Golf Tips - Swing Through the Target - Not the Ball

Swing into a better golf game, but don't try to put your swing on the ball. Let the ball get in the way of your swing as you swing away from the target and then swing toward the target.

In other words, you let the ball get hit because it was sitting there. It got in the path of your swing. This is a good example of why people's practice swings are often better than their swings for real. Without a ball, they swing projecting through the ball. When it is there, they swing at the ball.

One of the keys to correcting this problem is to understand not only how the proper body actions work, but also - and just as important - how to separate the optic eye from the 'mind's eye'.

The optic eye sees where the ball is sitting. The 'mind's eye' sees the ball traveling to the target. Remember, the ball is not our target, so we shouldn't let the optic eye con us into hitting it. Let the 'mind's eye' swing to your target, which is the fairway or the green.

I stress the word target because I feel there has been a tendency in some quarters of instruction to place too much emphasis upon looking at the ball. Frankly, you should look at the ball, but there is a great difference in looking at it and concentrating on it.

Project to the target, not the ball. I will give you a perfect example of this. I have taught several golfers who have lost their vision. They obviously can't see the ball, so we have developed a program that has brought exciting results. I believe these prove without a doubt that once you have positioned yourself over the ball with the proper stance, you have in fact measured yourself to the ball. Your head/eyes stay centered only for balance.

When your mind is focusing on where the ball sits, it can limit your ability to make the proper swing. When your projection is positive - as it is when your 'mind's eye' is on the target - it will encourage you to make the necessary and proper body motions. You have already been practicing them with your teacher or on your own.

Remember, the target is not where the ball sits; it is where you want it to go. There is a direct link between the strength of your projection and the strength of your physical swing.

I believe 'target' is an important word in the game of golf, and perhaps the most neclected. I leave you with this thought: "What the mind conceives, the body can achieve."