Focus Your Focus - How to Ward Off Distraction During Your Golf Swing

There is a great possibility to lose your mind when playing golf simply due to the constant shifting of focus. I think the brain doesn't like to change focus. It wants to stay in one place until the job is done, but in golf, we think about the present; the stance, and we think about the future; the shot.

The mind wants stimulation, and the stance simply doesn't fill the bill. The shot on the other hand has hope and excitement, wondering whether the ball will go where you want it to, where it will land, and what you will need to do next.

When you set up and look downrange, your mind almost instantly locks on to the shot thoughts....and abandons the task at hand of taking the backswing and making the transition.

If you think about your daily life it works the same. It's much easier to let your mind wonder off to the next vacation than to keep working on the mundane task of work. At times like that, you must call your brain back to work and get back to whatever task you're doing.

To get the results of a golf swing, you have to do the same thing. Usually, just before you take the backswing, you take one more look downrange. This is the mind's last opportunity to escape, and it often does. If you can keep the mind interested in the swing, it wouldn't go running off to the future all of the time, but how?

This is one reason I stress visualization during the swing process. If you have a movie of the impending swing in your mind, the brain will want to hang around and see if the body followed instructions.....(it's a power thing, the brain wants to be in charge and it thinks the body wants to take over.)

But sometimes a good picture isn't enough. You need to remind your brain to get back to the task at hand. I do this with a trigger. I want something visual that will tell my mind, "hey, get back to the swing!" Mine is a little complicated to describe but it's simple as a picture. When I take my backswing,as I am feeling the weight building up under my back foot, I want to feel my shoulder touch my chin and I want to see that the line across my back is behind the ball. Once I see that, I know I can start the transition.

All I have to do is to remind myself before the round that I won't start the transition until I see and feel what I have described. The picture I'm looking for, combined with the self instruction that it has to be there or I can't finish the swing, brings my focus back to the swing.

Do you want to make sure your focus is where it should be during your swing? Find a trigger picture that has to happen before you can make your transition. Then train yourself that you can't swing until it's right. Instead of concentrating on hitting the ball, concentrate on making sure everything is right before you pull the transition trigger....the rest of the swing will take care of itself.

When do you set the stage for the round of golf? On the way to the golf course. Think about your trigger, and decide that you will be patient no matter what situation rears its ugly head. After you do this for a while, your patience in the face of adversity will carry over to your daily life.

Tracy Reed is a Golf Biomechanic, International Golf Coach, and author of "Golf Swing Control" now sold in 28 countries. Learn How to Gain the Unfair Advantage on the Golf Course. Go to http://www.golfswingcontrol.com

---

Flexibility Exercises For The Golf Swing Will Make All The Difference

Virtually every golfer knows the importance of flexibility for a good golf swing but not everybody has fully accepted the key role that flexibility exercises can play.Few... Read More

Do You Understand Golf Club Swing Weight

Golf club swing weight. Have you heard that term before?A rather effective method of improving the golf swing is by adding extra weight to the club and... Read More

Three Secrets of A Consistent Golf Stroke

What you are about to read... will change your golfing life forever! What are these three "secrets"? If you knew how would they effect your game?. These... Read More

What Makes A Golf Training Book Effective

A golf training book needs to be 'user-friendly' and 'plug-and-play'. What I mean by that is a golfer should be able to have a clear idea on... Read More

Golf Information Overload?

You've come home from work dead tired. You grab the mail on your way in and notice your new copy of your favorite golfing magazine is in... Read More

A Valuable Golf Swing Tip

No serious golfer will fail to be eager and maybe even desperate for a golf swing tip that actually works. This is because of the simple reason... Read More

Junior Golfers Gain A Competitive Edge By Building A Stronger Body

Strength training for juniors is supported by organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Strength... Read More

Before Purchasing A Gift For A Golfer...Ask Yourself These 3 Questions

It should be rather clear to everybody that the gift a golfer will ordinarily appreciate the most, is the one that improves their game. Most golfers are... Read More

One Out of Two Golfers Will Have a Golf Swing Related Injury - Can You Prevent Yours?

I have a friend who blew out his ACL in his left knee while playing old man basketball. Old man being relative. A bunch of guys playing... Read More

How The Golfer Elbow Can Be Avoided And Cured

The golfer elbow is very similar to the tennis elbow and can be a nagging and extremely painful injury that has the danger of recurring again and... Read More

How A Golf Workout Routine Can Crush Your Competitors

A golf workout routine can be as simple as using a pair of hand weights (dumbbells), and doing 5-6 golf-specific exercises in less than 15 minutes. Now... Read More

How To Properly Check The Club Heads Of Second Swing Used Golf Club

Interested in Second Swing used golf club? No surprise there. Second Swing golf clubs are swiftly gaining popularity these days. And why not, they durable and with... Read More

The 5 Keys To A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE Golf Pre Shot Routine You Can Learn Immediately

What I'm about to disclose to you in this article is an easy to follow, 'Step-By-Step' formula to having a highly effective pre shot routine. Every golfer... Read More

How To Choose The Best golf clubs For Your Game

Wilson , Callaway, Titleist, Adams , King Cobra, Yonex, Ping , Taylor Made, Mizuno, and Spaulding are all excellent name brand golf clubs. As a beginning or... Read More

3 Things You Must Check Before Buying Used Titlist Golf Clubs To Avoid Regrets

Used Titlist golf clubs are great golf clubs even if its used. They usually retain their quality longer. I also suggest that you get a used golf... Read More

The Real Secrets Of Golf

Secrets of golf! Most golfers will do absolutely anything to improve their golf game and this is the reason why most are constantly in search of golf... Read More

The Beginners Game of Golf

A professional should give beginner golf swing instruction. In this way, you will learn to correct way to grip your clubs, stand, and swing. They will concentrate... Read More

Left Handed Golf Tips

Where do you find left handed golf tips? You find right handed golf tips in every golf magazine available but it is nearly impossible to flip the... Read More

Sports Psychology for Golfers: 4 Tips for Beating the Yips

When players labels themselves as having the putting yips, they think they have an incurable disease. Putting confidence declines and the fear of missing putts makes matters... Read More

Guide To Buy Used Golf Clubs For Beginner Golfer

If you are just starting out to play golf, you should never buy a new golf club set immediately as you may discover that this game is... Read More

Secret 7 Necessities for Great Golf

The game of golf can be difficult when you consider all of the individual elements. Most golfers are overwhelmed with information regarding which tips will benefit their... Read More

Balance Your Checkbook and Golf Swing

We all search for it. Balance in our daily lives. Balance while riding a bike. Politicians are always debating a balanced budget in Washington, and most of... Read More

Watch the Pros Play Golf

You can check out a pro golf swing on video instruction tapes and on TV during golf shows and games. Checking out the golf swing of a... Read More

Golf Club Swing Weights

A golf club's swing weight helps the player to be able to feel the club head hit the ball. This helps each of the clubs to have... Read More

This IS Golf - Womens Golf

The Korean women golfer Jeong Jang (JJ) chose the British Women's Open Golf championship at Royal Birkdale, Southport, to win her first title. What's more she led... Read More

Golf Weight Training Is The Answer To Longer Drives

It is no secret that most of the male and female tour players who want to play their best golf, do golf weight training exercises. But it's... Read More