Internal vs. External focus(Golf)

Knowing the difference between internal and external focus in golf is the difference between being in the zone and only hitting a good shot every once in a while. Internal and external focus both help our golf game, but one of them gets used way more than it should be.

Internal focus: Being focused on how to swing the club

External focus: Being focused on something out of your body movements. Such as the pin or ball flight.

Internal focus is overused in the game of golf. There is a time for it, but it is not always on the course. The best time for an internal focus would be on the range for about the first half of your practice routine. If you want to check out one of my other posts on "how to make a swing change" you can learn how to properly execute internal focus while on the range, but most people are only internally focused while playing golf, and this is why there aren't getting the results that they want.

Being externally focused is what gets you the results. It is hard to hit a good shot while being internally focused because humans can only really think about one thing at once. So if they are thinking about how to move their body parts throughout the swing than why should they expect the ball to go where they want it to go. Whereas, if you are externally focused you can put your focus completely on the target and try to get the ball to go where you want it to go. You can correct your swing while being externally focused because you are getting more accurate feedback.

Practicing external focus on the range is also very important. It will help you get ready for a tournament or just to play better. You can even do externally focused drills, such as hitting in front of the ball with a line of chalk that marks where you are taking your divot, or making sure that you miss a headcover to produce a correct swing plane.