Swing Stupid

By Jennifer Scott, Clinical Hypnotherapist

At the pairs competition of the 2002 Winter Olympics, commentator Scott Hamilton told of a good piece of advice given to ice skaters: "Skate Stupid." Which means don't think about what you have to do to execute that triple Axel. You don't have time. Just do it.

But wait. Golfers are told to have "key" swing thoughts. Like "Turn your shoulders but restrict your hips." Or "Start the downswing with your feet [knees] [arms]," etc., etc. What could be wrong with "key" swing thoughts? This: in 1.6 seconds, the average golfer can't think about something and then execute it. Top professionals can, sometimes. But you? Forget about it. Don't think. Swing Stupid.

So how does a golfer not think while swinging? You just replace thinking with something else. Fuzzy Zoeller whistles. Others chew gum. Through Self-Hypnosis, my golf Clients burn in the image of the target, then retain that image as they address the ball. They "see" the ball going to the target while they're looking at the ball they're about to hit. So the connection with the target is never lost. The swing happens naturally. The ball goes to the target.

That doesn't sound so stupid, does it?