Welcome

Welcome to issue number 40 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing. 

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In this issue:

• Muscle Memory Misnomer

• Wellness Tip – Revisiting Dietary Fat

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

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Muscle Memory Misnomer

“Muscle memory” is one of those phrases golfers say because it sounds scientific enough to excuse whatever disaster just happened. It sounds legit…until you realise your muscles are not capable of remembering anything. In reality, what we call muscle memory is less about the muscle and more about your nervous system keeping a very detailed instruction manual for all your movements.

Muscle memory is actually a form of procedural memory…a long-term “how-to” file your brain keeps for tasks you do so often they become automatic. Do a movement enough times, like your swing, tying your shoes, driving your car and your brain encodes it so well you barely have to think about it. The muscles? They’re just the obedient middle managers carrying out orders from HQ upstairs.

Neuroscience research shows that repeated movements strengthen your synapses. These communication junctions in your brain, and broader nervous system, form the tiny neuron-to-neuron handshakes that produce your motor patterns. In golf, these solidified pathways become the controllers of how you swing your clubs. They often develop unconsciously and are very hard to change.

The Swing Change Challenge…because muscle memory lives in your brain and nervous system, and not your biceps or triceps, changing your golf swing is basically like rewriting new software code on top of the old version, which is still installed. The outdated, glitchy program…your old swing, doesn’t just pack its bags and leave. It digs in, refuses to pay rent, and fights the new program every step of the way. That’s why unlearning a bad swing is a challenge and somehow feels harder than learning to hit a golf ball in the first place. Meaning you will generally need a good coach, proper drills, lots of repetitions and an effective feedback system to banish the old and make room for the new. 

Built-in Flaws…unfortunately, once your brain has established a motor pattern…especially a flawed one, it becomes clingier than a Velcro jacket in a lint factory. These patterns often get stored deep in the brain’s habit centres, which means they don’t politely step aside when you decide it’s time for change. (Hiat, S., et al., 2025) Correcting them requires patience because swing flaws never die gracefully. They hang around forever, like that one person who keeps giving swing tips no one asked for. To fix them, can often mean practising the new pattern slowly…sometimes painfully slowly. 

Imagery and Mental Rehearsal…but here’s the cool part when it comes to your swing change. You don’t even have to swing a club to work on the change. Studies show that imagining your golf swing activates many of the same brain regions as actually doing it. (Ross, J.S., et al. 2003) So, yes, sitting on the couch visualising a perfect drive technically counts as training. This is great news for injured players, busy players, or players who simply want to feel productive while eating lunch.

Pro Tips…To Learn New Patterns

Get a Clear Mental Model…preferably from an actual golf professional and not your uncle who once “almost qualified for something.”

Practice Deliberately…quality beats quantity and flailing doesn’t count.

Watch the Best Swings on Video…then mentally rehearse in an “I see…I imagine…I feel” progression. (Lin, Y., et al. 2022) This can accelerate learning and improve retention of new swing patterns.

Use Mental Rehearsal…your brain loves it, and you can do it anywhere. Research shows that imagining your swing activates much of the same brain network as physically swinging. (Ross, J.S., et al. 2003)  

Structure Your Practice with Repetition and Feedback…combine physical drills, with good feedback on your ball flight and club motion. Use slow, deliberate repetition to build the desired neural pathways. And use outcome-focused cues, like where the ball goes, rather than being too overly centred on the mechanical internal cues. (Keogh, J.W.L, et al. 2012)

Be Patient…neural rewiring takes time, and the old swing will try to show up uninvited. So, it's important to have a training plan that allows time for consolidation. (Bezzola, L., et al. 2012) It is helpful to incorporate rest, reflection, and mental rehearsal into training routines, not just physical repetition.

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