Trackman Talks: The Mental Game Big Three (episode 2)

Why attention wins

The swing lasts 1.2 seconds. That’s enough time for the mind to jump from backswing to pressure shift to wrist angles – and lose the shot entirely.

You can only influence what you pay attention to. When a player's attention is divided among several elements, such as multiple body parts, the "100% available attention" is split, diluting its effectiveness. The brain can jump chaotically between these points, hindering effective execution.

Great players don’t eliminate thoughts. They choose one and commit to it.

Attention as a coaching tool

1) Become an attention detective

Ask players: “Where was your focus on that shot?”, “What happens when you focus on the target vs. the clubface?”

Coaches and players are encouraged to become attention detectives to discover the most effective focus point for optimal performance with their current skills.

This approach involves curiosity and collaboration, moving beyond simple instructions to explore and experiment with different attentional foci. Experimenting with different focus points, such as a dot on the clubface, a specific body part, or the target, helps players identify what works best for them.

2) Measure the results

Use Trackman’s Impact Location and Dispersion to compare attentional focus types.

It is vital to measure the results of different attentional strategies to discern their efficacy. Trackman’s Impact Location and Dispersion tools are essential tools for comparing various attentional focus types. Trackman provides precise measurements of strike location, even down to millimeters, which can help pinpoint areas for improvement and clarify that sometimes a "terrible" shot is merely a matter of being slightly off-center.

This technology allows coaches to verify whether a particular attentional focus results in the ball going closer to the intended target. Trackman facilitates a data-driven practice where different sets of shots, grouped by their specific attentional focus (e.g., using tagging features), can be compared to objectively determine which approach yields better outcomes.

Measuring and verifying these results helps build belief and trust in the chosen attentional strategy, leading to greater commitment to the process.

3) Less is more

Limit visible parameters in your Trackman display. Let the player experience the shot before reviewing data.

To prevent players from being overwhelmed and distracted by excessive data, it's crucial to limit visible parameters in your Trackman display. Screens should ideally be positioned behind the player, rather than directly in front, to discourage them from immediately looking at data after hitting a shot instead of observing the ball's flight.

If a display shows too many parameters (e.g., 20-25), a player's attention can become fragmented. The coach should have access to all detailed data, but they should only present one or two relevant parameters to the student at the appropriate time, allowing the player to first feel and observe the shot's outcome before diving into analysis.

This approach prevents information overload and ensures the player's attention remains on their intended focus.

Practical drill: Join the Dots

This drill involves drawing a dot on the middle of the clubface (a couple of grooves up) and another dot on the middle of the golf ball. The player's task is then to "join the dots" at impact while swinging freely. This is a highly effective and simple practical drill for enhancing strike awareness and focus.

By concentrating attention solely on the dot on the club, the body's natural motor program takes over, allowing for movements to emerge naturally and often resulting in powerful, well-struck shots.

This exercise directly addresses the importance of hitting the ball out of the center of the clubface, which can significantly improve the overall golf experience and even lead to broader improvements in swing movement.

The efficacy of this drill can be measured and verified using Trackman's impact location data.

Final thoughts

A compelling metaphor is to envision the player as two people: the "engineer", who develops skills, and the "artist", who then goes out to play and use those skills on the course. This emphasizes the distinction between the practice environment where specific technical focus is important, and the on-course play where attention should be unified and directed to elicit performance. Overall, attention is the place "where performance lives".

You can only influence what you pay attention to.
One swing. One point of focus. Measured by Trackman. That’s coaching with purpose.

The final step

Don't miss the final step in The Mental Big Three. Check the Trackman Blog soon for Episode 3 of this Trackman Talks miniseries.

In the meantime, revisit Episode 1, or dive deep with Trackman Talks: Turning Data into Smarter Practice featuring Tom Boys, Head Performance Analyst at Upgame.