Need to Slow Everything Down

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I’m a Type A personality with wanting to do everything fast. In golf it has really become a problem as I step into my shot and before I know it, it’s over. Very little planning. I need to Slow Everything Down, become more deliberate with my approach to the shot. I even rush my pre-shot routine. Any tips for slowing things down which should help everything? It is so frustrating but it seems to be the way I’m wired. I hate it but can’t seem to change it on my own.
 
Identifying the problem (which you have done) is half of the solution. Nice work!

As far as the other half of the fix... that’s a tough one.o_O
 
Have you seen an instructor? I only ask because my routine is get to the ball and hit the shot. An instructor will help you figure out what works best for you.
 
Slowing down gives you a better chance of getting into the right positions. When Arnold Palmer wanted to hit a bomb, he would slow down his back swing. That was his thought on the tee.
I tend to hit better shots when I slow down also making sure that I am at my fastest swing speed upon impact and after.
You are on the right path IMO.
 
A lot of us struggle with tempo and would benefit from a more relaxed, patient takeaway and backswing.

But I have never, ever met anyone who needed to slow down their pre-shot routine. Not possible unless you are literally swinging the club before you get your feet set or you're hitting shots while you're out of breath from jogging between shots.
 
Have you ever considered a Mindfulness practice???
It can be as simple as closing your eyes for 10 seconds and taking a deep breath to calm yourself.

I know for me it helps clear my thoughts and only have 1 swing thought.
 
The best thing in my opinion is to form a solid preshot routine. Remember you play just like you practice. So when you go to the range you should be doing it there too. Look at you lie. Stand behind the ball and decide your aim point and what shot shape you are trying to achieve. Set up behind the ball in line with your target and take a practice swing or two. Doesn’t even need to be a full swing or full speed. You are just trying to feel the swing. Address the ball and make your swing.

Sounds like a lot and slow but can easily be done in 20-30 seconds or less. Hitting a good shot with that swing saves you from having to hit another shot from a bad swing or plan so it will actually help you play faster.

Remember, and I hate to pound this in but it is important, do the same routine on the range. Practicing with a purpose includes your preshot routine.
 
A lot of us struggle with tempo and would benefit from a more relaxed, patient takeaway and backswing.

But I have never, ever met anyone who needed to slow down their pre-shot routine. Not possible unless you are literally swinging the club before you get your feet set or you're hitting shots while you're out of breath from jogging between shots.

It’s more like just doing the preshot mindlessly instead of running up and doing it quickly. i take the shot and then it’s like what did I just do. Kinda hard to explain. I guess the best way would be not totally focusing instead of being deliberate.
 
Don't hold your breath, learn to start your backswing as you breathe out. The golf swing only takes a second, plenty of time to fit in both sides of the swing as you breathe out. It has other benefits - we should always breathe out during the effort phase of movements and when rotating the ribcage. Practice golf swings that last a couple of seconds as you breathe out and cease holding your breath during a shot if you have this habit.
We stop breathing or breathe shallow and quick when we are anxious, so learn to breathe deeply before every shot to deal with any anxiety that may be present.
 
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Like I said I am a Type A personality and always do things quickly. I just need to be more thoughtful of what I am doing and slow down. Make it more of a deliberate process. I can start out that way but a lot of times after a few holes I’m back to the same old bad habits. Just looking for tips on how to be more mindful of what I’m doing and stay in the process.
 
“Thoughts” are past tense, “observations” are present tense.

“I hope I don’t put it in the water”
“I hope my grip is right”
“A 7i should do it”

Preflight checklist:

Grip is good
Alignment is good
Club is right
Distance is right
Body position is right
Waggle or whatever to relax
Final approach
Slight forward press (or whatever is the final tick)
Pull the trigger.
 
Like I said I am a Type A personality and always do things quickly. I just need to be more thoughtful of what I am doing and slow down. Make it more of a deliberate process. I can start out that way but a lot of times after a few holes I’m back to the same old bad habits. Just looking for tips on how to be more mindful of what I’m doing and stay in the process.
Well, the only way to do that is to just do it. It's a habit like anything else, and takes repetitions to ingrain it. Do you wear a glove? If you wear a white one, you could write "Slow down." on it where your thumb meets your hand as a reminder. (Assuming you look at your hands during the setup.)

Or, in a much more goofy style, write "Slow" on the top of your left shoe, and "Down" on the top of your right shoe.

It's going to be tough, though, because you are fighting your natural rhythm of life.
 
There in lies the problem. My natural pace of life is not conducive to golf.
 
If you naturally want to really nc
There in lies the problem. My natural pace of life is not conducive to golf.
There are plenty of extremely Type A personalities among the most elite golfers of the past and present.

The idea that playing one’s best golf requires endless dithering and protracted, superstitious “routines” is a creation of the modern media along with certain highly paid mental game consultants.

Did you ever see Tom Watson playing golf in his prime? Walked up to the ball, got a yardage from his caddy and hit it before you could blink. He walked fast, talked fast, probably breathed fast and certainly played golf with no faffing about. The game is TOTALLY compatible with that type of personality. Watson is far from an exception.

The only skill a Type A golfer needs to develop is patience to deal with all the annoying slowpokes ahead of him on the golf course!
 
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Now obviously me being a drummer leads me to have pretty good timing in my golf swing, but given that, I still get out of sync occasionally and it's usually me speeding up.
To combat that, I count in my head like starting a song, but the timing is .... One...and...Two.
One as the club goes back....and is the slight pause at the top.....Two as the club comes down to impact.
That always gets me back in sync.
 
Have you ever considered a Mindfulness practice???
It can be as simple as closing your eyes for 10 seconds and taking a deep breath to calm yourself.

I know for me it helps clear my thoughts and only have 1 swing thought.

Jack Nicklaus once said that if you can have only one swing thought in your mind when playing, that's still one swing thought too many! The way I like to put it is that I only employ "swing thoughts" when at the range practicing, and working on something in particular. When playing, I employ "shot thoughts". How do I want to play this hole? Pick a definite target out there. Which side of the tee do I want to be on?

I found myself getting in a hurry. Just stepping to the ball without having a target, and establishing a target line. Once I slowed down the pre-shot a little and started doing that, I played better golf. When practicing I generally have just one or two things I am trying to accomplish. These days it's not getting the club stuck behind me in the backswing, and dropping the club into the slot on the downswing. Things got better the last round I played.
 
Don't hold your breath, learn to start your backswing as you breathe out. The golf swing only takes a second, plenty of time to fit in both sides of the swing as you breathe out. It has other benefits - we should always breathe out during the effort phase of movements and when rotating the ribcage. Practice golf swings that last a couple of seconds as you breathe out and cease holding your breath during a shot if you have this habit.
We stop breathing or breathe shallow and quick when we are anxious, so learn to breathe deeply before every shot to deal with any anxiety that may be present.

To the bolded, why?
 
To the bolded, why?
The simple answer is because it relaxes the muscles of the ribcage and frees up the attachment part of the quadratus lunborum (QL) muscles that are attached to the diaphragm. The QL's have attachments to the lumber spine, hip and ribcage as well as the diaphragm. In short it allows for better rotation than the other alternatives.
 
The simple answer is because it relaxes the muscles of the ribcage and frees up the attachment part of the quadratus lunborum (QL) muscles that are attached to the diaphragm. The QL's have attachments to the lumber spine, hip and ribcage as well as the diaphragm. In short it allows for better rotation than the other alternatives.
If that's the simple answer, I probably couldn't handle the complex version!
 
The simple answer is because it relaxes the muscles of the ribcage and frees up the attachment part of the quadratus lunborum (QL) muscles that are attached to the diaphragm. The QL's have attachments to the lumber spine, hip and ribcage as well as the diaphragm. In short it allows for better rotation than the other alternatives.
Right, that makes sense, when it comes to rotational movements like a golf swing. The "breath out during the effort phase of movements" is something that I am not sure about.
 
To the bolded, why?

The simple answer is because it relaxes the muscles of the ribcage and frees up the attachment part of the quadratus lunborum (QL) muscles that are attached to the diaphragm. The QL's have attachments to the lumber spine, hip and ribcage as well as the diaphragm. In short it allows for better rotation than the other alternatives.

Also, because anyone who has done anything even mildly athletic has learned that you make your maximum effort on the exhale! You need to have that oxygen in your lungs, and entering your bloodstream before your peak effort, not after!

I know that it's an old joke to ask a golfer whether they inhale or exhale on the backswing. You should always say inhale!
 
I want to reiterate that I am a Type A personality that does everything in my life at a fast pace. A lot of times it can be a good thing but when it comes to golf it’s a bad thing. I need to slow EVERYTHING down! I drive a cart because I have an ankle issue that will not allow me to walk. I need to make myself slow down, analyze the shot and my options. But instead I just grab a club and swing away usually with a not so good result. Some shots are good. I’ve been athletic my whole life so I can get away with some things because of athleticism as I have very good hand-eye coordination. I know I need to slow things down and “ smell the roses” but I find it very difficult. I can slow my swing down but not my general approach to the game. I used to play a lot of baseball in my younger years and just went up to bat and swung away but that approach isn’t cutting it in golf. I’m so very frustrated so any tips would really be appreciated. THANK YOU!!!
 
I know I need to slow things down and “ smell the roses” but I find it very difficult. I can slow my swing down but not my general approach to the game.
There are two aspects to golf, what I refer to as the the "pre-swing" and the swing itself. Slowing things down "pre-swing" to analyze the lie, wind, shot needed, etc. is one thing. Slowing down the swing is not necessarily the right thing to do. For the reason why, check out Tour Tempo. Back when I spent a lot of time on the range and ingrained the concept I was playing my best golf with greatly needed added distance.
 
There are two aspects to golf, what I refer to as the the "pre-swing" and the swing itself. Slowing things down "pre-swing" to analyze the lie, wind, shot needed, etc. is one thing. Slowing down the swing is not necessarily the right thing to do. For the reason why, check out Tour Tempo. Back when I spent a lot of time on the range and ingrained the concept I was playing my best golf with greatly needed added distance.


When I said slow down my swing I meant that it was better tempo. Maybe it was a poor choice of words on my part.
 
So it’s the pre swing I’m having trouble slowing down. That’s what I need help with. I seem to just rush through my preshot routine. It is so frustrating.
 
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