Golf is a sport that requires an unfathomable number of minute details to remember and to put into practice sequentially and in unison just to make a little round piece of plastic and rubber fly straight through the air. It's called divided attention which is a cognitive skill that takes a lot of effort to achieve and which makes golf unlike any other sport. You have to be thinking about several different things at once, which is to say, we are consciously thinking about our golf swing, for example, as opposed to playing soccer where many of your movements are in your subconscious...they just happen because your body and brain already work together as one to make you run, swing your arms, and look downfield to see where you want to go.
Because of the 101 little things we are required to know and do at any given moment, golf focus and concentration is paramount to a good golf game. There's just not enough room to process all of it as well as think about the next board meeting, being on time to pick up the kids from school, etc. etc. Research says that humans are able to process four discrete thoughts simultaneously, which is to say, we can do four completely different things or process four unique areas of thought at the same time. For example, I've never been able to comprehend the fact that lead singers can not only sing a song that they've memorized but at the same time play an incredibly difficult instrument, and dance around the stage with coordination. It just baffles me. Those are very unique, and one would think conflicting, things to do at once.
My point is this, I've learned from multiple decades on this planet to practice mindfulness. It helps me be present. In the moment. Focused. To think about what I'm doing, when I'm doing it has many positive outcomes; it helps me pay attention to detail, it improves my ability to commit things to memory, and when I'm having a conversation with someone and really honing in on them and what they are saying, it makes them feel special.
Clearing your mind is not easy and takes lots of practice. I spend a few minutes every morning just thinking about my breathing. That's it, that's all I do. And it feels good.
So the next time you're out, try to practice mindfulness while smacking the old pelota around the greens. It'll help your game.