What Are You Trying to Avoid?
Most better players know exactly what they’re trying to do.
They know the shot they want to hit.
The shape they want.
The distance they need.
The target they’re committed to.
What they rarely recognize is how quietly their attention can shift toward what they don’t want to happen.
The water.
The bunker.
The trees.
The out of bounds.
The short putt they can’t afford to miss.
Most players never realize their attention has gone there.
And that matters more than most players realize.
Sometimes the shift is obvious.
Sometimes it’s so subtle that the player still feels completely committed to the shot.
It may feel like being a little more careful.
Trying to make sure the ball doesn’t go right.
Making sure you don’t leave it short.
Trying not to repeat the miss you just made.
Nothing about that necessarily feels unusual.
Which is exactly why it’s so easy to miss.
The player still believes they’re focused on the shot they want to hit.
But part of their attention is now occupied by the shot they don’t want to hit.
And that can happen without the player ever feeling like they’ve changed anything.
They may still go through the same process.
See the same target.
Make the same decision.
Feel just as committed.
Yet something about the shot no longer feels quite as free.
And most players don’t recognize the shift until after the shot is gone.
So before the next shot matters, ask yourself one question:
What am I trying to avoid?
And once you notice where your attention has gone, there’s something else worth recognizing:
Your attention may have shifted before you ever noticed anything change in the swing.
One Tour Tested Truth
The first change isn't always in the swing.
Sometimes it's where your attention quietly goes before the swing ever begins.