Too Many Swing Thoughts Hurt Your Golf Game. Here’s How to Avoid It

Golfers have more information about the swing than ever before. With a smartphone or computer, they can study the world’s best players, watch thousands of instructional videos and learn exactly how the body and club should move.

But too much information can make a golfer worse. Nick Biondi, a PGA of America Professional and director of instruction at Radley Run Country Club in West Chester, Pennsylvania, says that the more golfers understand about their swings, the more opportunities they have to interfere with them at the wrong time.

Stop playing golf swing

Golfers often have a great practice session but struggle to take that success to the course. On the first tee, numerous swing thoughts suddenly appear, and a poor shot follows.

The problem is not necessarily mechanics. The golfer has stopped reacting to the target and started consciously controlling movement.

Developing a swing and playing a golf shot are different tasks. The best players know when to work on technique consciously and when to trust the movements they have ingrained on the practice tee.

Get “in it”

Jamie Mulligan, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who coaches Patrick Cantlay and Nelly Korda, uses the concept of getting “in it.” That means fully committing to the shot and then allowing the club to do the work without trying to help or manipulate the motion.

After selecting a target, choosing a shot and committing to an intention, the golfer’s job is to start the swing and let the muscle memory developed in practice take over. Trying to help the ball fly where you want it to go is rarely successful.

You develop your swing during practice, but you need to trust it on the course. Confusing those two modes is one of the most common mistakes amateur golfers make.

Find “the party”

Mulligan also uses the expression “the party” to describe the ideal combination of seeing it, feeling it and trusting it.

See it. Before every shot, visualize a clear picture of what you want to accomplish: the starting direction, trajectory, curve and landing area.

Feel it. Identify one sensation that helps you produce the intended shot. It might be rhythm, body rotation or freedom in the arms. What golfers feel is not always what they are actually doing. A useful feel does not have to describe the movement perfectly; it only needs to produce the desired result.

Trust it. This is where most golfers struggle. They visualize the shot and rehearse the movement, but doubt takes over when it is time to perform. Trust means accepting your preparation and allowing the movement to happen without additional interference.

When you can see it, feel it and trust it, you have found “the party.” Golf then becomes less about controlling a swing and more about playing the game.

How to practice

During your next practice session, try a drill based on Mulligan’s concept.

First, choose a specific target and visualize the intended ball flight. Next, make a practice swing using one sensation that helps you hit the intended shot. Then step into the ball, commit to the target and swing without any additional thoughts. Afterward, assess the process and result before hitting more shots.

The goal is not to hit every shot perfectly. It is to develop the ability to make decisions, commit to them and adapt to the results. If you can learn to do that on the practice tee and then take it to the course, golf will become much easier to play.

Based on reporting by GOLF.com. The author, Nick Biondi, is an award-winning PGA of America Professional and director of instruction at Radley Run Country Club in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He shares additional tips at @biondigolf.