I was surprised to hear that our brain and visual focus have a lot to do with the success of our golf shots. Jason Day and Jack Nicklaus visualize their shot but even more important they pick a target point to allow their brain to zero in on that point to make their planned shot. I was also surprised to see a video by Tom Stickney, a PGA Instructor on GOLF-INFO-GUIDE which highlighted the fact that your visual focus will actually allow your brain to unconsciously control the direction of your shot.
Jim McLean is shown here with a burning image around his target point and you should too.
Tom referred to a tip that he learned from one of his golf coaches. He recommended that you follow your normal setup routine and end your pre-shot routine with a last look at your target. The smaller the target is defined, the better your success will be in hitting that target.
I am only bring this tip to your attention as it’s exactly the same process that I have been using for my putting. If I choose the correct target point with my rehearsed swing speed for the right break, I sink my putt.
- If I pick a target point and focus on that point for at least 2 seconds before I return my head to focus on my ball, the target and distance are burned into my brain.
- It’s as if I have this laser image for the line that I need to hit for my putt.
- I feel the image in my brain even though I have moved my visual focus back to the ball.
- Hitting my ball on that “laser target line” is the only thing that my brain can visualize and “feel”. Swinging my putter directly up that line is all that my brain will allow me to do.
Hitting a drive or a fairway shot is easier than putting on a sloped green so the direction of my shot is all that counts. Start by planning for a draw or a fade (or a straight shot if you can count on it).
Spend your “FINAL FOCUS” when you prepare for each shot by choosing a specific target.
DO NOT LOOK at the hazard on the left or the trees on the right but focus your eyes on your chosen target. [If your last look is at the pond, that’s where your ball will end up.]
Your final focus will lock your brain into the shot that will drive your ball directly up your target line. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for your powerful straight arm shots on your target line. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com
PS. I look for these tips to help my game as much as I want to help yours. In my last round of golf, the rough was about 6 to 8 inches deep, so I really wanted to hit fairways and greens. I worked on my FINAL FOCUS and hit 16 out of 18. My playing partners kept taking free lifts out of the rough to survive the round.
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