What is meant by visualization before your golf
shot?
Have you often heard that you should always
visualize the shot before you hit your golf ball?

Have you often wondered exactly what is meant by
this?
I have never seen anything written about
how to go about visualization.

Is it that your should see your ball soaring
towards the spot where you want it to land?

I thought so too for so long. I tried it and it
did not make any difference to the outcome of my
shot and I thought this was a lot of hype. A lot
of over rated advice.

Yet, if you watch Tiger Woods, he always stands
behind his ball for a few (quite a few) seconds
and then hits a great shot. Unless of course he
is using his driver.
Isn’t it so true that everyone has an Achilles
heel?

Any way, I have given this aspect of the game a
great deal of thought lately.

I have also changed
a few things in my swing which has made a deal of
difference to my game and resulting in lower
scores.
Having made these changes, I have suddenly seen
what is meant by this visualization.

Because I have a few new things in my swing, I
can forget to perform properly when I hit my
ball.
I can forget to do something important.

As a result, I have developed the habit of going
through each aspect of the swing, hitting the
ball and then seeing it travel in a nice
trajectory to my target.

The difference has been staggering.

This is obviously what is meant by visualizing your next
shot.
At last I have an answer.

The down side of all this is that this can take
an age as you stand behind your ball trying to
call to mind all the aspects that are important.

This can hold things up, cause impatience with
your playing partners, and so add to your
tension. Not good.

It is amazing how one can stand behind the ball,
try to go through a mental list of important
factors in the swing, and get a mental block.

The next important feature just will not slot into
the sequence.
Then your thoughts become jumbled.

You start to go back and forth with your thinking
which means you have lost it for this shot.

The answer to this is to practice away from the
golf course when you have an odd minute and go
through all the things you want to bring to mind
as you visualize your golf shot.

These are taking your correct take away, position
of your hands at the top, hitting with your arms,
keeping your head behind the ball at all times,
and watch the ball making sure you hit down onto
it and the fewer moving parts the better.

During visualization, see yourself doing all these
things.
Also, see your ball going to the target
in a nice flight.

Then, on the course, you will
be able to go through these things quickly, step
up to your ball, and everything will go as
planned.
This drill before each shot makes such a
tremendous difference.

A good trick is to push your feet out – left to
the left, and right to the right.
This will be a great aid in steadying the lower half of your
body.
The weight transfer is taken care of
without any thought from you.

Put this into your visualization.
Your set up and stance should be
in there too.

Is this too much to cope with? No, it isn’t.
If you have practiced away from the course, each
step will be but a fleeting picture.
That is all you need.
Your subconscious mind will take care
of the rest.

Everything will be in the correct sequence, and
the correct sequence will happen with little
thought from you as you make your golf shot.

It really is worth while spending time away from
the course developing the skill of visualization
and then using it before each shot.

Good luck and happy golfing.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help.

To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and subscribe to his free Hole In One News Letter. You will be so glad that you did.

Author of On Line Golfers’ Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail. To learn about his tips and simple techniques and order his book, visit => Online Golfers Handbook