Are You an Overthinker on the Golf Course?
Do you play out every scenario in your head before striking the ball?
Some golfers take in too many bits of information during competitive rounds. Their brains become overloaded thinking about weather, course conditions, mechanics, and execution information.
All of these bits of information battle for a golfer’s attention. Instead of immersing themselves in playing the game, they bombard themselves with information in an attempt to hit the perfect shot.
The average amount of time a golfer stands over the ball before hitting it is 8-12 seconds. Some golfers take a bit longer depending upon preference and pre-shot routine.
Some golfers take up to 40 seconds standing over the ball, which is a lot of time to overthink weather, angles, mechanics, swing reminders, past shots, feedback from caddies and other golfers, etc.
Overthinking is like having a noisy crowd in your head of your own making. With all these extraneous thoughts comes increased worry and muscle tension that interfere with a smooth, free, efficient stroke.
Thinking about hitting the perfect shot usually has the opposite effect… an undesirable result. Excessive information does not contribute to better golf.
Optimal golf is based on a feel for the game. Thinking and technical work are for practice rounds. Optimal golf is more intuitive, trusting your instincts, and trusting your skills and training.
This mindset allows you to immerse yourself in the flow of the game. Braden Thornberry, winner of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, takes a different approach to competitive golf than some of his peers.
Thornberry is a feel-first player who avoids getting too bogged down in analytics or swing thoughts.
THORNBERRY: “I’m just very much a feel player, a reactive player. Everybody is different, but I feel like that’s kind of what golf is, and unfortunately, I think over the last 10 years it’s turned a little away from that into like a robot game, math game, which works for some people, but I think some people might even be better on the PGA Tour if they were more feel-based instead of being more computer-minded.”
In addition, Thornberry doesn’t prefer to work with swing coaches right before tournaments. Thornberry would rather focus on technical skills about a month before a tournament and use his time afterward to build trust in his swing.
THORNBERRY: “[Teachers are] at the tournaments and everybody is so technical; it just turns the game into not really a game anymore, almost like you are trying to do everything so perfect and it’s never very fun. I’ve noticed I play my best golf when I’m feeling good, having fun, and even playing fast. I feel like when I’m playing well, I read putts less and less and can get rolling a little bit.”
A feel-first approach is not about rushing your shot or haphazardly striking the ball. A feel-first approach is simplifying the game and trusting your ability to make shots
Optimal results happen when you immerse yourself in your game. Take one day a week to work on playing by feel During a practice round, use your pre-shot routine to slow your mind and immerse you.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- How to Overcome Overthinking on the Golf Course
- Helping Golfers to Counter Overthinking
- How to Stop Overthinking During Your Swing
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on iTunes
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on Spotify
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