Awareness. Strategy. Focus.
A Simple Traffic-Light Framework for Better Golf
When you drive up to a traffic light, you don’t overthink what to do. You don’t guess, hope, or panic. You simply observe, decide, and act. It’s automatic, repeatable, and clear.
Believe it or not, great golf works the same way.
Let’s break it down.
1. Awareness — What Color Is the Light?
When you approach a traffic light, the first thing you do is notice its color.
Red, yellow, or green—your brain takes in the information instantly.
On the course, this is your information-gathering phase. Before you hit any shot, step into “awareness mode”:
What’s the lie like?
How far do you have?
Where’s the wind coming from?
What’s the slope doing?
What’s the safe side?
What are the conditions telling you?
You’re not making decisions yet—you’re simply seeing clearly. Just like reading a traffic light, you’re taking in the truth of the situation, not what you wish it were.
Awareness is calm. It’s objective. It’s the foundation of every good shot.
2. Strategy — What Are You Going to Do?
After seeing the color of the traffic light, you instantly decide:
Do I stop or go?
A clear decision removes doubt.
In golf, once you’ve gathered the facts, it’s time to make a simple, committed plan:
What club gives you the best chance of success?
What’s the smart target?
What shape or trajectory fits the situation?
Where is the miss you can live with?
This is not about perfection—it’s about choosing a plan that matches the reality you observed.
Strategy turns information into intention.
3. Focus — Execute the Plan
Once you’ve decided how to respond to the traffic light, what do you do next?
You act. Smoothly and confidently.
You don’t keep re-deciding. You don’t second-guess.
You simply do what you’ve already chosen.
In golf, this is your focus phase:
Step into the shot.
Breathe.
Narrow your attention to one or two key feels.
Trust the plan.
This is where quiet minds produce solid shots.
Your job here is not to think—it’s to execute.
Focus is about commitment, not complexity.
Why This Matters
Many golfers try to hit shots without completing all three steps—and they pay the price:
They execute without a strategy.
They strategize without gathering good information.
They gather info but don’t commit.
The result?
Inconsistent decisions, inconsistent swings, inconsistent outcomes.
But when you follow the traffic-light sequence—Awareness → Strategy → Focus—you create clarity, confidence, and consistency.
Just like driving, it becomes a repeatable routine.
Try This in Your Next Round
On your next shot:
Awareness: Read the situation like a traffic light.
Strategy: Choose the smart, realistic plan.
Focus: Trust it and swing with commitment.
Three steps.
Simple. Calm. Repeatable.
Master this process, and your golf game will thank you.