The Golf Book Club: Every day, we share a mental game lesson inspired by great golf books—stories and strategies to help you think better so you can play better.
Most coaches and pros agree: the fewer the swing thoughts, the better.
Jack Nicklaus said, “Two is about the limit, and you’d be better off most of the time with one.”
Bob Rotella agreed. He said, “Good golfers don’t let their self-talk drift very far into mechanics. If a player tells me he or she must have a swing thought, I let them have one.”
But according to Dr. Steinberg, the number of swing thoughts may not be as important as the consistency of swing thoughts.
Golf’s Mad Genius.
Have you heard of Mac O’Grady?
Dr. Steinberg says, “Mac was a golf genius. He could copy the great swings of his day, such as Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus. He would use a different swing depending on the demands of the shot.”
Mac played right-handed. He also held a scratch handicap as a lefty. At the 1985 Chrysler Team Invitational, he tried to enter as a one-man team. He would play two balls, one right-handed, the other left-handed. That would have been something to see, but the PGA declined his offer.
Mac studied the swing like a mad scientist. Everyone agreed: he had the best swing on tour and knew more about the swing than anyone since Ben Hogan.
So why did he only win twice in his career? Mac had issues, and swing thoughts were a big part of the problem.
When other champions stood over the ball, they had one swing thought. Mac knew so much about the swing, he had hundreds.
“It’s all about trust.”
Dr. Steinberg writes, “Mac had so many different swing thoughts that he got confused when it came to simply trusting his instincts. And Mac has plenty of company.”
He’s talking about you and me.
Most of us stick with one or two swing thoughts during a round. But when we start playing badly, we search for answers. We stop trusting our swing and switch to any swing thought that might help.
And that’s a problem. As Dr. Steinberg says, “You lose confidence in your ability and get confused about what you must do. It’s all about trust.”
U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee said, “Trust is built with consistency.”
You have to find the number or combination of swing thoughts that work best for you. But whatever the number, Dr. Steinberg challenges us to stick with it through the entire round.
Bad shots happen. Trust your swing and trust your swing thoughts, and you’ll soon recover.
But when we respond to trouble by changing our swing thoughts, we’re changing something our swing depends on. And that usually makes more trouble.
Thinking consistently helps us swing consistently. Or as Dr. Steinberg says: It’s like going to a dance—stick with the partner you came with.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow, we’ll learn how to prepare by making an Adversity Plan.
Until then, keep imagining what’s possible.
Today’s Photo
Hamilton Island Golf Club Island in Queensland