Our weekly Swing Training Support Blogs are created based on what we see and hear that the professional golfers are doing. It’s interesting that I recall seeing that Jack Nicholas always spent time to visualizing his shots. Brendan Steele made a similar comment on the Golf Channel about pausing (about 2 seconds) to not only find a target but he focuses on a specific point that he wants to hit. I’m only mentioning this because pros have been telling us to do exactly the same thing for putting. “Focus on your putting target.” Could burning an impression in our brain really help us hit our target?
Visualization sounds like a bunch of bunk because our swing is an action that only impacts with the ball and the target is in a totally different location. The swing and the target are really 2 independent issues. Why would visualization create a perfect end result for a ball that we have little control over? We are only giving the ball direction and power and the target is a figment of our imagination (because we are supposed to be looking at the ball through impact).
Visualize your target. Then focus on swing to power your ball up your target line. The water is only a mirage.
The Problem:
Our brain tries to take our golf club through a set of points that will hopefully create a successful shot. Is it really just connecting the dots for our body rotation to put the club head in different locations throughout the swing? This is actually a STUPID thought because our brains can’t process all of these thoughts throughout the swing.
Solution:
Your downswing takes so little time that you can’t possibly try to connect a number of points to pass with your hands or your club head. What you can do is focus on the point where you want your club to impact and the visualized point where you want your ball to go. BURN it into your mind by staring at your target for at least 2 seconds. Then trace back on a line to the point on the grass about 2 feet from your ball. Now you have 1 target line on 2 points that your mind is visualizing. Your swing has to be on autopilot to swing up that line. Now let your mind take over, load up and release your controlled swing up that line.
Even Tiger says that his putting is all about “feel” but he has to see the line and visualize the putt to create confidence for his putt.
You should feel the line that is now BURNED INTO YOUR BRAIN exactly the same way you do when you putt up your chosen line. You need to see the point of impact before your head looks up. You should feel and know that your swing plane is impacting your ball exactly up your chosen path. With practice, your confidence will improve with every swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn your straight arm swing plane. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com
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The minds of different people are not all made the same way. When I was a young mathematician (A very long time ago!)we had to construct on the drawing board the intersection of two complicated solid objects and after light them up with a lamp and find the shade projected. Some of us -a minority – could see the whole thing in space, others,the majority, could not, and had to rely on complicated mathematical procedures to do so.
Golf is exactly the same: some visualize perfectly the shot, others don’t. I do see exactly in my mind’s eye where I want the ball to land and usually it does get there .