When I teach golfers about the mental side of the game I always insist on one thing: that they empty their conscious mind of the mechanical details of how to strike the golf ball when they are actually playing the game.

Consciously thinking about the details of the golf swing during the motion is not productive. In fact, it will consistently lead to poor shots and unhappy players.

Good golfers think mostly about the target and perhaps about the shape of the arc of the ball's flight while they are swinging. They do not think about the detailed intricacies of the swing itself.

Golfers can find a bookshelf full of nerve science that will tell them why consciously thinking about their swing will destroy their smooth performance. What golfers should do is trust their subconscious mind to enable them to swing smoothly. Their thoughts and their focus should be on the target and moving the ball towards it. If a player allows their subconscious mind to work, they will find that it repeats the same motion virtually every time.

The result, increased consistency and lower scores