How Great Golfers Think Between Shots
by Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

In my 15 plus years I’ve been researching and coaching golfers, I’ve discovered that during a four hour round of golf, a golfer will switch his or her concentration on and off repeatedly with the ebb and flow of the game. The challenge of turning on and off concentration during shot making makes it more difficult to get into a zone focus.

Peak performing golfers have mastered the art of knowing when and how to focus to develop total concentration to maximize their performance. Total concentration occurs when an athlete becomes totally involved in the task, feels that time is suspended, and loses the sense of being separate from his/her surroundings.

I often get this question about focus on the golf course: “What do the best players think of between shots? Do they start planning the next shot or do they relax between shots?”

Legendary golfer Ben Hogan was known for his powers of concentration and focus during a round of golf. He went into his bubble and did not surface until after the round. Some golfers believed that the best way to focus during a round was to stay dialed in continuously, never letting your guard down.
However, I have a different take on how to focus during a round of golf. Most golfers cannot concentrate for four hours straight – almost an impossible chore. In addition, you are only required to focus for the 30-40 seconds during your preshot routine before you pull the trigger.

My recommendation is to save your energy for the end of the round. You do not have to grind between shots by thinking intensely about your next shot (or analyze your last errant shot). Instead, the goal should be to relax your focus between shots – kick it in for 30 seconds when it’s your turn to play and reserve your mental energy for the end of the round.

In addition, you should not *practice” between shots. If you hit a bad shot, don’t carry this shot with you for two holes and try to analyze what went wrong. Save the practice for after the round. The time to work on your swing is after the round, not during the round. I call this ‘playing golf swing’ on the course instead of playing golf shots. Do not waste your focus between shot trying to fix what may not be broken in most cases, besides is impossible to fix a swing fault in nine holes.

What should you do between shots? I suggest to my students anything but your next or last shot! The goal is to have fun between shots and relax your focus. Each person can achieve this differently. For examples, some golfers like to carry on with conversations with playing partners between shot, where other golfers prefer to enjoy their surroundings and get into nature.

What should you focus on between shots to relax your focus and not worry about the next shot? Talk to your playing partners, look at the birds, sing a tune in your head, tell a joke to a friend, or anything to have fun and relax before you get to your next shot. Once you get up to your ball, it’s important to dial in your focus and let go of what you were thinking about between shots.

Some golfers use a symbolic physical trigger to help them get refocused for the next shot. Or golfers use their preshot routine to trigger the start of the routine and when to focus. For example, the moment you pull a club out of the bag, it’s time to focus on the current shot and let go of the past – similar to a trigger in your preshot routine to signify when you need to dial in your focus.

The next time you play a round of golf, I suggest you save your focus by relaxing between shots. Do not think about the next shot until you get to the ball and it’s your turn to hit. Occupy your mind between shots with enjoyable activities.

If you found this article useful and want more on information on coaching programs check out Dr. Cohn's Golf Psychology programs.