Improving Your Putting Focus
What should you think about over the ball before you pull the trigger?
This is a question I get a lot–especially from golfers who are hindered by the yips…
Here’s what one golfer asked in my putting yips survey:
“I basically ‘blackout’ over the ball and forget what I was working on. Why is this and what should I focus on to make a good stroke?”
I think you mean that you lose focus over the ball. Some players describe it as blanking out over the ball–not knowing what to focus on or they don’t focus on anything.
Golfers with the yips try not to focus on anything over the ball so they don’t become tense or over think the stroke.
But you shouldn’t be “working on” anything over the ball. You want to react…
I tell my students that you want to focus on something and not just blank out over the ball.
When you do blank out, this leaves room for doubt, indecision, and negative thoughts to flood in — just at the wrong time.
What should you focus on over the ball?
For putting, you want to focus on an image of the target. I use the word target broadly because this can mean different things to different golfers…
Target can mean a spot on the hole, the line, or a spot on the green to roll the ball over. You want to imprint the target into your mind as you stroke the putt–react to the image in your mind.
For chipping, I ask my golfers to focus on a landing area or general feeling of the shot they want to hit, such as tempo.
But the landing area you think about needs to be general — the size of a big plate. Don’t make the landing area so small that you over control or manipulate the stroke to get it to the spot.
Much of what you focus on depends on your learning style and how you perform; if you are predominately a visual learner or a feel-oriented learner.
Ultimately, you want a strong image in your mind of what you WANT to do with the shot. Then, allow your body to react to that image—like you do when you react to the bulls eye when playing darts.
Check out “Breaking The Yips Cycle” and learn how to react to the target and trust your skills.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- Do You Focus on Making or Fear Missing?
- Should You Focus on Your Stroke When Putting?
- Do You Focus on Missing or Making Putts?
Anti-Yips Putting Drills
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