Swing Thoughts

Here are mine...what are yours?

Take the club back slowly(directly behind ball)
Take club to parallel with straight left hand
Track back to ball with an inside approach(left arm straight)
Strike the ball and through(left arm straight)
Extend arms well beyond impact(bend left; straighten right)
All at 80% power
and swing like Couples/Els/Goosen!

If I had to remember all that stuff during the swing, I'd be lucky to hit a 25 foot dribbler....

Chessbum...

hi nkranga
what you say is good and what i do but i use 90% not 80%, first 18 inches back is slow with club face looking at ball. then i just count "1 and 2" and only think of trying to have both arms fully extended just past my right ankle and always finnish with a high a finish so i dont quit on the shot, i swing through the ball and dont hit at it.
bill

When you play, you really should have only one thought - the target.

hi
when we drive a car we should think about the road but how many of us do, when you start to take club back it all happens so fast you cant realy think about much in the second it takes to hit the ball. its like the pros seeing a shot in ther mind before hitting it, think its the same with us high handicapers thinking of a few swing thoughts before we swing and its in our thoughts as we start to swing, its more thinking before we swing than when we are swinging. as i said before i start to swing and just say to myself "one - and - two" to keep my timing right.
bill

you can have all thoose swing thought maybe on a pracice swing but when you step up to the ball and do your preshot ruitine all that should leave your head (that is one of the reasons to do a preshot routine). i agree wtih chessbum on that 25 footer..... that alot of thoughts in 1 second.

I dont think swing thoughts on the course. I find that following the same routine for every shot is a better key than any swing thought. My procedure would be:
1. Grip club with left hand and take a target from behind the ball.
2. Adress the ball with a good ball position and shaft adressing the inner left thigh.
3. Balance on the insteps and start a slow takeaway.
4. Finish through the ball with a downward striking blow

All thoughts are gone once I address the ball.

Every thought to do with the shot I am about to make is done in the preshot routine (and practice swing if required). This way all doubt about the shot I am trying to make is gone and all that is left is trust.

How can you think that much in a round of golf! That is crazy!

This is what I and all great players do, they only have one thought and that is the target, while over the ball they visulizing the shot to the target they take a picture of the target and keep that picture in there minds, when you do this you cant think of anything else because you have to keep that picture in your mind!

Nkranga, I bet if you only thought the target when playing you would a/ enjoy the game twice as much and b/ cut about 4 shots off your score.

Swing what?

All my thought is in my pre-shot routine, I think about lie, wind, etc, etc.

I decide the shot I want to play and visualise it. I then setup and once I am confident I have it right I take a good look at my target and lock in on it.

The swing lasts seconds, you can't think and react to things in that space of time - especially that many thoughts!

Guys,

I have to re-phrase my title. I should have said "Swing Basics". Apologies.