The Golfers Mind
"The inner game has always been the last frontier in golf. Why? Because the source of all excellence is within, and because that's usually the last place we look for it."
Timothy Gallwey
The Inner Game of Golf
Aim & Alignment Series
The Golfers Mind
Aim & Alignment Consequences
Faulty aim whether we talk club-
Let’s consider a golfer who is aiming off to the right of the fairway, but “believes” that they are aiming down the middle. (The vast majority of amateur golfers are unaware of the fact that they consistently aim poorly) Now let us say they swing away and the ball goes flying off to the right. Because they are unaware of the faulty aim, this shot will be perceived as bad, whereas in fact it’s a perfectly good swing and result in relation to where they where aiming. The golfer is unhappy and will criticise and perhaps even attempt to fix what is in essence a good swing. We are criticising and fixing what is not broken.
Now let us look at the same scenario of faulty aim but the ball ends up going down the fairway. The golfers mind knows unconsciously that if it hits the ball straight (in relation to the aim) then the ball will not go where the golfer wants it to. So the mind has to manipulate the body in order to “pull” the ball back from the alignment to the right and get it going “left” back towards the target. The golfer will be pleased with the result and will also take this as (false) evidence that the alignment and swing are fine. We leave alone what needs to be worked on.
Quick summary.
• Faulty aim will cause the golfer to criticise and try to fix good swings. When the ball is hit where the golfer is aiming.
• Faulty aim will cause the golfer to accept bad swings. When the swing is manipulated to get the ball going toward the target.
• Will cause continuing and probably worsening swing faults and has health implications.
At risk of seriously repeating myself let me say this one more time. The faulty alignment makes it necessary for the mind to swing the body in a technically incorrect manner in order to get the ball to go where the body is NOT AIMING.
Think long and hard about this. It is such an important aspect of golf largely ignored on a daily basis by most amateurs and yet can have a really profound effect on your results if you spend some time to get it right.
I see so many golfers attempting to improve their swings from a technical aspect
and yet they cannot consistently aim their club-
The cost of poor aim and alignment runs right through the swing and is insidious to mechanics as well as putting additional strains and stresses on the body. There is a considerable health risk of strains and long term damage. In addition to the loss of consistent accuracy there is also a considerable loss of distance and power.
Remember that the reverse is also true. If you work on and get alignment of club, mind, and body correct, you will see immediate improvement. Your body will start to swing in more natural ways and the quality of your swing mechanics will improve. You will get quality information back from results and your mind will work on correcting the swings that need correcting. You will congratulate yourself on good swings when they are in fact good swings. You will play better golf, be a happier person, and win more matches.
Next – Article 7 In series – Drills To Perfect Your Aim
Author Mark Wright -
Copyright Mark Wright 2009
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