You're Correct!

What to think, or what not to think, on the golf course is an ongoing debate into which new theories are tossed every week.

However, one thing is almost irrefutable; golfers play their best when their minds are clear of technical thoughts and they simply focus on where they want the ball to go.

For many people this is inconceivable. Letting go of technical swing thoughts when on the course can seem impossible and even dangerous. But there can be no doubt that when players are in the zone, swing thoughts go out of the window.

If you step up to hit a shot and there are several swing thoughts running through your mind, the chances of hitting the ball to the target diminish, not increase. Imagine a tennis player moving across the court to hit a forehand and calculating the angle of their right elbow, the ball would most likely be spooned into the crowd. Golf lessons and technique are important for all golfers if they want to improve but practicing this technique should be confined to the driving range and not taken onto the course.

The whole point of practice is to improve technique so when the time comes to play, those techniques have been bedded in. Once they are bedded in, players can stand over the ball and be tuned into the one thing which matters; the target.

If you feel incapable of going onto the course with no swing thoughts, keep it to a minimum of one. Make a deal with yourself that for the entire round no matter what happens you will only have one technical thought. Then once you are comfortable with that concept, try and cut it down to one!
Keep the mind clear and focus on the target.

On the golf course the best course of action when thinking is to do as little as possible when hitting the ball

As mentioned above, changes to the swing should be practiced and grooved before the round begins. This is not always possible so if you must have a swing thought, keep it exceptionally simple to remember and repeat. Dont try to accomplish anything to outlandish!

Another thing golfers need to avoid when playing is thinking about their score. Reflecting on how you are playing whilst swinging the club can only really end one way; badly. Take each shot as it comes and dont start thinking ahead.

Your mind is a wonder of evolution and has mutated across millions of years in order to feed the body with accurate demands. If you are swinging and suddenly start worrying about water to the right of the green, the brain will get an image of the water and react – telling the body to hit right!