Tag: Pre-shot routine

All golf instruction recommends having a pre-shot routine. The pre-shot routine allows you to treat each shot the same way. The pre-shot routine lets you execute better when the shots become more important as the round progresses. Your long game, short game, and putting pre-shot routines will each be a little different. I do agree that it is very important to have a pre-shot routine. I feel, however, that many golfers will never vary their pre-shot routine no matter what the situation. They are also reluctant to change their pre-shot routine as a way to improve their game. They are very rigid when it comes to the pre-shot routine. In other words, they become a slave to the pre-shot routine. What winds up happening is that something that is supposed to help their game winds up making their game worse. I will use my own pre-shot routines for each phase of the game as examples.

For the long game, I have two basic pre-shot routines depending on how I am swinging the club. If my swing is good, I take a small practice swing. It is about 1/5 the length of a normal backswing. Sometimes early in the round, I feel a little stiff. Or I think my swing is off. In such cases, I will take a full practice swing. For both, I start out by standing behind the ball to help line up the shot. Then I take my address position at the ball. I take one look at the target. Then I will make my swing. Sometimes, I run into trouble when I take that first look at the target. I will feel I am aimed a little right. Or my stance is not quite right. If I make the final adjustment, I will usually hit a good shot. If I don’t, then the shot is usually not so good. This does not happen often, but sometimes I have to make two adjustments. In either example, this is a departure from my usual routine. When I do it, the shots are better.

With the short game my routine changes. This is the routine I use when things are going well. I will discuss later what I do when things are going very badly like with the chip yips. I stand behind the ball trying to imagine the shot I want to hit. On all short game shots, I use my practice swings to try to get a feel for the shot. I do not have a set number, but I take anywhere from 3 to 6 depending on the shot. While I am doing that, I am also trying to picture the shot. Once I am confident that I have a good feel for the shot, I take my address position. I look at my spot I want to hit 1 or 2 times. Then, I execute the shot. I do this for any shot that is going to need less than a full swing. Off topic for a moment. The high shot chip shot that helped for a while with the chip yips ran its course. I am back to normal chipping of hitting low running shots. Sigh.

My putting pre-shot routine is similar to my short game routine. I line up the putt from behind the ball. I rarely look at a putt from behind the hole. On extremely long putts, I will walk up to the hole. This helps me get a lay of the land close to the hole. I take one practice swing looking at the hole. The practice swing will be one that I would use to make the putt. Once I settle in for the putt, I focus on the line. I take only one look at it. I want to make certain the putt goes on this line. I look down at the ball and instantly stroke the putt. Sounds nice and simple because it is. As in the short game, this is what I do when things are going well. What if they are not?

Players are always looking at their swings and techniques in all facets of the game to improve their swings. They rarely look at something like the pre-shot routine to help improve their score. I have changed my routine right in the middle of a round. This change has helped turn around many a round that seemed headed down the drain. In the long game, I have completed my entire pre-shot routine from behind the ball. I do this instead of performing it from the side. I have had rounds where I do not take a practice swing. In the short game, I will take just one practice swing. This swing has nothing to do with the shot I am planning. I will remove the practice swing. I will take many more looks at the line before I hit the pitch or chip. In putting, I will take my practice swing while looking at the ball rather than the hole. I will try to make the stroke I want on the practice swing. All of these changes have helped me do better on the golf course. I achieved this without changing anything about my swing or technique. I believe that everyone should have a pre-shot routine for every phase of the game. Don’t be afraid to change it when things are not going well. You will be surprised by the results. It is not good to be a slave.