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Can you turn off the conscious mind?

T2GRN18

T2GRN18

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I've spent a bunch of time in the off season trying to understand why my game (swing) doesn't translate to lower scores. One of the things I've come up with is that mentally I'm focusing on the wrong thing while playing. My focus has always been on Golf Swing instead of Golf Shot.

An instructor I've used in the past sent out this email that I feel helps with turning off the conscious mind, which for me is golf swing oriented, and opens up the golf shot focus.

Here is the email he sent:

Playing Skills

The question I want to answer today is how do you develop essential playing skills for consistent performance on the golf course? The secret to playing your best on the golf course lies in how you prepare for mentally for shot execution. Top athletes know good shot-making in a tournament or with your buddies starts with learning to turn the conscious mind off. I am going to outline a typical essential playing skills in a training program format.

Hit three shots seeing the ball flight in your mind's eye, three shots feeling the the grip prerssure being constant, three shots listening to the impact. Do the same chipping.

Hit three putts seeing the line of the putt, three putts listening to the sound of impact, and thee putts feeling softness in your shoulders.

Hit three pitch shots shot seeing the a bright orange landing spot in your mind as you are swinging. Hit three pitch shots listening ti the silence inside your head as you are swinging. Hit three shot feeling the tension level in your arms as you are swinging.

Hit putts seeing the ball fall into the cup, three putts feeling a low center of gravity, and three putts counting saying one backswing and two impact.

Hit three putts feeling constant grip pressure, three putts seeing the clubface at the finish position.

Hit shots with staring at the target 3 times, two times, and one time and record which routine produces the best shots.

How many shots can you hit being 100% engaged on the target over the ball?

Hit ten consecutive shots with 100% commitment. If any of the shots have less than 100% commitment, start over. Mix it up with different types of shtots, Do your full routine.

Hit shots on the range with a friend. Have the friend pick the target and tell you what kind of shot to hit. It could be: 5 iron low draw to a 100 yard marker. How committed did you stay to the decisions? Do this ten times then make your own decisions and commit to them for another ten shots.

Putt six putts from fifteen feet. Change your preparation level for each one. On the first putt, play like a kid and do nothing in preparation, just putt and react to the hole. For each subsequent putt add some preparation. On the sixth putt, check everything. No stones unturned! Where in that spectrum did you putt the best? Do the same for full shots. Hit twenty different putts within fifteen feet. For each putt imagine how ball rolls into the cup before stepping over the ball. Hit

Hit five shots where your body language is weak and your voice is vague when you say your decision to yourself on how you will execute the shot. Hit five body shots where your body language is strong and your voice is clear and congruent. What is best for you?

This is what performance based practice looks like. Prior to a tournament round I encourage you to prepare this way.


Your "Favorite Golf Doc"
Jim Estes PGA


I figured I'd share this in case anyone else has a similar issue. I worked in this last night while at the range, it didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I can see that this will help cure part of my issues.
 
Have you ever thought about focusing on the golf score, rather than the swing or the shot?
 
JB said:
Have you ever thought about focusing on the golf score, rather than the swing or the shot?
Click to expand...

That's my ultimate goal, is to focus on nothing other than I have 3, 4, or 5 shots to hole out. I don't care how it gets there, just get it there.
 
T2GRN18 said:
That's my ultimate goal, is to focus on nothing other than I have 3, 4, or 5 shots to hole out. I don't care how it gets there, just get it there.
Click to expand...

Looking forward to following along.
 
JB said:
Looking forward to following along.
Click to expand...

Something has to give dude, 10.9 and climbing is not acceptable for me. I feel like there is more potential there than that.
 
T2GRN18 said:
Something has to give dude, 10.9 and climbing is not acceptable for me. I feel like there is more potential there than that.
Click to expand...

I wont get into the equipment angle, because there is more to it, but your climb seemed to coincide when you switched irons.
 
T2GRN18 said:
I've spent a bunch of time in the off season trying to understand why my game (swing) doesn't translate to lower scores. One of the things I've come up with is that mentally I'm focusing on the wrong thing while playing. My focus has always been on Golf Swing instead of Golf Shot.

An instructor I've used in the past sent out this email that I feel helps with turning off the conscious mind, which for me is golf swing oriented, and opens up the golf shot focus.

Here is the email he sent:

Playing Skills

The question I want to answer today is how do you develop essential playing skills for consistent performance on the golf course? The secret to playing your best on the golf course lies in how you prepare for mentally for shot execution. Top athletes know good shot-making in a tournament or with your buddies starts with learning to turn the conscious mind off. I am going to outline a typical essential playing skills in a training program format.

Hit three shots seeing the ball flight in your mind's eye, three shots feeling the the grip prerssure being constant, three shots listening to the impact. Do the same chipping.

Hit three putts seeing the line of the putt, three putts listening to the sound of impact, and thee putts feeling softness in your shoulders.

Hit three pitch shots shot seeing the a bright orange landing spot in your mind as you are swinging. Hit three pitch shots listening ti the silence inside your head as you are swinging. Hit three shot feeling the tension level in your arms as you are swinging.

Hit putts seeing the ball fall into the cup, three putts feeling a low center of gravity, and three putts counting saying one backswing and two impact.

Hit three putts feeling constant grip pressure, three putts seeing the clubface at the finish position.

Hit shots with staring at the target 3 times, two times, and one time and record which routine produces the best shots.

How many shots can you hit being 100% engaged on the target over the ball?

Hit ten consecutive shots with 100% commitment. If any of the shots have less than 100% commitment, start over. Mix it up with different types of shtots, Do your full routine.

Hit shots on the range with a friend. Have the friend pick the target and tell you what kind of shot to hit. It could be: 5 iron low draw to a 100 yard marker. How committed did you stay to the decisions? Do this ten times then make your own decisions and commit to them for another ten shots.

Putt six putts from fifteen feet. Change your preparation level for each one. On the first putt, play like a kid and do nothing in preparation, just putt and react to the hole. For each subsequent putt add some preparation. On the sixth putt, check everything. No stones unturned! Where in that spectrum did you putt the best? Do the same for full shots. Hit twenty different putts within fifteen feet. For each putt imagine how ball rolls into the cup before stepping over the ball. Hit

Hit five shots where your body language is weak and your voice is vague when you say your decision to yourself on how you will execute the shot. Hit five body shots where your body language is strong and your voice is clear and congruent. What is best for you?

This is what performance based practice looks like. Prior to a tournament round I encourage you to prepare this way.


Your "Favorite Golf Doc"
Jim Estes PGA


I figured I'd share this in case anyone else has a similar issue. I worked in this last night while at the range, it didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I can see that this will help cure part of my issues.
Click to expand...

This is very interesting. I recently read an interview with Jordan Spieth and he was asked how he mentally prepares for a round. I'll paraphrase. He basically looks at each shot as a round of golf. Instead of breaking down the round to 18 holes, or 2- 9's, or hole by hole, he feels the shot in itself is the round and it emphasizes the importance of each shot. We have all heard the expression "Playing one shot at a time" but how do we interpret that phrase. I have been looking at each shot as Jordan described, and I think it actually helps me. My mind isn't cluttered with swing thoughts, only execution. I think this is similar to what Jim Estes is trying to convey.
 
My wife who works in areas of yoga, mindfulness, meditation, etc. has been working with me on quieting my mind and focusing on the moment. She appreciates my passion for golf and wants to help. I have plenty of athletic ability and my busy mind will be growth hurdle.

I am seeing benefits from her training. At this point it is a sense of calm focus when I hit the ball. I have not translated that to putting yet.
 
JB said:
I wont get into the equipment angle, because there is more to it, but your climb seemed to coincide when you switched irons.
Click to expand...

Looking back, this climb started as soon as I took took the J40's out of the bag, and went to the V4's which coincidentally was after Legacy. You may be right?
 
This is something I want to focus on more this year. After reading Dr. rotellas books last year is when I first considered it. When I was in the mind set if golf shot and not golf swing I played goog golf. When I got away from it I started seeing higher scores.

I was talking with someone the other day about this subject and we both felt last year we were too focused on golf swing.

i was talking with Jim Estes last year during some lessons and he is a friend of dr Rotella and was reading one of his books when I showed up for a lesson. He used some of the thought process in the books during our lessons.

im going to use his tips you posted next range session.
 
I think he's right on the money really. Not one thing in there mentioned anything about the swing. Now I'm not saying people shouldn't work on their swing because they should but it should be a different practice and shouldn't be brought to the course. What I like about what he says the most is envision a ball flight and execute. Instead of focusing on trying to make the perfect swing for the results you want, focus on the results you want, commit to it, and execute that shot. Turning on the mind is a really tough thing to do, I know I struggled with it heavily last year. I have a few ideas up my sleeve to see if it may help you Kev, we'll try it out when we get together.
 
I think focusing on score is a recipe for failure. It's better to focus one shot at a time. The score will be what it is.
 
This is why i love the Dave Stockton teaching method. It really works for me. My mind is my worst enemy on the course
 
Borss said:
I think focusing on score is a recipe for failure. It's better to focus one shot at a time. The score will be what it is.
Click to expand...

I strongly disagree, but everybody is different. Focusing on the ball in front of you and keeping the hero at bay, and the large numbers away makes a golf round. The entire idea of one shot at a time is a falsity anyway. Nobody is thinking on a par 5 when laying up of "Just this shot", they are always thinking about the number they want to be at for the next shot. Just like any tee shot or any other part of the game. One can try during the takeaway to feel that way, but its just not the case.
 
Do you know how to hit a draw with the driver? Or even a fade? Can you hit a stock 9 iron or even a stock 5 iron? I know the answer to these questions and it's yes. So since you can hit the shots your focus should be on getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

Your length is going to give you a huge advantage on most courses and in most matches. So you thought should be get the ball in the hole. The more you think about your swing while playing, the worse you will play when it starts going sideways. You start thinking about getting the ball in the hole, creativity will take over. It will show itself when you hit an arrant tee ball or push a short iron. Just get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.
 
I used to play a game called 5s. The goal was birdies and each one paid $5. Eagles paid $10. It was a 9 hole match with 5 or 6 of us when the course was dead. I learned through that game to just get the ball in the hole. Thinking about club choice and swing was getting in the way. I learned to 'trust it' and move the ball toward the hole.

I'm not saying just go for it and hit driver on every hole, unless you are feeling it. But just forget the mechanics and trust it.
 
It would be my guess that it's different for different people. Not everyone's mind functions and processes information the same way. The same would probably be true for what trigger works in the golf swing. I know for me, confidence is everything. As long as I believe in my mind that I can accomplish the goal ( whatever it is) I have a reasonably good chance of making it happen. As I said though, everyone is different!
 
JB said:
I strongly disagree, but everybody is different. Focusing on the ball in front of you and keeping the hero at bay, and the large numbers away makes a golf round. The entire idea of one shot at a time is a falsity anyway. Nobody is thinking on a par 5 when laying up of "Just this shot", they are always thinking about the number they want to be at for the next shot. Just like any tee shot or any other part of the game. One can try during the takeaway to feel that way, but its just not the case.
Click to expand...
I agree, i have to map each hole as I play them. If I don't I feel like I'm playing aimlessly.

Tadashi70 said:
Do you know how to hit a draw with the driver? Or even a fade? Can you hit a stock 9 iron or even a stock 5 iron? I know the answer to these questions and it's yes. So since you can hit the shots your focus should be on getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

Your length is going to give you a huge advantage on most courses and in most matches. So you thought should be get the ball in the hole. The more you think about your swing while playing, the worse you will play when it starts going sideways. You start thinking about getting the ball in the hole, creativity will take over. It will show itself when you hit an arrant tee ball or push a short iron. Just get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.
Click to expand...

Yes sir FK! That's where I'm headed, this is my goal for the season.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Do you know how to hit a draw with the driver? Or even a fade? Can you hit a stock 9 iron or even a stock 5 iron? I know the answer to these questions and it's yes. So since you can hit the shots your focus should be on getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

Your length is going to give you a huge advantage on most courses and in most matches. So you thought should be get the ball in the hole. The more you think about your swing while playing, the worse you will play when it starts going sideways. You start thinking about getting the ball in the hole, creativity will take over. It will show itself when you hit an arrant tee ball or push a short iron. Just get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.
Click to expand...

Tadashi70 said:
I used to play a game called 5s. The goal was birdies and each one paid $5. Eagles paid $10. It was a 9 hole match with 5 or 6 of us when the course was dead. I learned through that game to just get the ball in the hole. Thinking about club choice and swing was getting in the way. I learned to 'trust it' and move the ball toward the hole.

I'm not saying just go for it and hit driver on every hole, unless you are feeling it. But just forget the mechanics and trust it.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more Freddie. You hit the nail on the head. Just put the ball in the hole and trust what you got. And Kevin should be the most trusting mofo out there with his beauty of a swing that thing isn't going anywhere.
 
Borss said:
I think focusing on score is a recipe for failure. It's better to focus one shot at a time. The score will be what it is.
Click to expand...

JB said:
I strongly disagree, but everybody is different. Focusing on the ball in front of you and keeping the hero at bay, and the large numbers away makes a golf round. The entire idea of one shot at a time is a falsity anyway. Nobody is thinking on a par 5 when laying up of "Just this shot", they are always thinking about the number they want to be at for the next shot. Just like any tee shot or any other part of the game. One can try during the takeaway to feel that way, but its just not the case.
Click to expand...

Im with JB on this one. I didnt learn to score until i learned how to play for that score. "Whats the best way not to make bogey" worked for me. Saw myself ending up with a lot of birdie putts and eventually some of them will drop
 
I pretty much have never worried about the golf swing and have always just focused on hitting the ball where I want it to be. Ultimately though I am usually focused on score and big number management.
 
T2GRN18 said:
I've spent a bunch of time in the off season trying to understand why my game (swing) doesn't translate to lower scores. One of the things I've come up with is that mentally I'm focusing on the wrong thing while playing. My focus has always been on Golf Swing instead of Golf Shot.

An instructor I've used in the past sent out this email that I feel helps with turning off the conscious mind, which for me is golf swing oriented, and opens up the golf shot focus.

Here is the email he sent:

Playing Skills

The question I want to answer today is how do you develop essential playing skills for consistent performance on the golf course? The secret to playing your best on the golf course lies in how you prepare for mentally for shot execution. Top athletes know good shot-making in a tournament or with your buddies starts with learning to turn the conscious mind off. I am going to outline a typical essential playing skills in a training program format.

Hit three shots seeing the ball flight in your mind's eye, three shots feeling the the grip prerssure being constant, three shots listening to the impact. Do the same chipping.

Hit three putts seeing the line of the putt, three putts listening to the sound of impact, and thee putts feeling softness in your shoulders.

Hit three pitch shots shot seeing the a bright orange landing spot in your mind as you are swinging. Hit three pitch shots listening ti the silence inside your head as you are swinging. Hit three shot feeling the tension level in your arms as you are swinging.

Hit putts seeing the ball fall into the cup, three putts feeling a low center of gravity, and three putts counting saying one backswing and two impact.

Hit three putts feeling constant grip pressure, three putts seeing the clubface at the finish position.

Hit shots with staring at the target 3 times, two times, and one time and record which routine produces the best shots.

How many shots can you hit being 100% engaged on the target over the ball?

Hit ten consecutive shots with 100% commitment. If any of the shots have less than 100% commitment, start over. Mix it up with different types of shtots, Do your full routine.

Hit shots on the range with a friend. Have the friend pick the target and tell you what kind of shot to hit. It could be: 5 iron low draw to a 100 yard marker. How committed did you stay to the decisions? Do this ten times then make your own decisions and commit to them for another ten shots.

Putt six putts from fifteen feet. Change your preparation level for each one. On the first putt, play like a kid and do nothing in preparation, just putt and react to the hole. For each subsequent putt add some preparation. On the sixth putt, check everything. No stones unturned! Where in that spectrum did you putt the best? Do the same for full shots. Hit twenty different putts within fifteen feet. For each putt imagine how ball rolls into the cup before stepping over the ball. Hit

Hit five shots where your body language is weak and your voice is vague when you say your decision to yourself on how you will execute the shot. Hit five body shots where your body language is strong and your voice is clear and congruent. What is best for you?

This is what performance based practice looks like. Prior to a tournament round I encourage you to prepare this way.


Your "Favorite Golf Doc"
Jim Estes PGA


I figured I'd share this in case anyone else has a similar issue. I worked in this last night while at the range, it didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I can see that this will help cure part of my issues.
Click to expand...


Good stuff dude, I like that a lot.
 
I think when on the tee one needs a plan on how to play a given hole. Of course those plans change as soon as any of the shots is not executed. Then its a new plan from that point. But imo "one shot at a time" is the way to think once the decisions are made and while you face that next shot. The only thing anyone can do anything about is the current shot they are taking. Yes we should be looking how to best score this hole from that point and within our means of doing so with best chances at successful shots. But its making the shots "on at a time" which is all that can count at that moment. The score in my plans from that point is though about as a plan but that's it. When taking the shots, its always "one shot at a time" because its all that can or has to matter at that time.

To me its "make a plan" then execute "one shot at a time" within that plan and soon as it might vary we must make a new plan and then again its "one shot at a time". The score will be what it is. I am a bit surprised of some in this thread who have often mentioned not to worry about score yet now saying you should worry about score. So this is confusing.
I think one has to have a plan for score and must adjust as things change due the shots we took. But "one shot at a time" imo has to be the concern when time to take each shot.
 
I love this thread, being entirely self taught this tends to be the kind of thing that (I feel like) affects my game the most.

Two of my all time favorite golf books are Extraordinary Golf and Extraordinary Putting by Fred Shoemaker. If you've ever read Golf in the Kingdom imagine that as a pair of instructional books.

I find myself re-reading them about this time every year, as the snow starts melting and I get ready for another season. If you haven't seen / heard / read them yet I can't recommend them enough.
 
I like reading the inputs here, but I will say it's going off on a tangent a bit. This is not about one shot at a time, or how you map a hole. It's about clearing the mind to execute from in unconscious mind. Unconscious of swing thoughts, or environmental concerns such as wind or anything else that takes away from strait up executing a shot for score.
 
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