Begin by improving your focus

There are two elements to focus; work on both intention and attention.

1 Set a clear intention

The starting point for every successful sand effort is clarity. Create an indelible mental picture of the shot you want to play and your brain can get to work on how that might be achieved. The stronger the messages you send your brain, the better it will serve you, so bring in these elements to form that clear picture of your intention: Impact: How will it sound? How will it feel? Trajectory: Will the ball come out high, low or in between? Will the ball run out or pull up quickly? Landing point: Where will the ball pitch on the green? Next shot: What shot will you leave yourself? Does short, long, left or right leave you that nice straight-uphill putt?

2 Place your attention

Once you’ve established a clear intention, the second element of focus is to place your attention on something useful for successful execution of the shot. You have two options here, which you can combine if it brings results:

External attention

This is something outside your body. It could be the club’s entry point into the sand, or the launch window you want to hit the ball through. External attention often has the advantage of locking your focus into the task and the situation. Experiment to see how successful you are with it, but always make sure the focus of your attention is relevant to the shot you’ve pictured.

Internal attention

This attention is body related, so could involve elements like balance, wrist hinge or the speed of the swing. It can work well when you feel you have a particular thought that triggers success, but with this more technical focus it’s important not to lose sight of the shot you are trying to play. If you prefer internal intention, setting a very strong, clear picture of the shot takes on even more importance.