Instruction
Finding the right focus for your game
Most golfers work week in, week out on their swing techniques. They search for the perfect mechanics in the hope that, one day, things will fall into place and they will never miss a fairway again.
If you haven’t noticed already, this can’t and won’t happen. There are simply too many variables at play creating optimal performance — and one of the most overlooked areas is where you place your attention.
Example time
To understand this, I will use a relatable example. Imagine you are playing a round of golf, and you are going along pretty well. You are not really thinking of much, and the majority of shots are pretty decent. Then, out of the blue, you hit a stinker.
“You bent your left arm,” shouts your playing partner.
He’s a slightly lower-handicapper than you, so his expertise is obviously warranted (sarcasm). For the next few shots, you become highly aware of your left arm, and your game goes completely down the pan. What happened exactly? Your focus of attention changed.
Loci
While there are many subcategories of these, I will discuss five different types of attention that we could have. Each type of attention has been studied (motor learning science), and has been shown to have variable effects on both learning and performance.
Internal: An internal focus is one that deals with body parts.
- Turn shoulders
- Keep head still
- Shift weight
- Swing my hands to X
While the vast majority of studies show that these types of focus tend to decrease coordination, performance (and slow down learning), they can be of value when we desire a more direct technical change. So, at the right times, these can help to further our techniques — even if it is at the cost of our ability to coordinate movement fluidly.
Focusing on the body movement is more of an internal focus.
External Process: The next type of focus is one that is outside of our body, but one which deals with the process of creating a good shot, or a task focus. More what to do than how to do it.
- Making a divot in the right place
- Striking the center of the club face
- Creating a desired swing path/face angle
These focuses tend to be better at coordinating movement to a singular goal, which can dramatically improve shot performance. If a player is suffering from poor distance control, for example, an increased awareness/focus of ground strike quality can create dramatic improvements in results.
Just like focusing on picking up a glass of water (the task) as opposed to the hand/arm movement required, we can also focus on tasks such as divot position, etc.
These focuses tend to be better for handicap golfers and, in my experience, increase long-term skill development. In fact, world-renowned researcher Gabriel Wulf had this to say:
“Over the past 15 years, research on focus of attention has consistently demonstrated that an external focus (i.e., on the movement effect) enhances motor performance and learning relative to an internal focus (i.e., on body movements)”
External result: This focus is, once more, outside of the body. However, it differs from the previous focus in that it deals predominantly with the result.
- Focusing on the shape of shot
- Focusing on the target
- Focusing on the trajectory of the ball
- Focusing on the landing spot
We can also place more of our attention on the target/result itself.
Again, the science shows that these seem to improve our coordination — as if our brains jostle all the moving body parts toward one collective goal. In fact, the research shows that external-result foci can coordinate the body parts in many subtly different ways to achieve the same goal.
However, this effect is normally only seen in tasks which are simple, or tasks which have already been learned. So, for better or elite golfers, focusing on the target may improve performance. However, for a lesser golfer who hasn’t yet ingrained vital impact skills (such as a centered-face strike), it may cause poorer performance.
Neutral: Neutral focuses are very strange, but they are something which doesn’t particularly relate to the task in hand.
- Counting
- Singing in your head
- Humming
- Relaxing your mouth
These act as a conscious distraction, leaving the movement to flow from the subconscious mind. Science has shown that these types of focus can be beneficial for players who have good learned/ingrained skills, yet seem to be unable to bring them out.
So, if you seem to hit the ball really well normally, but crack under pressure, learning to play with a neutral focus may be the key to bringing out your best game. Now, this type of focus may not make you play better than you are capable of doing (this may require one of the previous foci), but it may help you become more pressure resistant and even more consistent if you have good habits ingrained.
For higher handicap players, this type of focus may be detrimental, as they may need to have a higher level of focus on their swing due to it being more of an unlearned skill. However, I have seen neutral foci be beneficial even for complete beginners.
Transcendental: We have all experienced this in one way or another — perhaps not in golf, but in another activity. This is what most label “The Zone.”
Perhaps you were hung-over. Maybe you were short of sleep. But, for whatever reason, you might have played your best ever golf when there was very little thought/focus on the task at hand. Many of the best players report playing their best and unable to recall being “there” during the performance. This is much harder to achieve in golf, as we have too much time to control the entire process. We are much more likely to get into this mind-set during faster-paced, rhythmical activities (such as tennis).
This state of mind is also quite paradoxical, in that the more you try to get into it, the less likely you are to find it. However, I have personally found (with myself and my pupils) that they are better able to get into this high-performing, low-thinking state via training with neutral focuses. When we are able to trust our ability to perform without conscious control, we seem to be able to “let-go” much easier.
Summary
This was a brief look at how where we place our attention can have an effect on our performance, learning and transference of learning (from the range/non-pressured situations to competitions). It is also a look at how players at different levels and with different issues may benefit from a change of mindset.
I use my knowledge of the science, as well as my experience in teaching more than 10,000 hours of lessons, in order to guide players to better focuses for them so they can achieve their best performances, or speed up change (depending on the goal). My online practice programs also go through a testing procedure to hone in on the right focus for the player (CLICK HERE to learn more).
I also discuss these topics and much more in The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers. The book has been a No. 1 best-seller on Amazon in the U.S., UK, Canada, France and Germany.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Locatelli Rao
Jul 5, 2016 at 11:07 pm
Hi there,
In your description under “External Process”, it reads:
“These focuses tend to be better for handicap golfers and, in my experience, increase long-term skill development. In fact, world-renowned researcher Gabriel Wulf had this to say:”
should it read:
“better for (high) handicap golfers”?
Thanks!
Steven
Jul 5, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Great article. These are instruction articles, and since high handicappers need the most instruction, that is probably why more articles are aimed at them. Also, research into learning has developed significantly over the past few years. Helping someone figure out how to learn, or how to focus, can have a large impact on scores. Learning theory is starting to show that what may seem intuitive doesn’t quite work. For example, many people, even in academia, believe individuals have a dominant learning style, so teaching to that style helps them the most. However, recent studies are showing having students use non-dominant learning styles leads to deep learning because it takes more work. I hope golf instructors keep passing on the new cognitive theories to help every day golfers.
Adam Young
Jul 9, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Good points Steven. I have found similar things to what you suggest. I will be doing future articles on how to find the best focus for yourself depending upon your goal (maximizing learning or performance).
tlmck
Jul 4, 2016 at 5:16 pm
I step up to the ball, hit it, go find it, hit it again… Shoot even par. Go home and have a nice glass of iced tea.
Adam Young
Jul 9, 2016 at 3:45 pm
Sounds like a transcendental focus to me. More people play better with that style of focus than you would imagine. Many golfers pull themselves out of it by a belief that they need to control their movement consciously.
Jack
Jul 3, 2016 at 11:26 pm
The good players that I know get new clubs too, but definitely not needing the latest and greatest since it’s more important to know your clubs and there really hasn’t been much improvement since 2012 for better player irons (like the AP2). Drivers meh. It’s more personal preference. Same thing just find the right driver for you doesn’t have to be a M2 or M1. High handicappers waste money because they don’t practice enough and those clubs just sit there.
Anti-M Smuzzle
Jul 3, 2016 at 4:06 pm
Need more articles targeting 16+ handicappers.
\_/
Jul 4, 2016 at 12:08 am
Smozzle
Jul 4, 2016 at 8:22 am
V plane?