After having spent a lifetime playing with Great Players, Observing Great Players, and Coaching Great Players (not to mention Great Athletes in other sports), there is NO DOUBT that they ALL have one thing in common, and that one thing is IMAGINATION AND FOCUS. Without exception, they ALL ‘SEE’ things and visualize their shots in a far different realm than the majority of amateurs and high handicappers. (Which I’ve played with, observed, and coached as well.)
In fact, I’d say the overwhelming majority of amateurs and high handicappers, play ‘Swing’ and don’t actually play ‘Golf’; whereby their minds tend to focus on their golf swing mechanics, and not on imagining the shot they’re about to hit. Yes, pros tinker with their swing mechanics and have coaches too, but when it comes time to hit shots, they’re actually playing (just like a game of chess) where they’re thinking of the moves that lie ahead. A lot of this is simply due to the millions of repetitive swings and shots they’ve hit, but I’m convinced that much of it is especially due to the way their minds are wired.
All good players will stand behind the ball, and visualize the shot they want to hit and SEE the shot going at the target – then they’ll take a few practice swings rehearsing the swing that their visualization has wired into their minds and bodies. Then, they step up and ‘Let it Go!’ EMG studies have shown that when professionals have been wired up to measure how much activity is going on in the brains, the graphs show that their brains remain pretty still and quiet, where the high handicappers usually show A LOT of activity going on in there. Again, when one is thinking, “Where are my hands?” “Where are my Arms?” etc., and not F‐E‐E‐L‐I‐N‐G the motion and shot, they’re actually blocking the energy that we want to be flowing to the target.