I've experimented with this over the years with "mixed results."
When I was playing full time, I would go through periods of paralysis by analysis and I would have some pretty frustrating practice sessions on the range. So I experimented by standing behind the ball, visualizing the shot and then, loud enough for people around me to hear, I started counting to eight. I got to the point that "four one thousand" was the club placed behind the ball and "eight one thousand" was my takeaway. The shots were some of the best I had ever hit.
A couple of things...I found it very difficult to think (and almost impossible) about my swing during this process and for the first time in my life, I really felt like the swing was on "auto-pilot."
A couple other things...I was so intrigued by the process that I implemented it (too quickly) into an event the next day. Everything was going swimmingly until I got to "five one thousand" on the first tee and nearly had a panic attack. Fortunately I made contact and hit the ball in the fairway but the fact that the "game sped up" considerably in competition meant I needed more time.
The last thing...after a few days of practice, I really thought I had it down. Golf was nearly effortless and I was hitting the shot I was visualizing nearly every time...until the day I got to "seven one thousand" and a swing thought crept in. "Stay behind it...." I had successfully turned the brain off for a while and the bastard snuck back in.
)
