Composed and aware

Having dealt with the Mental, Technical & Physical dimensions relating to the Setup or Address position, our journey now moves to the Backswing or “Loading” position. In this episode of our UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF A LEGEND series, we discuss the principle of attaining a COMPOSED & AWARE mental state whilst loading the backswing.

STEPHAN SPIES, GPGE AAA-CLASS PROFESSIONAL, explains:

After you have successfully completed your pre shot routine and your setup over the ball, it is time to pull the trigger. Up to this point you have been aware of your actions. You have not been going through the motions, your thinking has been focused on what shot you intend to play and how to setup correctly for the intended shot. Now the time is right for you to let go of the thinking and move into “just do it” mode.

It is important to find a trigger that will snap you out of thinking and into action. This is especially important for golf because of the static ball. You can become frozen over the ball and then tension creeps into your arms and hands which in turn inhibits your feel and renders your movement mechanical.

This trigger move can be anything. We will give you a couple of examples to experiment with, but ultimately it has to work for you, it has to move you from thinking to doing.

Here is a list of some trigger moves you can experiment with: 

1. After one last look at the target, trigger your swing immediately as your eyes come back to the ball.
2. The forward press: Slightly press your hands towards the target  to trigger the start of your swing.
3. Hover the club 2 cm above the ground behind the ball whilst finalizing your setup. As soon as your club touches the ground, trigger your swing.
4. The waggle: waggle the club 3 times and after  the third waggle, as your club comes to rest behind the ball, trigger your swing (just like Jason Dufner does!)
5.  The one piece take away with wrist hinge. Make a take away and wrist hinge and, as you get your club back to the ball, trigger your swing.

Short game tip

Practice your feel for the long putt by putting while looking at the hole. This will accomplish two things

1. You will keep your head still while making your stroke
2. You will get a feel for the speed of the greens because you can see how the ball rolls towards the hole