Ever stand over a putt, thinking through every detail of your stroke, only to pull it badly? There’s a cognitive reason for that—and the research backing it up is fascinating.
Psychologists and neuroscientists have been studying golfers’ brains for decades in an attempt to better understand why we can make a pure roll that finds the bottom of the cup on the 8th hole, but stab the ball four feet past on the 12th.
In one striking study, researchers tested golfers of different skill levels on a unique putting task. After learning the drill (a putting exercise on a practice green), some golfers were asked to describe their putting technique in detail, while others did an unrelated verbal activity (like describing a picture). Then everyone putted again.1
The Big Finding: Higher-skill golfers who described their putting technique performed significantly worse when they putted again. Lower-skill golfers showed no such decline.
What This Means: Skilled golfers rely on “feel” stored in procedural memory – your body’s automatic memory for movements. When you force yourself to consciously describe these automatic movements, you convert them into declarative memory – conscious knowledge you explain in words.
Think of it like this: Your body knows how to putt. But when you try to explain exactly what your body is doing, you create a competing instruction manual in your head. Now your brain is fighting between two systems:
- Procedural memory (intuitive): “Just do it the way it feels”
- Declarative memory (analytical): “Let me think through what I’m supposed to do”
This internal competition disrupts performance.
Why Lower-Skill Golfers Weren’t Affected: Beginners haven’t yet developed strong procedural memory for the skill. They’re still consciously thinking through their technique anyway, so verbalizing it doesn’t create new interference.
The Takeaway: This research supports what athletes have always known: overthinking disrupts skilled performance. And it’s not just a distraction problem – verbally analyzing your movements can actually corrupt the automatic motor memory you’ve built through practice.
When and What to Analyze—And How to Successfully Shift to Your Intuitive Mind
This doesn’t mean you skip the analytical work. Your analytical mind has essential jobs:
Before You Address the Ball:
- Read the overall slope and break
- Identify danger zones (severe slopes, ridges, tier breaks)
- Choose your target line and feel the pace
- Factor in grain and green conditions
The Transfer Point:
Once you’ve committed to a line and pace, the analysis stops. When you address the ball, you’re in execution mode.
What the shift sounds like:
Analytical: “Six inches of break, left edge. Die it at the hole to avoid that slope behind.”
Commit: “That’s it.” [Take your stance]
Intuitive: [Silent. See the line, feel the pace, begin the motor motion.]
What to Avoid
Standing over the ball thinking: “Is it really 6 inches of break? Maybe it’s 5. Should I hit it harder?” That’s your analytical mind corrupting execution.
If you’re still analyzing while over the ball, step away. Finish your analysis, commit to the decision, then return and execute. Your body knows how to stroke the putt. Feed it the target, then get out of the way.
- Adapted from: Flegal, K. E., & Anderson, M. C. (2008). Overthinking skilled motor performance: or why those who teach can’t do. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 15(5), 927-932. Read the research report here.
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