Are you “Golfing in the Zone”

Listening to an interview with PGA Tour Rookie Justin Thomas on the Morning Drive / Golf Channel, I heard a comment that affects us all. He said that he does not score low when he’s playing with friends and family. He needs to be focused. If his attention is not totally on the detail of the setup, the swing and the finish then he does not score well.

Could this be the problem for most want-to-be-golfers? KEY POINTS:
1. To score well for 18 holes you need to be “Golfing in the Zone”. I know that I can par 3 or 4 holes in a row and then my mind goes into overdrive. I’m invincible. I tighten up and swing harder and faster. RESULT: D I S A S T E R. My brother-in-law sees me do this and eggs me on. This should be my wake-up call.
2. It is the same thing that happens when you add up your score after 9 holes and start planning to break 80 or 90. If one of your golfing partners starts ribbing you about your low score, it just messes with your mind. You drop out of “The Zone” and BANG: here come the bogies and doubles and 3 putts.

You need to visualize your shot exactly the way this ProTracer Photo shows this result.

You need to visualize your shot exactly the way this ProTracer Photo shows this result.

3. We have all seen Tiger in “The Zone”. He has such a focus that he can stop his swing if a camera clicks as he starts his down-swing. Jack Nicklaus said that he had to visualize the flight and landing spot for each shot. This is how his mind drops into “The Zone”. He sees the flight path and visualizes his swing to make it happen.
4. Have you ever been told that your practice swing is perfect but your swing at the ball is totally different? Many of us freeze-up and swing with our arms and forget to keep the body moving through the shot. It’s really easy to see this when you are hitting with your pitching wedge and hit fat 4 inches before the ball. You just forgot to keep your body rotating with your arms.

When you are not in the zone, you get uptight. You focus too much on your arms and forget that your body shift and rotation are just as important.  If you want to score well, keep you focus on each swing and stay in the ZONE.

Last week I asked for your Golf BREAK-THOUGH or Aha Moments. I received a few and one even came in from St. Andrews, Scotland. I need a few more so please send along your comments so that we can share them with all of the GOLFSTR+ Followers.

If GOLFSTR+ was your “Breakthrough”, then tell us about that too.  Send your emails to sales@golfstr.com

For more ideas, check out YOUR SWING SUPPORT CENTER on the www.golfstr.com website.

Share

2 Comments

  • Gilles Brindamour says:

    I religiously read all your comments every week. They are very much “to the point” and it almost looks as tough you’re reading my mind before writing your weekly tips. Your weekly page is exactly like a perfect swing: simple, focused, no frills and easy to understand.

    Regards,
    Gilles

    • Bill says:

      Hi Gilles, You will never know how much I appreciate your comments. I really do go through a lot of effort to craft these Swing Tips every week and rarely hear positive comments like yours. I see that you subscribed November 11, 2012 so you must have seen all 116 weekly tips. Your encouragement will really help to keep publishing these tips. Michael Breed, an instructor on Golf Academy (Golf Channel) called to encourage my efforts as he loves the 6 uses and ease of storage in a pocket. Now we just need the rest of the golfers in the world to find these tips and buy a GOLFSTR+. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Best Regards, Will Curry: Developer, Manufacturer and Marketer for GOLFSTR+