winded. I just kept running lap after lap like that, and finally stopped only because a my jogging partner had gotten tired and stopped several laps before. While I was chatting with him, a guy came over and introduced himself as the college track coach and said that after watching me zip by a number of times he put a clock on me and timed my last mile at 4:25. I had never done a mile in under 5:30 before that! And the weird thing was that I wasn't breathing hard or feeling the least bit tired.

On the golf course I once had a slightly similar feeling, and played the last 14 holes at Torrey Pines Sout at 2 under from the Blues (when I was a 12 index). Similarly, I really felt disconnected and felt like I was observing the round from a different viewpoint, not through my own eyes. Every shot just felt automatic. If one could figure out how to bottle that feeling, you could make millions!

[play4him]

I've been in the zone a number of times, but it's been awhile. I don't play enough golf anymore to sustain it. But there have been times when shooting a 30 for nine holes, or 62 for eighteen holes, that I've been there. When I'm in the zone, the thing I notice most is that there are no swing thoughts. I just look where I want the ball to go, and hit the shot. I see the line on putts a lot clearer, and seem to have perfect touch. It's like I get out of my own way and trust my swing.

[timwalsh300]

  Clambake said:

after watching me zip by a number of times he put a clock on me and timed my last mile at 4:25. I had never done a mile in under 5:30 before that!

As someone who used to be a runner (well, at least I used to hang out with runners) I find this a little hard to believe. You had already been running for a while, and then without missing a step you took off on a 4:25 mile? 1:05 better than your previous PR?

A 4:25 would make you a very competitive high school mid-distance runner, and you weren't even fresh when you ran that. At that level runners train their butts off to shave a few seconds from their PR. A 20% improvement doesn't just happen out of nowhere. It's one thing to have sudden, sharp focus and be able to hit a golf ball or a baseball with precision. But running is about physiology (VO2 max, lactic acid threshold, etc.) and that doesn't just come and go. Maybe the coach was mistaken about the distance you covered when he started timing you? Tim

[clubhousehero]

  timwalsh300 said:

I've experienced this more in other sports than in golf. I grew up mostly playing baseball.

I had that feeling once too. I never hit many home runs but had a few. Then one day we were facing a junk balling lefty and just knew i was gonna take him yard. (i also ate up slow throwing lefties.)

  goblue107501 said:

I have been there before in golf. Unfortunately, I have never been able to put all three parts together.

+1 I have only divided it into 3 different parts though. 100 yards and out, 100 yards to the fringe and chipping and putting. I have had days where i hit my driver and irons great. Could do no wrong with them. I have had days where i could pitch it to the pin or hit flop-shots all day and just stick it. Finally, i have had days where i could putt the lights out. 1 or 2 putting everything and if i 2 putted, the second was a tap in.

[shakogolfer78]

I remeber being in the zone. It was duuring a tournament at my home course to qualify for the MGA team competition. On the front I shoot a 36 on a par 35, and had a ridiculuos 12 putts. I made at least four from 12-20 feet, and I walked them into the center of the cup. One hole I hit a wayward shot and went OB on a par 3, but I stepped up to the tee again knocked it to 20 feet and drained the bogey. I ended up tying my record round of 78 and placed T2 which made me qualify for the MGA Team. What a great feeling.

[benjiradio]

I love being in the "zone"

Last year I played with a couple guys that i usually lose to by 3-5 strokes. But one day during our league I shot 3 under. Best day I've ever had and they signed my scorecard just for proof!

[FairwayFrank]

I've been in the ''zone'' a few times. It mostly happens when i'm playing alone or when i play with a some people i don't know personally. I don't chat a lot When i'm in the zone ...it's like i can find every fairway and every green so easily! Putting is also improved , although i have a long way to go to become better at it ! One day, i hit every fairway except the 18th , where i was in the rough only 1 foot away from the fairway...i can't describe how good i felt that day!

I do a lot of bicycle riding too , and i find myself in the zone on my bike more often than anywhere else. Days like that...it seems like i could pedal faster than anyone , longer than anyone.

[Clambake]

  timwalsh300 said:

As someone who used to be a runner (well, at least I used to hang out with runners) I find this a little hard to believe.......

Tim, I understand completely why you would doubt my experience, but it is true. I was a cyclist at the time and was in pretty good shape, but hadn't really put together good times running before. I could do a 440 in OK time so I had the general physiology to do that speed, but the zone part was now doing it lap after lap and not feeling it. It was a very odd feeling , and I knew I was suddenly running a lot faster than I had before - I felt like I was flying around the track, but the weirdest part wasn't feeling it from one's normal point of view but almost from a spectator watching me run from 10 feet away. My running buddy was asking "wow, what suddenly got into you?" just before the coach came over with his clock. And I trust the coach's timing; it was a standard 440 yd indoor track, so not too hard to tell when someone has run around it 4 times. I probably would have felt that I dreamed the whole thing except for my buddy chiding me about it every time we'd go running for rest of the year. I really wish I could find an explanation!

[DKunks]

  right handed phil mickelson said:

We all know what 'The Zone' is. But, have you ever been in 'the zone', and do you know what it feels like?

the more you play, the more youll feel "it"

for me, its when I address the ball, and i just know that im going to pull off exactly what i see in my minds eye. its like in basketball - you know its going in the second it leaves your finger tips... in golf, the second i address the ball, i know its gonna be perfect. My last round started with a front 9 36... i was in and out of the "zone" the entire front 9... the second i looked at my score card and realized in on my way to a career low... i fell out of the zone and tripled 10... needless to say i didnt regain that feeling again all day long. shot 11 over on the back for an 84. The most dissapointing 84 of my life. i find the zone comes with great rhythm and clarity... as if you know that the shot youve chosen to hit is the perfect shot. i like to think of Bagger Vances "find your authentic swing." that scene when Hardy and Bagger are on the green at night... thats the zone.

[Doctorfro]

I once shot a two-under 70 but I didn't feel like I was in the zone. I had a stretch of 7 holes one day where I made 5 birdies. That felt like being in the zone.

[right handed phil mickelson]

everything you guys have said is true when im in the zone. I'll get in the zone when im playing with my friend gabe but since he distracts me so much when im playing (talking, singing, comments, noises) I get out of it very quickly and I end up shooting an 82 instead of a 76. But, I play with him a lot because if I can play through that, then I can play through anything.