How much is too much thinking when you get on the course? Do you think enough? Do you think too much? Do you not think at all when you get onto the course?

There’s no doubt that there is a lot to think about in the game of golf. Golfers on the endless search for the perfect swing, trying to ‘find’ their putting stroke for the day, trying to get a sense of where the predicted ball flight of the round is to be, whether it be right to left or left to right.

I have had many many people say to me they go from one extreme to the other on the course……. From thinking too much to thinking very little. But how much are we actually allowed to think on the course which will bring us better golf and improved scores?

The answer? One.

One swing thought. A thought about the feel around the green. A thought about the shot. A thought about what you want to do with the shot.

As long as it purely one thought. The human brain can only take one thought when trying to perform a task and, especially if it’s something fast and complex like the golf swing, one thought is crucial.

Swing thoughts are often classed as a bad thing whilst on the course and, whereas I agree mostly to this statement, there is no harm in having one thought/feeling when trying to swing the club. It’s when golfers have 2/3/4 swing thoughts per shot and, usually, very different swing thoughts around the course.

Think of it like this. Say I had 90 shots in a round of golf and I had 2 completely different thoughts per shot, that’s 180 different elements that could be influencing our brain which sends our muscles into ‘human mayhem’!

‘Shall I tuck my elbow in?’, ‘Are my toes splayed out’?, ‘Am I overswinging’?, ‘Am I swinging too much inside’? These are just a few examples of swing thoughts that golfers can have and, unfortunately, can happen in just one swing.

You are far better off having one solid thought for the day. If you have lessons I am hoping the Pro will give you no more than one thing to work on so concentrate on that. Don’t concentrate on anything you hear on YouTube or have read about online………… the information might be completely irrelevant to what you need to do as a golfer to improve. We live in an age where there is copious amounts of information at our fingertips which is great, but our brains can only take so much information.

Focus on one swing thought….. AND ONE ONLY!