Are Swing thoughts Killing Golfer's Swing?


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    29
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Johan185

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Are Swing Thoughts Golf Game Killers?
 
I guess it depends what you are thinking about.

If you are thinking "be smooth" or "slow back" probably not.

If you are thinking "I bet I got this rash on my junk from that girl at the bar on Friday....or was it Saturday....i guess it doesn't matter which day. What was her name again? Sally? Sarah? Ugh. I gotta stop drinking tequila." Then it might be a problem.
 
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The more mechanical the thought the more it will cause inconsistency IMO. Also anything that focuses on trying to hit it strait is toruble IMO because it brings 2 way misses into play. Play your shape and take one side of the trouble out of the equation. This also gives you an easy check of when to play less than driver off the tee. If your shape is a fade and you are on a dogleg left than the hole is tiny for you, lay up off the tee. If it is a dog leg right then it is huge for you. Aim at the left side of the fairway and swing away with that driver.
 
I guess it depends what you are thinking about.

If you are thinking "be smooth" or "slow back" probably not.

If you are thinking "I bet I got this rash on my junk from that girl at the bar on Friday....or was it Saturday....i guess it doesn't matter which day. What was her name again? Sally? Sarah? Ugh. I gotta stop drinking tequila." Then it might night be a problem.

 
I think you have to a clear intention. For my game when I start thinking about my swing while playing it’s never good...
 
Voted maybe. Every time I start thinking I usually mess up.
 
I have a nemesis par 3 at my course that every time I step up to the tee box I think about all of the swings that have sent a ball into the water.
95% of the time I add another to the water.
Not sure if that counts as a swing thought but I replicate the swing every time.
 
I guess it depends what you are thinking about.

If you are thinking "be smooth" or "slow back" probably not.

If you are thinking "I bet I got this rash on my junk from that girl at the bar on Friday....or was it Saturday....i guess it doesn't matter which day. What was her name again? Sally? Sarah? Ugh. I gotta stop drinking tequila." Then it might night be a problem.
 
I voted maybe. For me, if I focus on more than one swing thought, things go sideways. A singular swing thought is often helpful.
 
I try to keep swing corrections down to 1 or 2 at the maximum.
 
I look at the fairway or green, figure my yardage, club and what kind of shot, then a deep breath to ease my thought stress and just, " let it flow"

If you are thinking "I bet I got this rash on my junk from that girl at the bar on Friday....or was it Saturday....i guess it doesn't matter which day. What was her name again? Sally? Sarah? Ugh. I gotta stop drinking tequila." Then it might night be a problem.

^^^ this....^^^ I don't drink.......
 
You need focus, and focus is not thinking about your swing IMO. A clear mind and visualizing the shot is different than thinking about your swing.
 
For me, Yes! If I over think anywhere, it’s on the tee box. Plenty of times I find myself feeling “off”, so backing off the shot and regrouping my thoughts and setup will sometimes help. I really admire the guys who can step up to the tee box and swing freely and quickly. I’m just not there yet with my game.
 
I voted no even though I can't possibly speak for anyone else. I have to think tempo. If I just "swing my swing", it's ugly uglier.
 
I would say yes. The more I try to think things through the worse it is. I am trying to just get my stance and go lately.
 
Not in my game, since when I am actually playing, I don't have any swing thoughts. Well maybe two, before I swing the club.

I look at what I have in front of me. Check the lie of the ball. Pull a club. Step into my stance. Then just swing the club, and hit the ball. This is part of preshot routine.

Imo, swing thought are best used when practicing. The golfer has the time needed to fully utilize what ever swing thoughts they are working on.

When playing for a score, the actual swing does not allow time for swing thoughts.
 
In all seriousness, I try to only have one swing thought per round and keep that thought on each shot. I take whatever I am working on at the range ( i.e. tempo, hands wide, hip turn, shoulder angle, etc. ) and make sure I focus on doing 1 thing right in each swing. Let everything else happen naturally. Allows my swing to stay organic and not mechanical, allows my head to not screw up my shot to much, and allows me to keep focus on one thing so I don't let the "dont"s" into my swing ( don't hit it right, don't pull it, don't top it, don't swing fast, etc. ). Those kind of thoughts will kill your swing REALLY fast.
 
I try not to have any swing thought other than be relaxed. If I get too mechanical on the course, I’m in for a bad day.
 
The only thought that seems to get me is "F*ckin tee box! Look at this rounded sh*t. Uphill F*ckin lie. Weight's in my heels. Yeah, this is gonna be great. Whatever. Stay balanced, swing easy." And then it does not go great, and goes right back to "F*cking tee box!!!!'"
 
I said maybe. Keep it simple, and they can be very helpful. The more you complicate it, the worse it can be. Try to keep it to one at a time IMO.
 
The entire key to my swing is having ONE specific swing thought.
As soon as I add another to the mix you can kiss my ass goodbye.
 
The less I think the better I play so yes swing thoughts are killer thoughts
 
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