Our first task...

I've spent a considerable amount of time wondering what the first task should be. It's not so much trying desperately to find something (at least not yet...give it a few weeks ;-) but what, of all these ideas should be first.

I've decided to go with something that I feel has really helped my game. Like most of us who didn't start playing in childhood or adolescence, I was weighed down with technical thoughts, and tried to teach myself how to swing whilst in the middle of swinging a club. I've yet to find a single pro or mental game coach that thinks this is a good idea. I then started to just walk up and swing, but although it often improved the quality of my shots, I was playing better shots into worse spots, and my scoring remained unchanged.

I came across Lynn Marriot and Pia Nilsson as they were interviewed on the Golf Smarter podcast. They were intriguing- lots of interesting ideas, not least the name of their company, VISION 54, which comes from their belief that every hole can be birdied. This shifts the parameters of what we believe to be achievable, takes away restrictions and allows us to see more possibilities. Their provenance as coaches is also difficult to argue with, as until recently their most prominent client was one Annika Sorenstam. I had to buy their books- Every Shot Must Have A Purpose and The Game Before The Game, the perfect 30 minute practice- and was not disappointed.

One of their central tenets, and one that they believe to be "non-negotiable" is the idea of Think Box/Play Box. We all know we're meant to "commit to our shot" "not think mechanically over the ball" but these phrases are often used without either explanation or any suggestion of how to achieve this. Think Box/Play Box is a way in which to do this.

The idea, like very many good ideas, is disarmingly simple. The" think box" is about three feet behind the ball, beyond this is the "decision line" (you can even use tape or some such in practice to make this an actual rather than the imagined line it must be during a round) Once the decision line is crossed, you are in the "play box" where you do not think, you just take your stance and swing.

The think box is left brain, rational thought; you assess where you want to play to (target), what shot you wish to hit taking into account factors such as yardage, lie and wind, take a rehearsal swing, and also then check internal factors. This is where we can intellectualise. We then take the decision, commit to it and cross the line.

Once across the line, we align, setup and play. The Play box is right brain; it's all about connection to the target through our senses, our feel or vision. The play box is brief, no more than 5 seconds, to avoid "freezing" over the ball as thoughts seep in to paralyse us. Setup, look, swing is what I endeavour to do.

Think box engages your intellect; Play box your instincts. Swing thoughts are left in the think box. When the decision line is crossed there is no more thinking, instead try to connect to the target using your senses.

Lynn and Pia suggest that the whole process should take no more than 30 seconds, with the vast majority spent in the think box; the length of time in the think box will vary with the difficulty of the shot; the play box will not and should always be less than 5 seconds.

When I first tried this, it was a long and laborious process as I tried to have a routine that looked like a pro's, and was always racking my brain to try to consider every option. This is not how it should be done- particularly not with my personality type; we're on the golf course for some time and we need to conserve as much energy as possible; make your think box as efficient as possible. My game improved greatly when I realised that I made most of the calculations about lie, wind etc automatically and could pretty much pick a target, pick a shot & a club, then setup and swing on most shots.

The only place where I don't do this as much as I should is on the green; those that read my blog will note I'm needing to improve there. I'll be adding this to my game and seeing where it leads. I'll let you know how it goes, and I'd love to hear how you get on with this.

I'm happy to explain any part of this if it's unclear- tweet me on @The_Golf_Geek, or DM me your email and I'll respond. I also want to hear if this sort of thing is what you would like; I want to know if it's not what you are looking for from this, so I can if necessary redirect my efforts!

The Golf Geek


The VISION54 Books:
Every Shot Must Have a Purpose
The Game Before The Game

(I have no financial interest in this; I just feel after using one of their concepts the least I can do is put a link in for those who wish to read further. As I've said above, I find their work fascinating and very helpful; they are "complete game coaches" who discuss all of the elements of golf. Well worth a read.)

They also have a learning/tracking program on their website