Thoughts on overthinking the golf swing?

Hi all. I'm wondering what you think about overthinking the golf swing. The other day at the range, I made a conscious effort to not think while hitting shots. To just try and let my natural athleticism take over. And it worked!

I hit it quite well as a result. My rule was one thought max during the swing. At times, it was just focusing on tempo and maybe balance. Or focus on just hitting out to 2nd base.

Do you guys agree that one shouldn't think too much while hitting? Any hints to achieve this? What's worked for you?

To me, this seems to be key. Too many thoughts is not a good thing, it would seem. Thanks all!

To me it only applies if the swing is new or I have made some changes. I believe this is the same with most people.

I've played my best golf since I stopped overthinking.

Check out Adam young... his basic philosophy is focus on how you want to hit the ball vs how you want to swing the club. I was introduced to him via a podcast called chasing scratch... they are big into it.

one of the big things the podcast talks about is focusing on hammering a nail through the ball... imagine there is a nail on your intended swing path and all you focus on doing is hammering that nail. Your body will sort out it’s own mechanics, just make sure you know where you want to hit the ball.

personally, it works for me... I’ve always had a fairly natural swing. I don’t think about my takeaway or loading weight... I do think about how I transition into my swing, but to me, it’s all in an effort to hammer the nail into the golf ball.

It sounds like you'd be a fan of the Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson approach to the golf swing. In their system, when you are in the "Play Box" (swinging the club), you key in on one type of feel that works for you and grounds you. Balance, tempo, and tension are the three "feels" that they suggest. So if your Play Box feel is "balance", when you are doing the athletic motion of the swing, all you are thinking about is staying in balance. You might accomplish this by feeling your feet interacting with the ground or holding your finish. If your Play Box feel is "tension", you might only be thinking about keeping a consistent grip pressure throughout the whole swing.

I've adopted their approach and am a big fan. At the very least it gives me something to go back to when my swing gets a little wonky.

I completely agree it is over thought. Honestly I think most ppl struggle bc of this. Back in the day there wasn't really a right way to swing just a bunch of baseball era players using their natural swing mechanics to destroy golf balls... today ppl sit on the couch and swing rigid a couple times on the weekend if they have time.

I think if a person forgets it all and just let's it rip naturally they would be better off.. one big downside is it would be self developed and need tweaking for years and more than 1000 hrs.

I think that's why today's game is so mechanical because it's the best way to make solid contact with little practice, so ppl might go out for another round if they had fun

I find a person can't help but think if he is constantly changing his swing. It seems to me at some point you have to have a repetitive swing you can trust. You get to the point where you don't have to think as the swing has become ingrained.

I don't think there's such a thing as 'overthinking' (certainly beats the overcrowded other end of the spectrum). The more information you have and the more facility you have in using that information, the more choices you have available to you. You don't have to use it all at once.

I admit that when I start hearing about pronation, flexion, extension, etc. I start tuning out . It's no wonder some guys turn into basket cases. I keep getting this in my head...http://youtube.com/watch?v=whQ3k4yWWK0

Adam Young's book "The Practice Manual" is quite good for understanding mental process of the golf swing. In it he describes the five levels of focus in detail which I will try to summarize here:

1) Internal focus. This where you think about what your body is doing, things like 'keep your head down' or 'move the right elbow to the navel' and so on. Most people who play golf are stuck here. All of the swing methods and stuff like 'Hogan's Secret' and other magic moves reside here for the most part. 

2) External focus. This where you focus on the club, things like I want the clubhead to move in to out through the ball or the like. STC or 'Swing the Clubhead' fits here. This focus is better then number 1 most of the time though when practicing a new movement you may need to focus on the particular movement you are trying to learn. I suppose that different training devices that provide feedback are in this area also. 

3) External Result focus. This where you focus on the target and what you want the shot to look like. A lot of better players do this. Visualization and the like.

4) No focus. This where you can really start to play a good game. This involves singing a song or counting or humming with no thought at all as to what your swing is doing. It is similar to being in the zone where everything is automatic and you don't really think at all. Carey Mumford's 'Clear Key' is a practical application of this focus. 

5) In the zone. Athletes in different sports talk about everything slowing down and seeming easy with no thought when they get there. Rarely for me! I used to get there for short spurts while playing table tennis or other sports, I would hit shots and wonder how the heck did I do that? I have been in the zone while golfing very rarely. I usually screw it up my swing by thinking to much!

Depending on your mental makeup and the state of your swing any one of these points of focus may be best for you at any particular time.

Agree. "You don't have to use it all at once". That sounds a Little like Harvey Penick "I only told you to take two, not the whole bottle".

I have to think about something. Seems the golfers who have the most trouble are the ones who look like they get "stuck" over the ball thinking too many thoughts and then kill whatever athleticism they posses.

I think they're more likely paralyzed by a bunch of thoughts they already know won't work. Anyway, standing over the ball is the wrong time to think, unless it's "die, ******-******!"

I think you need to drill most of it so it's on autopilot.

And have one simple downswing thought. Just not enough time to think your way through the swing.