Pre-shot routine....

WHIP IT!

Guys...

Was just wondering if people would mind filling me (and the interweb!) in on what exactly their pre-shot routine is...

ie - what you physically do and mentally think or try and think when in ur routine. When does your routine start? As soon as you reach your ball? Pull the club? Decide on the club? Stand over ur ball?

I've always had difficulty coming up with one I'm comfortable with and when I'm struggling a bit on the course I think I really need something familiar to fall back on...

So, to sum up - I'd like to steal one of your's!!!

ninebeanrows

On the first tee i usually run to the teebox first, wait for the group in front to get the minimum distance ahead, before my heart gets tooooooo beaty!

The wack it and be delighted if it isn't 20 feet to my left or right!

ShriekingSheet

haha, nice one weathrcheck!

Anyway, the pre-shot routine has been boosted in profile by Bob Rotella who called it "Your Rod and Staff" - basically the best weapon you have! If you haven't read Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect by Doctor Bob then do so asap.

Anyway, the beauty of the pre-shot routine is you can do it anyway you like once it's the same everytime! You asked when and where it starts? This is best described as a 'trigger' movement of your chosing. It could be as early as pulling the club from the bag or as late as addressing the ball. Rotella describes the trigger as stepping inside a bubble- once you start the routine, you're in the process and nothing can bother you from going through your familiar and relaxed motions.

A good middle ground to start with might be to stand 8 feet behind the ball and visualise your shot - this is your trigger. Maybe from that position behind the ball take a set number of practice swings - maybe 2 - still visualising the shot as you swing. Then approach the ball, swing and strike - you are now back out of the bubble.

You could do that (swiftly) for every shot. Use it on the practice range and adjust it until your comfortable. It all ties in with the idea of focusing on the process and not the product. That is to say it's much easier to be concentrating on carrying out your routine than thinking of what the shot means to your score!

Hope that helps

Mister Sifter

good tips there from shrieking sheek.

i try not to pull the club i'm going to hit out of the bag until the very last moment. read a thing with annika sorrenstam once saying it was a good habit to get into as it stops you thinking about the shot too much and prevents negative thoughts.

certainly a good tip for slow rounds when alot of players taek their club out and swing, swing, swing for five minutes until the fairway or green is clear.

ShriekingSheet

Yeah the only time you should really be swinging a club in a round is in your routine and hitting the ball.

If it's slow, shoot the breeze with your partners if possible. Chat or eat or do whatever. Only when the green/fairway is clear then start your routine.

One Cold Hand

Yeah what ShriekingSheet said!

As regard my own one, I try to keep mine as short as possible, without rushing. It starts when I address the ball. I take a loose, feely type practice swing. I then stand behind the ball and take another practice swing standing behind the ball. Then address the ball. Then Whoosh!! Sounds quite long but really the whole thing is quite short. If my routine is interupted for some reason, indecision about shot or club, random other external factor, I start it all over again.

I don't include earlier things like deciding the type of shot, deciding the club, pulling the club etc. in my routine as there can be a number of variables in here that don't allow consistency in the routine. For example when deciding the type of shot I may need to walk up to see the green. It may take me longer than normal to decide on the club for some reason.

As regards what I'm thinking, again I try and keep that simple. Standing behind the ball I try and visualise the shot. When I swinging I don't think about any complicated swing thoughts, but I do think of a simple thing to do with my swing, like trying to get a nice rhythm or tempo, or my position at the top of the backswing. But it's only ever one thought, not 3/4. Some people try to not think at all about their swing, and this is probably good advice, but I find one simple thought suits me better.

So my advice would be to keep it short and simple, don't include random fiddeley things like throwing up a piece of grass, scratching behind your left ear and tapping your bag three times! Also keep the swing thoughts simple, or none!

TheDoc

Heres my routine.

Step around the ball no club in hand, just things like wind,lies,distance etc and determine what club to take.

Next i take two practice swings to determine what shot i want to hit.

Next i stand behind the ball and pick a spot in front of it to help me line up my body.

I first lay the clubhead to rest behind the ball using my spot to line up, then align the rest of my body.

Push my arse out, bend knees and move the hands foward, have one look at tha target then swing.

This all takes less then a minute.

Mister Sifter

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

Heres my routine.

Step around the ball no club in hand, just things like wind,lies,distance etc and determine what club to take.

Next i take two practice swings to determine what shot i want to hit.

Next i stand behind the ball and pick a spot in front of it to help me line up my body.

I first lay the clubhead to rest behind the ball using my spot to line up, then align the rest of my body.

Push my arse out, bend knees and move the hands foward, have one look at tha target then swing.

This all takes less then a minute.

sounds a bit like my pre-dance routine at family weddings!

JCDUB

Shreaking Sheet nailed it with that post:cool:

As Dr Bob says, pick a routine, go with it and most importantly stick with it no matter what.
The actual routine doesn't matter as much as the fact that it's the same every time.
So get comfortable with one and don't alter it.I know I know, it sounds simple doesn't it?But once you get it you'll feel much more confident over the ball and we all know how far that gets you to hitting a decent shot.

parmenion

I agree with a lot that’s been said about pre shot routines and I'm a "golf is not a game of perfect" fan but I think a few points should also be made.
Pre shot routines should be SHORT... Please remember the other poor souls on the course that have to wait for you to wait until the green is clear before deciding on a club, then waggling the club head 3-4 times before practice swinging away until the shot feels right. Generally I would say that until you reach a fairly good and consistent level (0-9) the time would be better spent on the driving range or taking a lesson.
I’m a member of the same club as [DM]-TheDOC- and its not unusual for a round of golf to take up to 5 hour’s and more in competition. One guy in particular holds up the entire course with his routine which involves visualising his shot from at least 10 metres behind the ball every shot followed by waggles and swings etc. My own.
Pick club taking wind etc into consideration, pick target around 3 inches ahead of the ball, line up to target and swing. Short but not rushed.