VISUALIZATION FOR THE GOLFER’S MIND
The more I teach golf the more I realize the golfer’s mindset largely determines their outcome—the success or failure to reach their golf goals. And I’m not talking about determination, incessant practice, or the lack thereof.
The most important aspect of the golf swing is the mental process. Through the research of several psychiatrists and medical researchers they have proven that the brain can be trained and even retrained to perform a variety of tasks. In common vernacular this relates directly to muscle memory, which originates in the brain. By reinforcing how to do something, such as a task like walking, running, or swinging a golf club, the brain can rewire itself with new neurons while retraining older ones.
Couple this with the knowledge of human biomechanics—the analysis of movement and structure—and kinetics—the study of forces and their effects on motion—and it’s possible to completely overcome almost any swing flaws with the proper coaching over a period.
Ultimately, we want our brain to coordinate with our body to perform certain movements the core body pivoting around the spine in the backswing primarily driven by our shoulders and pivoting back the other direction primarily driven by our hips. This is an oversimplification, but it is basically correct.
Once we realize this is how we learn many biomechanical movements from our very first steps as a toddler to driving a car as a teen, and more to our point, swinging a golf club, then we it’s easier to understand and accept this concept. This is also how we unlearn improper swing mechanics while replacing them with newer, better ones.
Every part of the biomechanics of the golf swing, and I’m speaking mostly about the full swing, can be learned so that the swing flows with greater ease because of training the brain to coordinate the necessary movements while eliminating ALL unnecessary movements.
A large part of this training process is through visualization. The more one can visualize the proper golf swing, the easier it is to accomplish a proper golf swing by mimicking what we see. Visualization helps the brain cells perform the physical task. However, it is understood that the visualization process must be based upon visually focusing on the proper swing being executed and then applying this to the conscious mind until it becomes imbedded in the subconscious. In other words, be sure the swing you want to mimic is a proper one.
Understanding that humans have many similarities in stature, they also have many differences. And while there is no one perfect person in physical stature for a given sport, there are physical characteristics that can cause a person to be more athletic than another. We can’t all be great basketball players, football players, or golfers due to physical limitations.
A good goal is to be as good as you want to be, without exaggerating your expectations or physical limitations. With this mental attitude we are less likely to become frustrated if we can’t become a scratch golfer.
—Glen Bowen, June 2024