Some coaching tips I recently wrote that might help
Trust Your Instincts
When we first start golf as youngsters, our swings are often guided by instinct rather than instruction. We react to the target, swing freely, and trust the motion. Interestingly, when you watch young golfers today, you’ll often see the same thing—natural reactions, little hesitation, and very few swing thoughts.
As we gain experience in the game, something changes. With knowledge comes awareness, but sometimes that awareness leads to overthinking. Instead of reacting naturally, we begin analysing grip, path, tempo, and mechanics all at once. Too many thoughts can slow down what is meant to be an athletic, flowing movement.
Think about a simple everyday action. If you picked up a golf ball and threw it to a friend, you wouldn’t stop and analyse ten technical points. You would simply react—judging the distance, speed, and direction instinctively. More often than not, the ball would arrive right where it needed to for them to catch it.
Golf can work the same way, particularly in the short game. Putting and chipping benefit enormously from natural feel and intuition. The more relaxed you are, the more your body can rely on the coordination it already possesses.
This is one reason some players experience surprising success in speed golf. With less time to stand over the ball, there’s less opportunity for overthinking. Players simply react and swing.
The next time you’re on the greens or around them, try this simple approach:
Relax, clear the mind, see the target, and trust your instincts.
Your natural feel may be better than you think—sometimes it just needs the space to take over.
