Hey better ballers.... focus on the ball vs target?

[bladehunter]

Like most things the answer is in the middle. Most good players who aren’t single dimensional use elements of both. You can’t be a great escape artist ( shortgame wizard ) and have a totally passive bottom hand. Won’t work to just pull through everything with your lead hand. Or at least it’s very rare.

And im certainly not all hitter since my right hand is quite passive ( I’m left handed at a lot of things ) and frequently comes nearly off the club ala Vijay or Phil at impact. This wasn’t always the case for me , at one time I played a large hook and had a very very active right hand. I don’t play a lot of face rotation now and prefer a square faced fade. Just too many ways to skin this cat to make generalizations.

[dmecca2]

You should be thinking about the target 100% of the time. The only time I will ever think about the ball is out of fairway bunkers where contact is paramount (and even then its still target>ball). A friend told me to focus on a single dimple where I want to contact the ball and that will help make solid contact.

 

Not a single player on any tour will say they focus on the ball more than the target.

[davep043]

An interesting study on "quiet eyes": The Tour Player Secret To Better Ball StrikingBetter players are shown to focus their vision on the ball longer than poorer players. That doesn't mean they're not focusing mentally on something else, only that their eyes are on the ball. This all makes sense to me, the body tends to follow the eyes. If the eye focus wanders through the swing, the consistency of contact is likely to be more varied. I don't mean this to contradict anyone, this is likely to be a "feel v. real" thing. I think that better players have learned to focus their eyes on the ball almost automatically, so that their mental focus can be elsewhere. Well, I will contradict @dmecca2 , the article quotes Tom Watson:“I often get asked what I look at when I’m hitting the ball. I narrow my focus to one dimple at the back-center of the ball. That’s where I want to hit it. Try this. It gives you a better chance of staying down through the shot and making solid contact.” – Tom Watson

[bladehunter]

Bingo ringo.

 

i almost posted the single dimple marker trick. I got it from a pga master who’s son just got his card back this season. So I’d say he knows a little bit. In practice I also tilt it slightly inside or out for shot shape practice. New ball flight laws or old , You can check impact as in relation to Vcog and heel to toe. Someone above said that “ only focus on the ball to promote better contact in sand traps “. Hmm. Why wouldn’t you want to middle all shots ?

 

Now sure. You can get ball bound. But the above is what my pea brain couldn’t explain properly. My eyes are on the ball and my brain ( as I said subconscious) is on the shot shape and target.

[dmecca2]

I guess the contradiction lies in whether we are talking about brain focus or eye focus. I would argue the thoughts need to be focused on the target and that is what the better players agree upon. As for the eye focus, yes I would agree that needs to be on the ball because the club tends to do what your eyes tell it to do.
But back to OP's question, of where the focus needs to be, I interpreted the question to be about brain focus. I think @bladehunter said it best in his last sentence above. Eyes on the ball, brain on the target.

[b.helts]

Of course. Nobody is looking at a taco stand or a pretty bird or gasp, horror their own shadow. Of course you’re looking toward the ball. It just isn’t the point of focus.

 

I hate the “feel vs real” thing. It’s used above as a convenient dismissal and then goes on to quote Tom Watson. His feel is real I guess.

 

I’d still like to see Bladehunter’s action. Moving a little dot around to practice ball flight sounds great but is nothing but a crutch that sounds like a good idea.

[bladehunter]

Lol. There’s not a piece of instruction in this sport that can’t be called a crutch if applied to the wrong person or mindset. It’s all a bandaid for an unnatural action performed by the human body.

 

Funniest part to me is that we are actually agreeing mostly. Breaking it down -

we Both agree you have to have eyes on the ball

we both agree that the mind isn’t ball focused.

We both agree that visualization of target is key.

We both agree that being ball bound is bad bad bad

so?

Did you even read the study linked above ?

 

More than one recipe for the same cake. I use a pinch of salt. You may choose to measure out a teaspoon full. I doubt we taste a difference.

[davep043]

Sorry if you misunderstood my intention. I added the quote by Tom Watson to counter the statement (as if it is a fact) that "Not a single player on any tour will say they focus on the ball more than the target." All of us, including Watson, are discussing what our personal focus is. But in spite of what we're trying to focus on, varying from one person to another, a characteristic of good players is a consistent visual focus on the ball. For some, its a specific overt focus, for others, its done without specific conscious thought.

[Mitchell]

Personally, find a great deal of success in the idea of utilizing a decision/play line, evaluating lie is done prior to starting a section of PSR - once cross that line and step into shot as part of pre-shot routine, focus is entirely upon target and visualization of shot shape required to get ball to target along with my personal feel to successfully execute same.

[drvrwdge]

I have a technical thought or two, simple ones, in my preshot routine. I usually am making abbreviated swings to groove a feel. I then stand behind the ball, pick a target and then an intermediate target for alignment. Once I've picked a target I try focus solely on the target. Over the ball I do my little waggles or whatever to get comfortable and continue to focus on the target. Just before takeaway I try and basically release all the tension in my body, mainly hands and arms so my takeaway is more body rotation then arm lift and away she goes. So even though I am focused on the target I think you have to be somewhat ball focused in order to make contact? I mean its not like you swing looking at the target right? But im not really thinking "hit" the ball i guess it's more "hit it at the target"

 

i play to a + so whatever it is, it's worked ha

[Obee]

How can you "focus on the ball" when you aren't even looking at it at impact? Why “Keeping Your Head Down” Is Killing Your Golf GameJust food for thought...

[bladehunter]

Yes. I’d flip that around and ask anyone. Would you play a whole round with your eyes closed at address through impact ? Would help with shot visualization for sure. I bet the answer is 100% no. Why ?

[Barfolomew]

So some of you saying you should be focused on the target 100% of the time..... well we all know that's bull...... only cause that's literally impossible. If you're looking at the ball you got some focus there unless you're Master Yoda or something.

 

But someone said it happens subconsciously.... it happens naturally. Yes that is why I asked if anyone purposely changes the focus amount on the ball vs target in practice to find their own sweet spot! Rather then just doing what naturally happens... It's something I will be experimenting with.

[drvrwdge]

I play a lot of tennis and its the same thing. You need to stay down and through the ball but watch slow mo vid of Fed's forehand and he is def not looking at the ball at impact.

[LyinEye]

Neither ball nor target, watching a movie instead, one without popcorn.

[MonteScheinblum]

This is one of those questions that falls into the same category as swing discussions. Either extreme is almost never effective. Finding a proper balance for each individual is a trial and error process.

[Barfolomew]

So far no one in the thread has said they have consciously worked on finding the proper balance..... maybe its a subtle part of the swing that's overlooked and underrated.

[b.helts]

you can’t consciously work on your subconscious.

[Obee]

I'd like to think I do. Like most decent players, my eyes are constantly back and forth between my target and the ball. But once you actually start the MOTION of the golf swing, the motion that will get the ball to the target in the manner you have chosen (high, low, LtoR, RtoL, etc.) is the "focus" for lack of a better term. I think. LOL

[ballpilot]

What do you mean by "work"?

[b.helts]

When I was in my mid teens, I’d write “concentrate” on my gloves because I knew I had a tendency to let my mind wander. What I didn’t realize until later was that if I had lost concentration and had to remind myself with a note on my glove it was already too late.

It’s like the old saying about feeling thirsty; once you’re thirsty it’s already too late to stay hydrated.

subconscious is similar. You can’t consciously manipulate or calibrate or sharped your subconscious. Are there ways to train the subconscious? Of course. But if you tell yourself to find a perfect balance between consciously and subconsciously focus on ball and target you can’t do either effectively. Not by choice.

[bladehunter]

Really disagree. ( shocker I know ).

 

Id say you writing concentrate on your glove likely lessened the amount of times you had to refocus over time. It certainly couldn’t have hurt. Unless it in itself brought you out of the “ tunnel “ as I call it. That’s working on it .

if you use a start line coming into the ball you can certainly go In and out of an auto pilot state at will provided there’s not some other reason blocking that focus ( airplane crashing , poisonous animal nearby etc). Once I Step behind the ball and draw a line from target to ball , I’m not hearing anything , or seeing anything but target , shot and then ball. You can do it. You just have to give yourself permission to do it. If you practice each swing with this trigger your subconscious will get easier to turn on and off. That’s my experience. And I know the difference between focus now and when i began. The balance can be found. It’s certainly not all one and the other. If so we’d all swing with our eyes closed.

 

Now I say that as a person who’s never experienced being ball bound. I’m sure if YOU have been ball bound it will definitely skew the thought and make an eversion to any balll focus talk. I get that too.

[b.helts]

Hey Bladehunter, I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with.

[bladehunter]

Yea. I agree. As I thought about it more. I truly think we are saying the Same thing. Maybe just with different definitions in places. And that’s likely my fault. I do tend to speak my own language.

[Barfolomew]

Wow now were getting deep haha....

 

Then dont work on it subconsciously, work on it consciously.

 

While at the range practice changing the amount of focus you have on the ball vs the target until you find what's effective... that's not a hard exercise and no subconscious needed.

[dlygrisse]

This. It is almost exactly how I try to think about it. It's best to keep those 1 or 2 thoughts simple however. the time to think is on the range not the course.

[Barfolomew]

This is true but "while you are swinging" there is def a focus on ball and the target. If you were not focused on the ball at all we would skull it and chunk it way more.

 

While I could see someone (specially a newer player) not focus on the target and just take care of the alignment prior to swinging. But not better players...

[oikos1]

The GOAT is on the record saying he had different thoughts different weeks for different tournaments and different shots throughout his career. Do what works, discard the rest.

[GolfChannel]

I focus on the ball in the takeaway, after that I trust my swing. If I focus on the ball I swing too slow and I feel like it restricts my swing.

So, I only focus on a dimple on putts. If I get to ball focused my swing gets weird. There have been moments in time being ridiculously ball focused has worked, but those are usually the days where I don’t have my A-swing and I’m looking for anything to work.

[BraxtonFullerton]

I try to pick my target before stepping up to the ball. Shot shape/swing speed during my practice swing(s). Then my focus shifts to my stance and balance as I address the ball to make sure I'm lined up properly. Once that final alignment is done my focus is now on nothing but making the best contact with the ball that I can.