Visualization.
 

How many visualize a shot before they hit it? Like seeing in your mind's eye the ball traveling on the line you want it to take and landing near the target. Or in the case of putting, while lining a putt up, seeing it roll along the line and into the hole.

I'm especially interested in putting, as I'm trying to find a way for my daughter to get the ball closer to, or into, the cup with her first putts. She seems to have become disconnected with where she wants the ball to go and getting it there. Very frustrating to watch.

Kevin

I try to do this and find that it does help me concentrate. I do however tend to lift my head sometimes and for some reason it occurs more when I have visualized the shot before hand.

I have done this for a while, especially with putting. My uncle told me to do it when I was a little kid... and it seems to make a bit of a difference.


Tap tap taparoo

I have never visualized a shot before but I actually think it would be a benefit (just going off the competitive soccer days visualizing a penalty kick.) However, my recent putting success has been standing being the ball (Not kneeling, but getting lower) and finding the path I want, taking a few practice swings looking at the ball and the hole to get a distance, picking an arbitrary spot out shortly in front of the ball, line up the putter to that spot, and just going for it. Seems to almost eliminate my 3-putts.

Ho do you go about it? Do your eyes follow the line you want to take to the hole once, twice, back and forth? What are your thought processess?

Me? I just putt.

Kevin

I was helped greatly by my present coach gave me a technique that gets me thinking like I did when I used to bowl in leagues a few years ago. Now, as a pre putt technique, I stand behind the ball and swing my arm like a bowler (subtly of course) and in my mind I am seeing the line of the putt and how hard I need to swing the club. Similar to a bowler seeing the line in the alley and knowing how hard he/she needs to throw the ball. I do this from behind the ball to get a better feel looking with both eyes at the target instead of just out of my left eye. Like I said this method has really helped me with my putting. If I don't sink the ball with the first putt I am generally left with a tap in or a putt that is generally of "gimme" distance. My 3 putts per round have dropped dramatically and with each round I play and continue to practice this technique I feel my 2 putt holes with similarly decline.

When I am putting well, I can do this and KNOW I will make the putt before I even swing the club. I think a lot of this is confidence enough to hit a firm putt. I stand behind the ball and gently swing my club to get a feel for pace and distance, and when I address the ball I always try to mentally "see" my target when I am over the ball. I try to find a very obvious or very specific focal point


I am a lot like you are describing your daughter, as it is very easy for me to "check out" while putting and just step up and hit it. Playing competitively also helps me keep my focus. If I have a reason to make the putt, it's easier not to "settle" for a 2 putt, or completely screw up a putt (15 feet short or long).

This does me no good on iron/driver, because even a well struck ball I can't control it enough to "visualize" the shot. I just pick my line and swing... and pray. There is a lot of praying in my golf game.

I like that. I did something similar when bowling. Though not well enough to ever get over 198 average.

Kevin

I do it, especially on putts. I look up and down the line I think is right, and sometimes, it makes it so that I actually feel like I see a physical line on the green. Then I have a perfect picture of the starting line and the speed with which I think I need to hit it. I do it a bit with full shots, but it doesn't work nearly as well for me.

I visualize the ball going to the point I am aiming at (the cup if it is a straight or short putt, or a point on the green for a lag putt) and then gravity taking over and the ball going into the cup. I usually do this Badds style behind the ball. I then walk up to the ball and take my position. Visulaize it one more time and depending how I am feeling about it take one more practice stroke or just hit it.

I do, but as you can tell by my handicap, what I see and what I do can be very, very different.

Nice average my cheese loving friend, I think my highest average was 180 something.. with a 200 game always possible ( especially after a few shots http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/drinks.gif)

I visualize putts and some chips, but full swing shots pretty much escape me at this point.

For putting, I visualize the path when I'm standing behind the ball. I tend to find a spot on the green close to the ball that lies on the visualized path. Then when I move up to the ball I use practice swings to feel for speed. I align to that spot, give it one last run from ball to hole, trust my read and go.

I think there's something to this visualization thing, it certainly worked for Johnny Miller. It works both ways though, if you visualize hitting OB, in the lake, etc., that's probably what's fixin to happen.

For putts I always examine from both sides except for a putt coming back or if I left the first one short. I think looking at both sides gives you twice the feel for the putt. Then I'll get behind the ball and visualize the path...but I visualize a pretty wide path about 5 inches thick. Then line up the ball using the line on the side and line up putter and shoot!

There's a bit in the book Zen Golf by Dr Joseph Parent (I think) which focusses on visualisation, and concentrates on putting. It helped me and I still use certain bits of it in my putting routine.

Basically, he tells you to visualise the ball rolling into the hole, but not to just imagine the middle of the hole, as the ball will hardly ever roll straight in the middle. He asks you to concentrate on the very blade of grass the ball will roll over at the edge of the hole, imagine the ball travelling on the break line right over this tiny spot and into the hole.

He also talks about taking in the portion of green behind the hole when reading the putt, as making the hole the 'end' of your visualisation means that's the very limit you're trying to hit to, and there's more chance of leaving it short then.

I like these sort of thoughts over technique based stuff for putting most of the time. Might be worth picking up the book and giving it a go.

I always visualize my shot before I tee off and I feel like in my mind I know what I'm expecting and my body just reacts to it and I do a better job especially at putting, I can usually see the way the green will slope and break to.

I think about what I want to do, but I never really visualize what exactly I want the whole shot to look like.

I think on full shots visualization can go a long way towards getting your swing on the correct line. If you are operating off a mental image your body is better able to translate that to the desired swing.

As for putting, there has been a lot of good things mentioned. One additional thing I do before I get behind the ball and establish my mental picture is this... I like to stand over the ball and get a feel for the break in my feet. I started doing this after I noticed I would read a putt and then feel more break when I stood over the ball.

I always try visulization when I putt. Sometimes, not a lot, the line just jumps out at me. Wish it happened more often casue when it soes the putts usualy go in.