Nailing Down Your Swing Thought for Consistent Performance

Do you know what a swing thought is, and why you need to have one on the course?  For some golfers, those who have been using a swing thought for years, this is an easy question.  For others, however, the idea of a swing thought is foreign.

If you have not yet implemented a specific swing thought into your game, you are missing out on a great opportunity to improve the consistency of your performance from shot to shot.

Simply put, a ‘swing thought’ is something that you think about during your swing (well, no kidding).  The key to this point is that it is singular—in that, you should only have one specific swing thought that you use while standing over the ball.

Most amateur golfers have countless thoughts racing through their head while they get ready to hit a shot, which leads to predictably disappointing results.  Clouding your mind with a variety of thoughts is no way to play good golf, so you need to clean out the clutter and boil everything down to a single swubg thought that you can use each and every time.

What Do You Think About Now?

Before you can move forward with finding a new swing thought to use, it would first be a good idea to figure out what is going through your mind during your swing currently.  During your next visit to the range or the course, pay attention to the thoughts that pop into your head as you are about to swing, and write them down when you have a chance.  Are they productive, positive thoughts, or are they based in fear?

For example, productive thoughts have to do with something that you want to accomplish in your swing, such as keeping your left heel down, keeping your eyes on the back of the ball, or locking in a target for your shot.  Fear-based thoughts are negative in tone, such as worrying about a water hazard that is lurking by the green or concerning yourself with the out of bounds stakes.  It should go without saying that you want to use only positive thoughts when you are swinging the club.  So, not only do you need to boil down your thinking to a singular thought, but you also need to make sure it is a positive one.

Some Examples of Swing Thoughts

When trying to improve your game, it is a good idea to look toward the best players in the world.  So what do they think about while making a swing?  Adam Scott says that he has used the thought of “getting his left side through the ball” to play well in the past.  Rory McIlroy has focused his mind on swinging over a spot a foot in front of the ball.  Paula Creamer has talked about keeping her chest up and staying tall throughout the hit.

What do all of these thoughts have in common?  They are all simple, and they aren’t too technical in nature.  Your thought should be clear and concise, so that your mind can focus on it with ease.  Something like “getting your left side through the ball” is great because it allows you to move freely and aggressively through the downswing.

Your swing needs to have confidence behind it, and that all starts by having a great swing thought.

Finding Your Own Swing Thought

Unfortunately, no one is going to be able to tell you what swing thought to use.  It can only come from within, because only you know what it going on in your mind during the swing.

The best way to find your own swing thought is to spend plenty of time on the range trying out different options.  Write down all of the various points within your swing that you are working on, and think about them one at a time while hitting some shots.  Which one gives you the best results?  Which one fills you with confidence?  The choice will likely become obvious after just a few short practice sessions.

Once you settle on a single swing thought that you are going to use for your swings, spend at least a couple more practice sessions working on using that thought over and over again.  You want this line of thinking to become natural when you are on the course, and that is only going to happen thanks to repetition on the range.  With enough practice, you won’t even have to try to use your thought consciously, it will simply pop into your head when you stand over the ball.

Separate Swing Thought for the Short Game

You should have just one swing thought that you use for your full swing, but it is okay (and advised) to have a separate thought for your short game.  Hitting short shots like chips and putts is a vastly different process than making full swings, so it only stands to reason that you should have a different thought.  Of course, it is still important to keep things simple, and you still want to have just one though running through your mind during short game shots.

So what are some good short game swing thought options?  Consider those listed here:

“Keep the backswing short”

Many golfers allow their backswing to get too long in the short game, and they slow the club down through impact as a result.

“Eyes stay on the back of the ball”

Controlling the movement of your eyes is crucial in the short game, so just focusing on keeping your eyes still can be a great help.

“Light grip pressure”

A tight grip is another killer in the short game.  Work on keeping your grip pressure light throughout the stroke.

Final Thoughts

Using a quality swing thought is an important part of becoming a good golfer.  You might be tempted to ignore this concept since it doesn’t have anything to do with the actual mechanics of the swing, but even the top players in the game value the importance of a good swing thought.  Spend the necessary time to find your own thought and your game will take a step forward as a result.

Cover Photo via Flickr