Concentration tips

[Sidehatch]

I am capable of shooting in the high 70s and low 80s, but poor swing concentration is adding about three bad tee shots and some nervy putts per round, costing me 7-10 strokes per round. My physical preshot routine is the same every time, but is there some mental preshot routine you know of that might help? I need some positive reinforcement swing thoughts or something.

[MrGolfguy67]

BE THE BALL

 

 

 

sorry, had to

Edited July 23, 2017 by MrGolfguy67

[iacas]

Long-time members here know how I feel about this… there's probably little truth to the fact that 7-10 shots are strictly due to concentration or your "mental game."

That said, nerves over putts and lack of concentration for your tee shots can be solved with a little will and determination paired with a pre-shot routine.

The Vision 54 gals employ the idea of the "think box" and the "play box" and you could use your routine to do the same thing. Establish a routine where as soon as you do something, some action, that is when you give the golf shot or putt your full attention. Maybe it's something like a deep breath. Then concentrate, do your routine, and accept the result.

[David in FL]

At least for me, the brain is vastly overrated in the game of golf.  Grab stick, hit ball. 

Rinse and repeat.  

[Grizvok]

Honestly I think the most important part of my pre-swing routine is taking one practice swing EXACTLY as I intend to swing at the real ball. Depending on the club I try to focus on different things during the practice stroke but for any iron or wood shot off the ground my number one focus is hitting ground after the ball. When I don't have any group playing close behind or anything I take quite a few practice strokes with my irons again making sure ground/turf contact happens a few inches after where the ball will be.

[Piz]

I try to avoid concentration and, instead, remind myself what it is I want to do...like hit the ball over there.  If I focus on any one aspect, of anything, the larger picture is obscured.  That's for playing.  Practice is just the opposite.  It is best, for me, to either play a game or practice my skills; and not get caught up trying to do both at the same time.

[Buckeyebowman]

For me, when I'm playing well, I picture the shot that I want to hit in my mind. I've said this before. When I'm playing  I don't have "swing thoughts", I have "shot thoughts".

As far as I'm concerned swing thoughts belong on the practice range. Shot thoughts belong on the course! Some pros can "fix" their swing mid round, but we're not pros!

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, David in FL said:

At least for me, the brain is vastly overrated in the game of golf.  Grab stick, hit ball. 

Rinse and repeat.  

Do we ever really do this? Unless my hair (what I have left) is really grimy from something, I only wash it once. I use conditioner, but again, only once.

Practicing focus can help a little. But I think of focus as clearing my head and only thinking about the shot.

[saevel25]

I like the idea of having a trigger. Maybe to many golfers think to many thoughts, or maybe they don't think of the right swing thought at all.

[Jack Watson]

I am capable of hitting 14 or more gir and playing good golf.  When that doesn't happen it's not because of the mental game.

The swing needs to be in shape.  

[Piz]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

I like the idea of having a trigger. Maybe to many golfers think to many thoughts, or maybe they don't think of the right swing thought at all.

I'd say that is spot on.  It is easy to be in "a" moment; but selecting the correct moment, of the myriad available, is another matter.  For me; that means thinking of what I want the ball to do...seeing the shot, beforehand , and then replicating it.  That gives me one thing to do rather than a laundry list of things to avoid.

[alfriday]

I wonder what you mean when you say "poor swing concentration."  If you are thinking about your swing in terms of mechanics, positions or body parts, then I'd say DON'T.   

 

I try to only think about what I want to do (swing to the target) not how I want to do it.  The focus/attention is on the shot you want to hit, not on the swing itself.      

[Kalnoky]

By no means an expert, but I find thinking at address is an enemy. Especially at the top of the backswing *sigh*

I think tension leads to jerky movements and bad shots. I think chipping and pitching are also especially hurt by over-thinking it. 

[inthecup]

As an ADD guy I feel the OPs pain.  I don't know that that is his thing but if you don't have it it is hard to understand.  I did not know I was ADD until late in life.   In school for me it was not so good, I am not dumb by any stretch but school is very regimented.  In life it turned out ok.  I used my never ending metal capacity to start a successful company.  I learned interesting things by asking my wife a simple question a long time ago.  What are you thinking about?  She said nothing.  I said what? A blank screen, she said yes.  I never in my life have had a blank screen.  In my head the hampster runs hard, always.  I have stray thoughts standing over putts.   I lose shots over lack of focus and it is not as simple as thinking harder or concentrating for a second.  It doesn't work that way. 

Edited July 25, 2017 by inthecup

[dzclarkcpa]

Interesting topic as this is something I have started working on with an instructor a few weeks ago. 

We started with a playing lesson. He pointed out to me that I had a pre-shot routine (a good thing) but all I was doing in my PSR was lasering the flag, pulling a club and then addressing the ball. Once I addressed the ball, I started doing all my thinking and planning. Where to hit, where to miss, etc, was all being done over the ball. At time, it feels like I can have more thoughts between the time my club is knee high on my downswing until I hit the ball than most have in an entire round.

We are working on now triggering me from a "thinking place" to a "hitting place". I am experimenting with different things, (redo grip on glove, tapping bill of cap, etc.) to physically get me to turn my brain off. As an ADD person, this triggering is really helping. 

 

[amished]

I echo the ADD sentiment as I have ADHD.  Last night I had one of the best rounds of my life and I'd like to think it was due to a change in my PSR.  I stand really close to where I would need to be to hit the ball and do 1/4 swings until I feel what I've practiced to be a good swing.  Any longer of a swing and I think about too much, a 1/4 swing is enough to get my idea of where I want to be in the impact zone.

Within 3 seconds of my proper 1/4 swing, I step slightly forward and try to replicate that feeling and that's how I concentrate on specific swings.  Not by looking at the full swing, but by ensuring the important part (for me currently) is correct for me.

[Sidehatch]

On 7/24/2017 at 9:11 AM, alfriday said:

I wonder what you mean when you say "poor swing concentration."  If you are thinking about your swing in terms of mechanics, positions or body parts, then I'd say DON'T.   

 

I try to only think about what I want to do (swing to the target) not how I want to do it.  The focus/attention is on the shot you want to hit, not on the swing itself.      

Thanks for all the answers, fellow forum members! To answer your question, what I mean is:

1. I destroyed the ball with my hybrids on the range the day before and day of the round. 
2. Day of the round, on the two par threes where I have to hit my hybrids, I duffed them and lost 3 balls.

Of the 13 shots I hit that day with the 2 or 3 hybrid, I hit 7 of them well. For me, that 54% success rate is a poor percentage. It's usually a success rate closer to 75%-90%.

The type of miss was pulling my head I think, and possibly swinging too hard. Normally I don't think about the game too much, but I did get a little amped up for each of those par 3s, and it screwed me up.

Anyways, it was apparent to me after the round that I was mentally different in the tee box on those two holes. What's funny is that the rest of the round, I was pretty damn good, and gave myself very good chances at like 5+ birdies. I did have two birdies on very difficult holes. I'm not sure why my concentration slipped, other than possibly overthinking or getting a little too amped up.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Sidehatch
edited for typo

[Piz]

I don't think it is a matter of concentration "slipping" as it is the focus (Latin for fireplace) of said concentration.  The easiest way to run a yellow is to pay more attention to the traffic than the traffic light.  A golf course draws attention away, from the business at hand, in a way that a driving range does not.  Concentration, in itself, is not necessarily helpful.  Playing well entails the management of a flood of information.  And the information is forever in flux.     P.S.  A couple days ago I played the worst round I've played in 20 years: deliberate and carefully considered incompetence from the 2nd hole to the last.  What happened?  I don't know...and I certainly have no interest in finding out.  Whatever I was thinking; I would prefer not to think of it ever again.