I think of the shot I want to hit, and try to commit to making that shot. I pick a target—a tree or a cloud—to aim at. That’s my last look. I step up, bring my left hand over my right shoulder, and let it rip.

I try to really slow my swing down and not get too mechanical. I want my left arm to lead and my lower body to follow. Golf is rhythmic and flowing—if you’re hands aren’t relaxed they don’t release. Coming down, I try to release the ball and finish high.

I can feel in the club face and hear from the smack of the ball if it’s a good shot or not. When I hit it right, there’s a flush sound. When I hit it on the heel or on the top of the club face, there’s a kind of a thud and a quivering in my hands.

Sometimes I hear the crowd, depending on where I am mentally. The less I’m aware of the better. If I just think, "Golf. Ball. Where do I want it?," that’s good. When I start thinking, "What does this shot mean to me?" or "I have to hit the fairway," that’s when I start tightening up.

A driver that feels good in your hands is just like a part of you. If you’re out on the driving range trying drivers, some of them feel like two-by-fours; some of them feel like fishing lines.

To hit a perfect tee shot, you got to have everything working together. I try to simplify it and not think too much.

When you want to hit a good shot and you do it, it’s a great feeling. Everything clicks.

You don’t want to remember the bad shots. The hardest thing to do is to try to swing the same way you did the last time and, hopefully, the next shot will be a good one.

Juli Inkster is a professional golfer on the LPGA tour.