We normally hear about focus where the idea is to focus on one single task or at one single focus point. Much like a laser focus. Everything else than the focus point is left out. This is what you use when striking the golf ball. If you don’t have a laser focus when hitting the ball and a thought or something else is distracting you, then the likelihood of make a good shot decreases dramatically.

You can also focus the opposite way. Here you focus on everything BUT the focus point. You become aware of things around you. This is also called panoramic awareness.

To an equal degree, you can focus on another person or rather. You can put yourself in that person’s place to see, hear & feel what that person experiences. This is empathy and it is a very fine kind of empathy when you sense and feel the same as the other person senses.

Finally, you can focus on yourself, your own experiences, and your own senses.

What do you want to use for golfing?

Exercise 9:  Laser point focus with single point awareness

• Do the basic breathing. 3 breathings should be enough to get you ready.
• Pay full visual attention to a specific point.
• Ignore everything else.
• Make sure all your awareness is focused on the specific point.
• Again, ignore everything else.
• Collect data from that specific point such as great and deep details regarding:
  1. Visual sensations. What you see.
  2. Audio sensations. What you hear. Remember, silence is also an audio sensation.
  3. Other sensations are, smells, tastes, emotions and what you feel when you touch something.

• Again, ignore everything else.

This is the kind of focus where you leave out anything else than the thing you chose to focus on. Distractions are not even part of your world when you do this kind of focus because your full attention and awareness are fully concentrated at the point of interest.

Exercise 10: One point focus with panoramic awareness

Here we want to have a panoramic awareness and collect data from our surroundings. To do that requires us to have a single visual focus point which can be a bit blurred even though we focus on it. The focus point is blurred because our attention and our awareness are panoramic, and we collect data from around us. Here is the exercise:

• Do the basic breathing. 3 breathings should be enough to get you ready.
• Pay full visual attention to a specific point.
• Here comes the trick.
• Make sure all your awareness is focused on things around you and not at the specific point.
• Again: Look at the specific point but ignore it at the same time.
• Be aware of things around you and get the panoramic attention and awareness.
• Collect data from around you, such as great and deep details regarding:
  1. Visual sensations. What you see.
  2. Audio sensations. What you hear. Remember, silence is also an audio sensation.
  3. Other sensations are, smells, tastes, emotions and what you feel when you touch something.

10.1 Use your brain in the best possible way

Professor Daniel Kahneman writes in his book Thinking Fast and Slow that 20% of our total energy consumption comes from the brain. On top of this, our brain uses much more energy when we use it for analysis.

According to surveys, office workers consume a lot of sugar in the form of cakes and sweets. When doing analytical work all day office workers brains need a lot of energy. Sugar is an easy and fast way to get that energy. This is interesting when it comes to golf, where we need full concentration in short periods when we hit the ball. We cannot always be fully concentration during a round of golf. We must save mental energy for the last parts of the round. Therefore, we have to check out of the concentration between the golf shots and let our mind rest for a bit before we do the next shot.

Intuition is another way to use the brain. According to Kahneman, intuition comes effortless and with no use of energy. Imaging you hit a golf ball at the driving range with no pressure whatsoever. This golf swing was done automatic and effortless, and you used your intuition. You use very little energy for the swing if any. Alternatively, imagine yourself with a difficult task in front of you and with a manual or a map that is required for doing the task. You now have to dive down into the details of the task before you are able to do the task. This is a heavy task, and it requires mental energy.

Analysis and intuition are both required when playing golf. The trouble is, that you need to switch between them and that is not easy. Another problem is that we tend to jump right into doing analysis when playing golf. Especially when our mind is idle. Walking and waiting often makes the mind puzzle with analysis of the results or the mysterious swing mechanics of golf. These two things, results and swing mechanics drain our mental energy when playing golf. Analysis is important at the golf course but make sure you only engage in analysis when it is absolutely necessary.

10.1.1 Pre-Shot routine and mental energy

As described above make sure you use your analytical skills and at the same time make sure you only analyse when needed. The Pre-Shot routine has three areas one is behind the ball visualising the shot etc., the other is where you address the golf ball. The third area for the Pre-Shot routine is where you are walking towards the ball. Maybe you approach the green, or you are walking down the fairway.

The analysis is often when discussing something back and forth. As for instance in “shall I use this iron or that iron” or how steep is this break on the green, where is my breaking point. Many details and projections go through your head when doing that and it is necessary for a good result. This is where you use your mental energy, and this is where you need it on the 4^th as well as on the 17^th hole. When the analysis is done, go to you Pre-Shot routine and make sure you do it without any distractions.

More importantly, make sure you do not engage in analysis anywhere else on the golf course. Not in conversations, not when walking down the fairway, not for frustration, nowhere on the golf course. You need your mental energy for you golfing. Take a look at the mental score card in the next chapter.