Here are five tried and true mental cues that can spark your swing:
- “Back of the ball”: Just before taking the club back, use this phrase to focus your eyes on the precise spot you want to hit.
- “Through, not to”: An alternative to “back of the ball,” use this one to keep from hitting “at” the ball. ...
- “Low and slow”: A good key for making a smooth, efficient takeaway and setting a good tempo for the rest of the swing.
- “Straw-ber-ry mousse”: Speaking of tempo, this four-syllable phrase tells you that your backswing should take three times as long as the downswing. ...
- “See ball, hit ball”: The classic, “caveman” approach. This is a good way to flush mechanical thoughts from your mind before swinging. What could be simpler?
Full Answer
What is the Best Swing Thought?
Swing Thought #1 – Keep Your Eye on the Ball. Okay – so this probably doesn't sound as much like a swing thought as it does like a basic piece of golf swing advice. Every golfer at some point along the way has been told that they need to keep their eye on the ball. But do you do it every time? Probably not.
What should I think about during my golf swing?
Feb 01, 2006 · Some key thoughts for a good setup are “stay level” and “be athletic.” Many golfers handicap themselves at the outset by making mistakes like kicking in the right knee, dropping the right shoulder or flaring only one of their feet. In the photo at right, notice how my shoulders remain nearly level, with the right only slightly lower than the left.
What makes a great golf swing?
Oct 20, 2014 · 6 PGA Tour Swing Thoughts. "Whatever I'm working on, I like to keep one swing thought in my head when I'm on the course. Keeping it simple helped me at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston ...
How to turn for a better golf swing?
#1 – Low and Slow The “Low and Slow” swing thought accounts for the fact that a full swing with a driver is the widest and longest swing a golfer makes. It mainly targets the takeaway portion of the swing, which occurs early in your backswing.
What are the best swing thoughts in golf?
"A good swing thought is to keep your height. Feel tall. Like your chest stays nice and high when you hit shots. This will help you maintain the width of your arms and prevent you from getting scoopy."Oct 20, 2014
Do golf pros have swing thoughts?
Indeed, a study found 75 of PGA Professionals have no swing thoughts at all. At most, a typical golfer should refrain from having more than one swing thought at a time when playing a round of golf. However, whenever practicing and trying to groove a swing it can be helpful to experiment with various swing thoughts.
How do I stop swing thoughts in my golf swing?
3:595:47STOP taking so many SWING THOUGHTS onto the golf courseYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAspect. But then your creative and ability side of your brain is going to take over to hit that golfMoreAspect. But then your creative and ability side of your brain is going to take over to hit that golf ball. So put the club behind the ball i'd look at the target i'm now going to count.
What is the best golf tip ever?
Top 10 Swing Tips Ever!#1 – Take Your Time. It is easy to rush in the golf swing. ... #2 – Pick Out a Specific Target. ... #3 – Relax Your Grip. ... #4 – Quiet Hands in the Takeaway. ... #5 – Play to Your Strengths. ... #6 – See the Club Hit the Ball. ... #7 – Stay Perfectly Still While Putting. ... #8 – Don't Slide.More items...•May 27, 2021
Do any pro golfers swing out to in?
Craig Stadler, Craig Parry and many other champion golfers swing this way. Bruce Lietzke made a wonderful career on the PGA Tour with an “in-and-over” move.Feb 23, 2016
Should you have swing thoughts on the course?
Generally speaking, swing thoughts can help you: Keep you focused on something productive during your swing instead of what you don't want to happen. Keep your conscious mind occupied with something simple so that your athletic mind can swing the club. Help you maintain a good tempo.Feb 4, 2019
How can I play golf mentally better?
Top 10 Golf Mental Tips 🏌️♂️Use your routine that you've practiced during every golf round. ... Practice putting with only 1 ball. ... Making a pre-round warm-up a habit. ... Warming up your body as well as your mind. ... Structure your golf practices (setting routines and goals) ... Appreciate your hard work practicing golf.More items...•Jan 24, 2021
What's the easiest golf club to hit?
On average the easiest golf club to hit is the 7-iron. 6-irons and 8-irons come close because these mid-iron clubs deliver high launch angles for all standards and their appearance gives confidence when players look down at them.
How far should an average golfer hit a 7 iron?
172 - 215 ydsThe average distance golfers hit each club varies widely. A PGA Tour player hits a 7-iron between 172-215 yards....Average Distances for PGA Tour Players.ClubAverage Distance7 Iron172 - 215 yds8 Iron160 - 200 yds9 Iron148 - 185 ydsPitching Wedge136 - 170 yds7 more rows
What is the number 1 golf swing key?
The keys are not only measurable, but also achievable by all golfers if they understand the fundamental movements and details behind each. These 5 Simple Keys are: #1) Steady Head, #2) Weight Forward, #3) Flat Left Wrist, #4) Diagonal Sweet Spot Path and #5) Clubface Control.Jun 12, 2012
What is the best swing thought for golf?
The studies show that the best swing thoughts for golf are those that divert attention away from the positions of the body, but the player needs to experiment to discover what works for them . It’s important not to go by what other players are doing as what works for one player, might not work for you, which is the same for any ...
How do swing thoughts help you?
Generally speaking, swing thoughts can help you: Keep your conscious mind occupied with something simple so that your athletic mind can swing the club. However, if a player starts to get overly technical and switch between swing thoughts throughout a round, it usually hinders performance.
What is external focus in basketball?
That is external focus. If I was to say to you to be aware of the angle of your wrists and how far your arms go back to throw the ball, that would be internal focus.
How to identify swing thoughts?
Another good way to identify the best swing thoughts for golf (for you) is to know your tendencies under pressure. When you’re not playing well or feeling nervous, are you aware of what changes in your swing? Do you get quick and tense? Do you start to move from one swing thought to the next? Do you come out of your posture too early while putting? Whatever it might be, focusing on swing thoughts that ensure you avoid those tendencies can help you when you are feeling under pressure.
What happens if you stand over the ball thinking about what you're going to do with your swing?
If you find yourself standing over the ball thinking about what you’re going to do with your swing, you’re losing connection with the intention for the shot and you are less athletic.
Why do golfers fall into technical traps?
Another trap that many golfers fall into is getting too technical when they start to play badly. Even some Tour players can start to look for technical fixes when they start missing their targets and start focusing more and more on body positions during the swing, instead of trusting themselves to hit the shots.
What are technical cues?
Technical cues are unique to the individual but should be kept as simple as possible, They are typically things that you are working on in your swing or tendencies you know you have when playing under pressure.
How to swing a golf club?
As long as you keep swing thoughts simple, positive and non-mechanical, they can actually be a good thing. Here are five tried and true mental cues that can spark your swing: 1 “Back of the ball”: Just before taking the club back, use this phrase to focus your eyes on the precise spot you want to hit. 2 “Through, not to”: An alternative to “back of the ball,” use this one to keep from hitting “at” the ball. It's an especially useful thought for golfers who tend to ease up (decelerate) before making contact. 3 “Low and slow”: A good key for making a smooth, efficient takeaway and setting a good tempo for the rest of the swing. 4 “Straw-ber-ry mousse”: Speaking of tempo, this four-syllable phrase tells you that your backswing should take three times as long as the downswing. Taking the club to the top, think “straw-ber-ry,” then start down on the word “mousse.” You can, of course, substitute an appropriate word or phrase of your choosing. 5 “See ball, hit ball”: The classic, “caveman” approach. This is a good way to flush mechanical thoughts from your mind before swinging. What could be simpler?
How to get power and speed in golf swing?
Specifically, your lower body still needs to fire aggressively from the top of the swing if you want to generate power and speed through the hitting area. Allow your hands to hang at the top of the swing for a moment while your lower body starts to rotate toward the target.
Why do amateur golfers slide their backswing to the right?
It is common for amateur players to allow the lower body to slide to the right during the backswing – a mistake which sets up all kinds of problems when the downswing begins .
Why is it important to have a right knee in golf?
The positioning of your right knee in the backswing is so important because it is directly related to your balance. A swing that slides to the right on the way back is sure to be off-balance, and it is nearly impossible to play good golf without having balance on your side.
How to avoid sliding away from the target?
To avoid sliding away from the target you should consider focusing your thoughts on the right knee during your swing. As you swing back, it will be impossible to slide off of the ball if you keep your right knee nicely in place. This swing thought is simple to use, and it is impressively effective.
Why is it important to speed up when golfing?
The reason that this notion can function as an effective swing thought relates to how people respond to pressure while golfing. You may have noticed that when you golf, it is natural to speed up when you start to feel pressure. In fact, that is a natural reaction for most people in just about any walk of life.
How to know how well you are doing with regard to the control of your right knee in the swing?
If you would like to determine how well you are doing with regard to the control of your right knee in the swing, take a moment to record a video of your swing when at the driving range. As a friend to record your swing, and then watch the video back quickly with a close eye on the movement of your right knee.
What is swing thought?
What are swing thoughts? A swing thought highlights a very specific element of the swing that a golfer tries to focus on when hitting a golf shot. They often take the form of metaphors that lead your brain (and muscles) into executing specific actions.
When to use a golf swing?
They are best used whenever you are trying to correct something in particular or whenever you need to bring your golf swing back to the basics, or to one of its core elements. Over the course of a long enough stretch of time a golf swing will gradually and incrementally change and it will do so often without the golfer realizing it.
Why is it important to focus on swing thoughts?
Focusing on key swing thoughts will allow a golfer to bring his swing back to where it was, or to where it needs to be. Alternatively, focusing on an entirely new swing key can help any golfer who is struggling with a particular aspect of his game fix that problematic area.
Do golfers have thoughts?
Golfers that play at their best will usually carry no swing thoughts at all during a round and instead will swing instinctively at the ball. Indeed, a study found 75 of PGA Professionals have no swing thoughts at all. At most, a typical golfer should refrain from having more than one swing thought at a time when playing a round of golf.
Do swing keys help focus?
Still, it is important to remember that swing keys steer your brain into focusing on a specific aspect of your swing. And filling one’s head with too many at a time will negatively crowd your brain and will not allow it to focus properly.
What is the purpose of the golf swing thought?
The purpose of this swing thought is to remain athletic and loose in your swing. Many golfers get caught up in the technicalities and mechanics of a golf swing. When at the end of the day it is a sport that requires athletic ability.
What are the factors that affect your golf swing?
Three Main Factors In A Golf Swing Thought. The three main factors we believe should be included in your golf swing are positive, non-technical, and simple . As long as your golf downswing thoughts follow these three factors then you will find they will not harm your game.
What is the most difficult part of golf?
by thatsagimmie. Arguably the most difficult part of golf is that split-second between the top of your swing and the moment you make contact with the ball. Regardless of how much practice you’ve put in this short snippet of time will decide your fate on the hole.
Do golfers have a swing thought?
When polling PGA golfers it was found that 75% of them do not have a golf swing thought at all. This high percentage of golfers that do not use swing thoughts agreed that trying to think mechanically while you swing is only going to harm the outcome. This is where they “keep it simple” mantra comes.
What is golf swing?
The golf swing is an athletic motion that must be made with a dynamic base. Rigid legs can’t provide the same athletic platform as those that are flexed. The obvious differences in the pictures to the left are powerful evidence of what can happen if the wrong swing thought occupies the mind during the backswing.
Why is the backswing swing so powerful?
Once the thoughts turn to squatting correctly in the backswing, the entire swing becomes significantly more powerful because you’re able to use the ground to push against for maximum leverage.
What angle should your palm be on a golf club?
The “waiter position” is one to forget—you don’t want your palm facing directly skyward at the top of the backswing. Instead, your palm should be on a 45-degree angle to the ground, which puts the clubface in a square position and maintains the width of the backswing for maximum swing arc. Setup.
How to tell if you are squatting or squatting?
When you think of squatting (butt toward the ground), allow your knees to pivot with your hips as you rotate your way to the top. A telltale sign of a strong, squatted pivot away from the ball is the backside being close to the ground and pointing at the target (see photo at right).
What does heaving a bucket of water do?
In addition, the imagery of heaving a bucket of water should help trigger your lead leg to post or straighten as the hips rotate, a critical and often improperly executed element of a powerful golf swing. Skip A Stone.
How to create a more athletic setup?
To create a more athletic setup, imagine your shoulders, hips and knees in a level position with your weight spread between your feet evenly. The importance of a solid setup position cannot be denied—if you start out poorly you’ll have little chance of making a solid swing.
What does hitting at the ball do?
In fact, “hitting at” the ball effectively changes the focus from swinging through impact and into the finish to stopping or quitting at the ball.
What is the low portion of a golf swing?
The “low” portion of the thought deals with the fact that a swing with a driver should be flatter than it is for a swing using a wedge. This is due to the long length of the club, which puts your spine in a more standing up posture than for any other club, and especially wedges. Secondly, the “slow” portion of the thought deals with the fact ...
What is a low and slow swing?
The “Low and Slow” swing thought accounts for the fact that a full swing with a driver is the widest and longest swing a golfer makes. It mainly targets the takeaway portion of the swing, which occurs early in your backswing.
Why do my shoulders move back and forth?
Indeed, because the swing is wide and the clubhead moves far from your hands a natural tendency sees your hips and shoulders moving back and forth as your progress through the swing sequen ces. This is called swaying and it is in contrast to a proper swing that sees your upper body – shoulders – rotating on top of your hips.
Why is the clubhead furthest removed from the hands?
Again, this is true because the clubhead is furthest removed from the hands due to the length of the shaft. As a result, there is no point in rushing the process early on in the swing, specifically during the takeaway portion which this thoughts deals with.
Why do you turn instead of swaying?
Generally, correctly turning instead of swaying increases shot consistency as the bottom of the swing arc is not allowed to move much and can be trusted to be where it needs to be, and reliably so. Swaying also robs you of distance, disguising the wanted coil/uncoil process behind an unproductive sliding of the hips.
Can you skyed a shot on a tee?
Hitting down on the ball that is placed on a tee can lead to sky ed shots, which you’ll definitely want to avoid. Additionally, focusing on a specific part of the ball instead of on the ball as a whole helps in making sure you keep looking at the ball throughout the swing and stay committed to it.
What are the most detrimental thoughts golfers can have?
To me one of the most detrimental thoughts golfers can have is about the swing itself . Golfers will have a checklist of golf swing thoughts that they go through before, and during their actual swing.
What is Dave Stockton's metaphor?
Dave Stockton made a great metaphor in his book Unconscious Putting that I have never forgotten, as it relates to putting. When you drive a car you aren’t thinking about all of the mechanical things necessary to safely get your vehicle from point A to point B.
What happens when you watch the speedometer?
All of a sudden you’re watching the speedometer, your hands might get a little stiff on the wheel, and you are consciously thinking about what you need to do in order to avoid a ticket rather than just drive normally. Dave Stockton found that many golfers putt like a police car is following them.
Do golfers have internal thoughts?
A lot of the research that Adam has looked into has shown that internal thoughts, or ones that are linked to the motion themselves, typically don’t help golfers perform under pressure. They can be debilitating and prevent your body from making the natural motion that it subconsciously knows how to do.
Is golf a difficult game?
It’s ourselves, and many times our golf swing thoughts. There are so many reasons why golf is an endlessly difficult game, and one in particular that separates it ...
How to shape a ball with Collin Morikawa?
Collin Morikawa: Hands Below Ears. Collin Morikawa has a simple feeling for shaping the ball: Keep the hands low and below your ears on the follow through for a draw. If you want to hit a cut, it’s just as simple: Finish with your hands high and above your ears, he says:
What is Patrick Cantlay's key?
For Patrick Cantlay, his key is something golfers of all skill levels should focus on: A smooth transition from backswing to downswing. “Making sure the transition is in rhythm is really important for me in particular. It kind of doesn’t matter what I’m working on in my swing. I just need to make sure it’s in rhythm.
Who is Luke Kerr?
Luke Kerr-Dineen. Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees all the brand’s service journalism spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.
