How to zero in and get in the zone.
Like many highly successful athletes, three-time major winner Nick Price owes his success to a preternatural ability to focus. “The more I focus, the less I worry about pressure and everything else,” he once said. “My mind is totally and completely into the target. Some people choose to worry about hitting out-of-bounds, some choose to think about their swing, but when I’m looking down at the ball, I actually see the target.”
Good focus allows you to be in the moment to accomplish the task at hand. Visualizing your target is a good example of focusing on what you want to create and not on what you want to avoid. But what are some other aspects of the game that will allow you to focus and play better golf?
A successful approach is to break down focus into these four categories—external, internal, broad and narrow:
External/Broad (EB): The entire hole, hazards, pin placement, distance.
External/Narrow (EN): Specific target such as a blade of grass, specific landing area, clock dial on cup.
Internal/Broad (IB): Nervous, bored, frustrated or how you are feeling emotionally.
Internal/Narrow (IN): Grip pressure, heart rate, self-talk, tempo.
The external factors are perhaps the most obvious to consider as you decide which shot to hit or club to use. However, the internal factors will also affect the quality of the shot.
For example, you might be consistently making good course management decisions, but are unaware you are nervous, which leads to a change in tempo that interferes with making the best swing.
Another example is that you may be good at staying broad in your focus but neglect to go narrow. By narrowing your focus you give your mind and body the most precise information about what you are intending to create.
For example, imagine that the hole looks like a clock dial and visualize the ball going in the hole at 4:00. With a chip or pitch shot narrowing the focus would allow you to zero in on a specific landing area instead of looking at the whole green.
The Pre-Shot Three-Step
The next time you play try to incorporate some of these tips into your routine as you approach the teeing area.
Before pegging your ball, practice EB focus. Stand alongside the teeing area and note the overall hole layout and determine your line of attack. Now switch to IB focus. Achieve a neutral or positive emotional state. Let go of any frustration or elation over what happened on the previous hole. Focus only on the shot at hand.
After teeing the ball, step behind the markers and begin your pre-shot routine, Thus begins the narrow focus; internally, pay attention to your heart rate and breathing; externally, gauge the weather conditions and confirm your club selection.
As you step up to address the ball, take a practice swing, training your internal focus on grip pressure and tempo. Externally, narrow your focus on exactly where you want to hit the ball—not where you don’t want it to go.
By Denise McGuire, PhD and Elena King
Dr. Denise McGuire, Licensed Psychologist, and Elena King, Class A LPGA T&CP Member, partner to design performance development programs through Get In the Zone, LLC. Contact Dr. Denise at 303-902-5008 or denise@getinthezone.net. Contact Elena at 303-503-0330 or E_King3@comcast.net.