Share your favorite swing thought

The Mental Side of Things
#1

A while back I started keeping a journal of swing thoughts I’ve had during good rounds or good ball striking. We all have our bad tendencies that produce bad shots. Part of getting better at golf is being able to recognize which bad tendencies are leading to which types of bad shots, and then coming up with a thought or feel or focus that counteracts or minimizes that bad tendency. If you can get to that level of self-awareness and knowledge of your game, you can turn almost any round into a decent one. Instead of spraying your first two tee shots way right and saying it’s going to be an awful day, you can go through your bank of swing thoughts or feels or focuses and land on one that effectively counteracts your first couple misses for the day.

So I’ll start. My bad tendency to is to get too long and sloppy at the top of my backswing, early extend on the downswing, stall my hips, raise my handle and get steep, and then flip my hands through impact. Combined with an in-to-out swing path, this results in inconsistent contact, and big blocks and hooks. I’ve got all sorts of swing thoughts to counteract these tendencies, but here are the ones that ended up in my journal most recently, as they were really working for me last round when I struck the ball so well:

“Neither set nor release (the wrists or hands), maintain your side angle through impact, exit left (with the clubhead)”

It was like magic! I realize that violates the rules of having more than one swing thought (or any swing thought at all!), but it worked like a magic pill for me that day. Might be totally useless (or counterproductive) to me in the future, but it’s going in the journal, and if I’m seeing my old tendencies creep up, I’m going to give some of those thoughts a try in the future.

How about you? What are your favorite swing thoughts?

p.s. I have an entire spreadsheet of type of shot, type of miss, tendency that causes it, and thought that counteracts it, but I didn’t want to scare you all off while we’re still getting to know each other…

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#2

Honestly right now having just gone through most of Adam Young’s Strike Plan I’m mostly thinking “contact” before I let it rip. Been working well for me.

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#3

I am prone to shanks so with irons I have to think about keeping the hands closer to the body at impact. With the driver I concentrate on holding the face open to lessen the severity of my hook.

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#4

The only swing thought I have in my head is Jon Daly barefoot with a cigarette in his mouth and a Diet Coke waiting close by on the tee box. Grip it and rip it, baby!

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#5

Keep my back facing the target as long as possible in the downswing.

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#6

Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast

I’m prone to rushing the takeaway and lifting my hands, helps my backswing end up where I want it to before cranking into the ball

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#7

swing-thoughts

Not sure it’s a swing thought, but
chest over ball, butt against wall

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#8

For me it’s a 1…2…3…swing!

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#9

This is mine as well!

#10

My swing though at the moment is, be aggressive and turn my hips.

After having a lesson about 6 weeks ago I feel like it finally everything is starting to click. I was swinging at a slower speed than normal until everything started to click. So, that is why I have be aggressive in my mind. If I don’t turn my hips my follow through does not end up in a good spot.

#11

My latest swing thought is “low and slow” on the takeaway. That seems to get both my path and swing speed started in the right way.

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#12

Pleeeeze hit the efffing ball🤭

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#13

Mine can change if I’m working on something but my favorite is “Finish your backswing”. Needless to say I can get quick at the top.

#14

Ugh this is something I’m constantly working on. I tend to hip slide/ hanging back and get stuck following through and end up hitting it thin and/or off the toe. Slow drills help the motion it’s just hard (for me) to get this at full speed. My thought for sliding if I’m working on this is clear the hips, or get the hips out of the way. For hanging back, I think about keeping my shirt buttons pointed down. I can’t play golf with these thoughts though. It has to be less complex while I’m playing, like finish my backswing, or take it straight back.

#15

One that usually helps me get back on track is making sure I get my left shoulder pointed just behind the ball. I tend to jerk the club inside while swaying instead of turning. Also try to keep the clubhead outside and not overswing. Lot of thoughts and then I usually yell at myself for flipping my hands just before impact.

#16

In practice, I’m more focused on hand and body positions, and swing path. Once I’m on the course, I try to focus only on executing the next shot. No matter what, I try to use positive language, and purposefully try to avoid negative words like ‘don’t’.

I have different swing thoughts for different kinds of shots. For most tee and fairway shots, the focus on hitting it at my target, whether it’s down the middle or left or right to avoid trouble. For difficult shots, fairway bunkers and punch outs, etc., after I’ve planned what I want to do, I verbally tell myself ‘I love this shot’. For putts, I try to get a couple good practice strokes, then tell myself ‘repeat that stroke’.

All of these help me focus on the contact and the process of committing to the shot, and help disengage me from the result.

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#17

Looking at the target and repeating, “I can make this!” -even if I don’t, it’s not because of mental chatter…

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#18

Not to be an a…h… but I’m not reading through the other posts in this thread, so I don’t get distracted from my own silly swing thoughts… :rofl::rofl:

#19

Haha, I get it. I kinda thought about that after I started the thread. Maybe not the best idea! :rofl:

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#20

Nah, I was kidding around … and it was a good idea … if someone finds something that leads them in a new direction that’s a win for them!

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