Instruction
Go lower with subconscious golf
A philosophy that I believe in is one in which the swing is powered by the subconscious mind and reacts to the image that the conscious mind creates. I am not stating that a golfer’s physical technique is not important, because it is. I am simply stating that we should strive to attain a level where the physical technique becomes subconscious.
The target is and always will be the single most important piece of information that a golfer can think of prior to playing a shot. The target can be the hole, a spot on the green, a slope on the fairway, a tree, or any other distinguishable marking of the golf course. The important thing is to select a precise target and remain fully committed to it throughout the duration of the swing. Playing to one’s true potential requires the physical golf swing to be a subconscious reaction to a mental image of the target.
When people learn to type, they begin by visually scanning the keyboard and finger pecking each key. As they begin to remember the placement of the keys, their keystrokes become faster. Eventually, they will develop a mental map of the keyboard so that the physical keystrokes are no longer a function of the conscious mind, but that of the subconscious mind. As their mental map of the keyboard becomes more and more clear, their physical keystrokes become fast and effortless.
Similarly, people learning to play the guitar begin by learning the location of the strings and then the physical placement of the fingers. Eventually they will have memorized the strings, the placement of the fingers and enough notes to play an entire song. At this point, the physical movements are a function of the subconscious mind and do not require additional thought. People learning to play golf rarely take their golf swing to the point where it becomes a function of the subconscious mind. Instead, they consciously work on swing mechanics and remain forever frustrated with the game.
In most sports, athletes look at their target while performing their specific skill. For instance, baseball players look at their teammate while throwing the ball. Basketball players look at the hoop while shooting. Quarterbacks hypothesize and look at a spot where the receiver should be at the time that the football arrives at its destination. Field-goal kickers and soccer players are similar to golfers in that they look at the ball while maintaining a mental image of the target. In all of these scenarios, the physical motion is a subconscious action to the intention of sending the ball to the target.
Driving and full shots
Select a target in the fairway or on the green at which you plan to land your ball. If you are not able to identify with a spot on the ground, select a tree, edge of a bunker or any other identifiable target.
During my pre-shot routine, I determine a landing spot at which I intend to play my shot. Below, I am looking at my landing spot, creating an image that I will use during the swing. Simply looking at the target is enough for our mind and body to calibrate the desired motion of sending the ball there.
During the swing, I maintain the image of the target and in my mind’s eye. This allows my physical swing to be a subconscious reaction to the target.
Pitching
Either select the hole as your target or spot on the green where you intend to land your ball. If a landing spot has been selected, visualize the desired trajectory of the ball as it lands on the spot for sufficient roll-out to reach the hole. The ability to control trajectory is critical in controlling distance.
Below, I am selecting my desired landing spot by visualizing my intended shot trajectory and roll out so that the ball finished in or around the hole.
Next, I maintain an image of the landing spot and trajectory so that I play the shot with accuracy and confidence.
Putting
Putting should be the easiest shot to allow the swing to become a subconscious reaction to the target. Select a precise target inside the hole. On breaking putts, select a target outside of the hole, but equal distance to it. A blade of grass, an old pitch mark, or simply a discoloration are all great targets for putting. Create an image of your target and see if you can stay committed to it for the duration of the stroke. If you can do this successfully, take the same mindset to pitching.
It is one thing to select a target, but to remain fully committed to it for the duration of a golf swing is paramount. Challenge yourself by seeing how committed to the target you can remain during a given swing. Assess you commitment on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is not committed at all and 10 is fully committed. During the golf swing, losing the image of the target represents a mental gap where fear, anxiety and tension can enter and break down even the best golf swings.
Understanding and learning how to keep your conscious mind focused and occupied with where you wish to send your ball, enables your subconscious mind to perform the physical movement, effortlessly and free of distraction. If you are not asking yourself, “What is my target?” before each and every shot, you are not giving yourself the opportunity to play the caliber of golf that you are capable of playing.
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Instruction
Clement: Laid-off or perfect fade? Across-the-line or perfect draw?
Some call the image on the left laid off, but if you are hitting a fade, this could be a perfect backswing for it! Same for across the line for a draw! Stop racking your brain with perceived mistakes and simply match backswing to shot shape!
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Instruction
The Wedge Guy: The easiest-to-learn golf basic
My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
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Instruction
Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!
Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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Matt Christian
Nov 9, 2014 at 3:04 pm
http://youtu.be/VEVUms88-Iw
Doug
Oct 22, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Agree 100% with this theory. To prove to yourself it works, lag putt 30-40+ footers on the practice green by looking at the hole, not the ball. You will be amazed at how your subconscious takes over and literally reads the slope and speed for you. I have had some incredible results in actual rounds using this method when I can’t figure the line and speed on my own. I can’t tell you how many times I have just winged it, letting my subconscious take over and ended up within inches of the hole, or literally sinking the putt. The subconscious mind is very powerful. You just have to believe in it.
Frank McChrystal
Oct 22, 2014 at 11:29 am
Wow, a lot of original stuff in here!!
Pingback: Staying Psychological With Subconscious Golf - The Golf Shop Online Blog
Ryan
Oct 20, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Stetina!! Good to see you on here my man! Long time hope all is well in NM
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:37 am
Thanks man! Life is good. I hope all is well with you. What is your last name Ryan?
Ryan
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Litus
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Nice!! I hope all is well. We will need to catch up sometime.
Ryan
Oct 22, 2014 at 3:21 pm
definitely! I know where to find ya
Golfraven
Oct 20, 2014 at 1:56 pm
I tried conciously to apply this on a round today with some good results. Will try to keep it in my routine.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:37 am
Nice! Keep us posted
The dude
Oct 18, 2014 at 6:36 am
Nice article…..how many times do you hear “I knew I shoulda’……..”……after some jag off hits a bad shot. Whether it’s not pulling the right club or being commited to the shot. (Yes…I’m often that jag off ) :).. This article serves as a proper reminder.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:47 am
Great point. Commitment is something many of us struggle with. We only get one chance at it, regardless of making the right decision or not, we might as well commit to the one we made.
Dave Robb
Oct 18, 2014 at 3:18 am
This approach sounds just like the one in the Manuel de la Torres book. I have found Manuels swing method and mental training has simplified things and been a great help for someone who started golf in my 40s. Highly recommended.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:38 am
Yes, Manuel de la Torre is great! He has a lot of knowledge in psychology as it relates to the golf swing, a very wise man!
Mark L
Oct 17, 2014 at 10:45 pm
This idea has been backed up multiple times with published research. Search “Trust Training” with regards to putting, pitch shots, and full shots. The research goes a little more in depth on the psychological skills and techniques, but the results are hard to argue.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:44 am
Thanks for sharing. I will take a look at that info.
Sean
Oct 17, 2014 at 10:29 pm
So you have no swing thoughts other than the target?
Tom Stickney
Oct 17, 2014 at 9:12 pm
Self 1 and Self 2 in Tim Galloway’s book the inner game of golf will also talk about this process. Great read as well.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:38 am
Thanks Tom. I will put that book on my reading list. Thank you!
Aaron Hernandez
Oct 17, 2014 at 8:27 pm
I killed a guy
Ted bundy
Oct 17, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Me too
O.J. Simpson
Oct 17, 2014 at 9:14 pm
Who hasn’t brother?
Robin Williams
Oct 17, 2014 at 9:18 pm
I got in on it a few weeks ago
Oscar Pistorius
Oct 18, 2014 at 2:33 am
Mine was a girl I hope it counts
John Wayne Gacy
Oct 18, 2014 at 8:16 am
Amateurs. Ain’t got nothing on me
Charles Manson
Oct 18, 2014 at 3:59 pm
That’s what I like to hear
Jack R
Oct 18, 2014 at 4:05 pm
I need some subconscious help guys. I keep slicing everything off the greens.
paul
Oct 17, 2014 at 7:42 pm
I try to see the shot in front of me. Kind of like seeing the tracer line they put in video games or like you see on TV after a ball is hit. Just see it before you hit, not after.
MHendon
Oct 17, 2014 at 5:30 pm
There’s know question the more you can simplify the process the better. However I’d hate to know how many sub par rounds I’ve blown with 2 to 3 holes left once I realized what my score was, suddenly your body won’t do what you know it’s capable of.
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:41 am
The mental scoreboard is often times death for a player. When we buy a green fee, it comes with a scorecard for a reason. Thanks for the comment
Aaron Henson
Oct 17, 2014 at 4:42 pm
This article is great! I am an Assistant Golf Professional at a private golf course in New Jersey and I teach this exact thing to my students. It is amazing how much we can limit the ability of our golf game by unfocused thoughts. A great website for this kind of golf mental training is spiritofgolf.com. It has a wealth of information on how to let your mind go and just play the game. Enjoy everyone!
Aaron Henson
Oct 17, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Sorry, it was myspiritofgolf.com
Ted bundy
Oct 17, 2014 at 9:09 pm
Me too
Chuck
Oct 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm
Dr. Bob Rotella says things that are no different in his books. In college, they would kick you out for plagiarism.
Dave S
Oct 17, 2014 at 5:27 pm
No such thing as plagiarism in golf instruction. Everyone says the same thing in different words.
greg
Oct 18, 2014 at 10:37 pm
A lot of good stuff in this article pulled from Dr Gio Valliante’s “Fewrless Golf”.
Jack
Oct 17, 2014 at 2:43 pm
Pretty well-written article. Very often articles and books on simplifying the thought process during a golf swing are not written simplistically. Not the case here. One question:
How does this concept adapt to hitting different types of shots? You obviously can’t always just play a straight shot and if I’m trying to cut a tee-shot off of a fairway bunker or hook one from behind a tree, how do you reconcile “only thinking about the target” with the thoughts necessary with hitting those shots?
Chuck
Oct 17, 2014 at 2:55 pm
You think about the ball flight and put that in your “mind’s eye” as well. Brad Faxon doesn’t even try to make a different swing, he just thinks draw, and it happens. Read Dr. Bob Rotella for more in-depth thinking as it relates to this article.
CD
Oct 17, 2014 at 5:10 pm
Your ‘mind’s eye’ – do you have a sense that the ‘picture’ is to your left/side/where the target is, or is it in front of you? Or none of these?
CT
Oct 17, 2014 at 6:48 pm
It’s in your head. So the answer is “none of these”
Tony Clams
Oct 17, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Great question Jack – I think the point here is to take that picture in your mind of your intended target no matter how you swing to get it there. IMO of course.
Tony clams dad
Oct 17, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Just be sure to look more left in your mind son
Henry Stetina
Oct 21, 2014 at 8:42 am
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it. If I were you, I would experiment with visualizing your intended shot shape. If that doesn’t work, try visualizing the intended movement of the club through impact to play a specific shot shape. I hope that helps.
Stretch
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Good article Henry.I would add when working the ball around obstacles that successful players can swing where the ball starts off. In other words they look down the initial start line and visualize the shot shape to the target. If the eyes are looking down a line not parallel to the initial start line they will start the shot down the line where the eyes look and play the shape desired. If the eyes look to the right of the desired initial start line then the ball will start down it and the shape of the shot will miss to the right. The same but opposite if the eyes look left of the initial start line. Bubba Watson plays big cuts and draws because he knows his eyes will look either left or right of the target and lets his subconscious mind create the amount of curve off his eye line to it.