Golf Pre-Shot routines are proven to be immensely important in consistently playing good golf.
All the pros have consistent pre-shot routines right up to the point that if they get disturbed in their preparation they will put the club back in the bag and start the routing all over again.
It’s one of the great joys of golf is that you have chance to plan exactly how you are going to play each shot, in detail, before you step up to hit the ball. Why is it then that so few amateur golfers have developed a clear pre-shot process?
Developing Your Pre-Shot Routine
In his book, ‘Wired to Win’ Wired to Win: The Mental Keys to Play Your Best Golf
Step 1
Step 1 occurs as I am walking up to the ball. As you approach your ball you can be assessing your next shot including:
- Distance for the next shot
- Prevailing conditions including wind direction and terrain
- Lie of the ball
- Target landing area for next shot
- I look for a point 3-6 feet in front of the ball in-line with my chosen target (you use this as your alignment point when you take your stance)
- Shot shape and trajectory
- Visualising what you want the ball to do both in the air and after it hits the ground
From a mental game point of view this last point is all important. Once you have visualized the shot you aim to play you must positively commit to that shot.
It sounds like a lot of stuff but you can do pretty much everything as you walk along the fairway (yeah right!) to you ball. Personally I like to walk when I play golf and tend avoid courses that insist you use buggies.
If you do use a buggy, instead of speeding right up to your ball, stop 20 to 30 feet behind your lie and walk up to your ball while doing your assessment.
Step 2
Now I have got the next shot firmly visualized I can quickly take my stance and aim the club at my chosen alignment point.
Once aligned I shuffle back and take a couple of practice swings that are intended to rehearse the shot I have visualised.
Step 3
In step 3 I once again take my stance. I allow myself a couple of waggles to loosen my wrists and fingers and then quite clearly think, ‘over to you’. It’s my way of passing the responsibility for playing the shot over to my subconscious.
At this point my conscious mind has one responsibility – to focus on the back of the ball throughout the whole swing. To make this transition clear I take a breath and let half of the air out. At the same time I visualize the ball expanding to fill my whole field of vision.
Then I just trust my swing.
Does It Work
You bet it works.
And it works for every shot you play including putting.
Trouble is I probably use it for a few holes and then don’t do it for a few more. You get chatting to your playing partners so maybe you walk up to the ball without doing step 1. Sometimes you feel you have lost ground on the match in front so you rush your shot and don’t do either step 1 or step 2.
It’s not too surprising that when you simply walk up to you ball and hit it the results are not often what you would like.
It is something that I need to work on making a rock solid part of my game.
It is no coincidence that the very top pros have totally consistent pre-shot routines.
Sounds Like a Lot of Time
Reading this it does look like a lot of work and time to simply hit a golf shot. In reality it takes practically no time at all.
Step 1 is done before you reach your ball.
You probably already take a couple of practice swings so step 2 is much more a matter of conscious visualization rather than adding to your existing set-up time.
All you are doing in step 3 is getting into the zone to hit your shot.
Top 3 Golf Improvement Pillar
It’s one of my top 3 golf improvement pillars in terms of delivering rapid and consistent improvement in your game alongside:
- Gripping with the fingers
- A clear visualization of your swing technique
It might be the easiest of the lot to apply. So why do I struggle with something so simple?
Justin Rose’s Preshot Routine
Click here for a very short video where Justin Rose describes his preshot routine.