69. Thinking is not "Doing" and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all.

I recently heard a story about one of Europe’s Young Stars who was asked by his equipment supplier to give them a quote to run with an advertisement. They asked him what it was he thought about at the top of his backswing and after a long pause and a bemused look he replied, " Nothing really". It was left to the marketing whiz kids to think up something relevant to fit the ad.

Good players are no different from anyone else with thinking thoughts of Technique but once the thought has become feeling, or muscle memory, they forget the thoughts. For the average player it is the forgetting that is the problem. If you think about it, the club player is usually pre-occupied trying to remember everything. Thinking is not "Doing" and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all.

It is important that when you stand over the ball put a little trust in your technique and give yourself the best possible chance of success by trying some of the ideas used by the best players in the worlds.

The Great Ben Hogan used a waggle of the hands and club head to avoid his mind and body "Freezing" at the setup. So important was this to him that he devoted an entire chapter to the Waggle in his book "The modern Fundamentals". He also developed certain waggles to suit certain shots, if he wanted to hit a sharp penetrating punch shot into the breeze, he had a brisk waggle to prime his action for the swing. On shots where he wanted a softer strike, the waggle became a lighter gentler affair.

Nick Faldo has always had movements at the address position as a prelude to the swing. Jack Nicklaus had not only a waggle but also a pronounced head turn to start the action where as Gary Player had a forward press of the hands and right knee. Mike Weir and Corey Pavin are two more recent examples who display distinctive pre shot routines, or swing triggers as they are also known.  The list is endless but all good players realize that it is better to have feelings flowing prior to the take away rather than thoughts stifling.

Too many thoughts at the address weigh down what should be a free flowing swing and the resulting bad shot in the case of the lesser player leaves him believing that the failure was due to his having forgotten something off his check list. More often than not, he is as far from the truth as his shot is from the target.