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Overthinking / Overanalyzing Golf

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Is it possible? I think so and am probably more guilty than most of doing it. From equipment with the need to have a length and swing weight just right to the crouching behind putts to read the breaks then stepping up to the ball and putting a poor stroke on the ball completely negating the read. I still really enjoy the game but have just been wondering of late if I could get more enjoyment, and likely just as good of play, if I didn't obsess so much over certain smaller details and just go out and have fun.

What says you THP?
 
Absolutely is possible.

MANY aspects of this game is overthought. From equipment, courses, swing, every single aspect.

I try not to overthink much, just go out and have fun.
 
For me, where I am most guilty of this is over-thinking wind. When its blowing pretty good, and I finally decide on a club, I need to just commit to it and take my normal swing. I seem to always take a tentative or indecisive swing, or start trying to work the ball into the wind etc, and screw it up.
 
My brain (or lack of) gets in the way all the time!
 
My scores improved when I stopped thinking so dang much.
 
similar topics pop up now and then and I maintain the same opinion. Over thinking can certainly hurt ones performance. However that being said, its often poor play that creates the thinking. So many times people will insist they figured out how thinking less was the key to a good round and yet I will always question it by saying...but you played well and so there was no need to think much. Start playing poorly and eventually one is going to begin to start thinking. You simply have to as you try to figure what is going on or went wrong. We all tend to think less when we play better but I say playing better is not a result of less thinking but simply that we are thinking less because we are indeed playing better and there is little to no need to think. Of course there are always exceptions and sometimes some people do overthink to a detriment. But I think in general and most the time its the poorer play that results in more thinking and not the other way around.
 
I was definitely feeling a bit of this at the end of my season this year.

I tried going out for a couple of rounds without my GPS watch and just trying to "hit shots". By that I mean I would take plenty of club and try and hit partial shots, or flight the ball, or curve it. I do these things when playing "seriously" too, but instead of doing them to hit the perfect shot I was always just aiming at the middle of the fairway or green.

I also played the holes differently from my normal approach. Went for it a few times I normally wouldn't, hit irons off of tees I don't typically use.

For me anyway mixing things up like this seems to help me get over myself, and get back to the joy of just playing golf.
 
I literally have more models of putter grips than I like to admit, or even count. Apparently I am of the belief that changing the grip is the magic elixir to cure all putting evils. In case you were wondering, for me, it is not and probably never will be though I keep changing them...
 
Oh yes, definitely possible, was very probable for me for a long time.

I was never a scratch golfer though I was close for many years. Back then I was overthinking and overanalyzing everything. Winning and shooting par was too important for me, at least I made it too important. Today, I overthink and overanalyze less. My scores aren't as good but I'm enjoying the game so much more.
 
2016 was all about turning the brain off for me and just playing my swing. First half of the year was brutal. Once I started trusting it. Golf started to get fun and the scoring took care of itself.
 
I'm my own worst enemy and need to get out my way. 2017 focus is going to be on playing golf and not golf swing
 
rollin said:
similar topics pop up now and then and I maintain the same opinion. Over thinking can certainly hurt ones performance. However that being said, its often poor play that creates the thinking. So many times people will insist they figured out how thinking less was the key to a good round and yet I will always question it by saying...but you played well and so there was no need to think much. Start playing poorly and eventually one is going to begin to start thinking. You simply have to as you try to figure what is going on or went wrong. We all tend to think less when we play better but I say playing better is not a result of less thinking but simply that we are thinking less because we are indeed playing better and there is little to no need to think. Of course there are always exceptions and sometimes some people do overthink to a detriment. But I think in general and most the time its the poorer play that results in more thinking and not the other way around.
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Have you ever seen a tour pro sit behind a 3 foot putt for a long time and then miss it? It's certainly not a playing well issue, or lack of skill. It's over thinking the situation to the point it hinders the physical act because you've filled your mind with too much to think about. I think you might be putting confidence issues in the same idea of over-analyzing. While they can cause similar outcomes, I don't believe they are related in this aspect.
 
oh it is absolutely possible. for me, playing poorly causes over-thinking at times and over-thinking causes poor play at other times. but i think the over-thinking/over-analyzing is just a result of my desire to get better.
 
Yes I think it is possible and happens quite a bit for alot of us, when that darn space between the ears gets in the way!
 
Yes...
 
I think more people over analyze certain things and under analyze important things like the golf ball.
 
I think from an equipment perspective it's actually very difficult to overthink. As many stories as I've heard about someone changing a shaft and the club goes from horrendous to spectacular or moving a weight and the flight improves significantly tells me that as a golfer you SHOULD be very thoughtful in every aspect of your equipment. You should be able to trust it with no doubt. As for your game, I think most overthink things here. You always hear pros talk about one maybe two thoughts max and they generally just try to be athletic and let their training take care of things
 
from a playing standpoint, i go back and forth on this one. there are times when i feel like a more "reactionary" swing where you step in, take one look and then go can free up the mind and let your natural intuitive athleticism take over. but then i feel like there are times when i need to focus and concentrate more. so i'm not sure what the right answer is.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Have you ever seen a tour pro sit behind a 3 foot putt for a long time and then miss it? It's certainly not a playing well issue, or lack of skill. It's over thinking the situation to the point it hinders the physical act because you've filled your mind with too much to think about. I think you might be putting confidence issues in the same idea of over-analyzing. While they can cause similar outcomes, I don't believe they are related in this aspect.
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How do you know it's not a lack of skill. If anyone is missing 3' putts on a regular basis, I'd say they have flawed skills.
 
Tadashi70 said:
How do you know it's not a lack of skill. If anyone is missing 3' putts on a regular basis, I'd say they have flawed skills.
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I'd say anyone on the PGA tour is of high skill level. If someone is a generally great putter, and takes an unusual amount of time to set up a very short putt, to then miss...that to me is 100% mental. It happens all of the time in pressure situations, which is due to the mental aspect (overthinking/over-analyzing) as the physical act is the same as any run of the mill practice round.
 
cbaker2882 said:
I'd say anyone on the PGA tour is of high skill level. If someone is a generally great putter, and takes an unusual amount of time to set up a very short putt, to then miss...that to me is 100% mental. It happens all of the time in pressure situations, which is due to the mental aspect (overthinking/over-analyzing) as the physical act is the same as any run of the mill practice round.
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Sometimes you just suck and mental has nothing to do with it.
 
That's my goal this year. Work hard on my swing during the off season and trust it during the season. I find analyzing my swing during a round takes much of the fun out of it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
As I've worked on a complete swing overhaul I haven't had the luxury of turning my brain off. As the swing gets more and more natural I can think about it less and less.
I don't think I'm over thinking the swing though but I do tend to over think certain shots.
 
I agree that most of us over think the game. For me I know I over think the equipment Way to much!
 
I obsess over equipment and which is best for me, I don't think I over analyze on the course, I think TBH that I don't spend enough time on the details on course which hurts the scoring.
 
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