What's your routine?

[deaconblues]

I'll start, as I just got something down to hopefully improve my consistency.

Full Shot Setup
-Grip club, with both "V's" facing mid chest
-Half muted practice swing
-Point to target with club from behind the ball
-Walk to ball with eyes on target, waggle, set
-ARMS IN, HEAD HIGH
-Check target, waggle
-SWING
[THOUGHTS]
[Hips back, hips through, extend/turn over right forearm through impact, follow hips through to finish]

Putt Setup
-Get as much of a read as possible without slowing things down
-Get behind the ball 10 ft
-crouch behind ball, put putter heel past ball on the target line
-step to stance, leaving putter where it lay
-get quick note on putters heel
-two practice swings, without a break between
-putt to the spot where the putter had been
[THOUGHTS]
[keep body still, arms down, loose grip, SHOULDERS, don't fight arc]

Lags = putt to within a garbage can lid
<10' = putt firm, to the back of the hole with confidence


It's not as slow of a process as it looks, I am a very quick golfer, but sometimes I need to take my time a bit and get into a rhythm. This is an attempt to avoid rushing while still keeping a solid pace.

[jorruss]

As long as you can repeat it every time, it doesn't matter what you do. The Golf Channel guys once timed Tiger's pre shot for putting, and every time it was within a second of all the others. That's repeatability.

Mine is as follows:

1. Trigger move: Pulling a club from the bag starts my routine. You need a good trigger to know when your game face goes on.

2. Standing behind the ball, pick an aim point. I pick the smallest posible target along my intended line of play. It's important to focus on something small and specific, as it focuses your mind. I'll pick a branch on a tree, a discolored spot in the fairway or a corner of a window on a house, etc.

3. Make first practice swing. I'll make a swing that matches the desired shot, ie a fade or draw, low or high.

4. Make second practice swing. I make a swing and hold my finish, visualizing the shot flying to the target like I want it to come off. I can't tell you how much of an impact visualization has made to my game. It helps by 3 or 4 shots a round. I kid you not. The loose swing is a thing of the past.

5. Step into the ball with my right foot and the right hand on the club, aim the club and set it behind the ball, then place my left hand and left foot into position.

6. Look at my specific target, waggle the club and shift my weight, look at the ball.

7. If I feel comfortable with my setup, repeat step 6, then go to step 8. If not, step back and start over.

8. Pick a spot on the back of the ball to hit, and start my swing.

The whole routine takes about 20 seconds from the time I pull the club and start my swing.

[lumpuckeroo]

Watch the club hit the ball, period.

[opie]

1. Figure out my distance and what club I want to hit
2. pick out my point of reference for my alignment
3. make a swing behing the ball perpendicular to my target just to loosen tension
4. Aim the clubface with feet together then get everything else aligned
5. Waggle to loosen tension again
6. let'er rip

[wolfridge]

1. figure out distance, for irons, I try to pick a spot on the green, for a driver, I aim for a tree or something off in the distance along my line.
2. aim left. I always, unknowingly aim right because I just worked for weeks curing my hook, then I was pushing everything. Turns out I was still aiming for my hook and didn't even notice.
3. step into my stance, I have a pretty narrow stance (helped cure the hook)
4. two practice swings, step in.
5. Rip it.


My brother decided once just for fun, he wouldn't take a practice swing for an entire round, he would grab his club, step up, and hit it. I thought he'd golf terribly, but....something must have clicked. He shot 38 on 9 holes (rain shortened round). It was really neat.

But for me, my routine is important.

[piper_clap]

1. Walk up to ball, set bag down. Realize bag is too close to the ball/swing path, and move the bag.
2. Grab a club. Look up at yardage markers, realize that I grabbed 1 club too much or too little. Go grab correct (?) club.
3. Stand behind the ball. Look like I'm picking a target, but really just repeating "don'tbladeitdon'tbladeitdon'tbladeit" (irons) or "don'ttopitdon'ttopitdon'ttopitdon'ttopit" (woods) to myself.
4. Oops, I've been standing here a while. Better take a half-assed practice swing.
5. Line up to ball, face square to the general direction of the pin, feet together. Enter stance.
6. Step back, take a practice swing.
7. Oops, that was way fat. Gotta go clean off the club.
8. Back at the ball. One more practice swing. Ooh, that was good! Wasted it!
9. Get up to ball.
10. Pick up bag, walk 25 yards to location of topped 3-wood, and start over.

Oh, wait. That was every member of the foursome I was stuck behind tonight.

[CarlSpackler]

Walk up to ball (hopefully in fairway)
Toss blades of grass in the air to look like I know what I am doing.
Pull club from bag.
Stand behind ball and pick something a few feet in front of ball to square up to in line with target.
Square club to the something.
Square hips and shoulders to club.
Focus on gipping the club with light grip.
Tap feet several times.
Let er rip.
Swear (35% of the time)
Chase ball and repeat

[billm408]

An touring pro told me once that pros glance at the ball and stare at their target, amateurs glance at the target and stare at the ball. I always liked that.

For me, pre-shot routine starts once I grab a stick, so I've already gauged distance, terrain, lie (if I'm not on the tee), wind, type of shot I need to hit, etc...

1. Stand behind the ball and make one loose practice swing while looking at my target.
2. Approach the ball and square the club to target line.
3. Square up my stance to the club.
4. Last look at target, see the shot I want to hit.
5. Visualize the best shot I've ever hit with this club.
6. Think target, pull the trigger.
Takes me 20 seconds start to finish. Pretty much the same for putting.

I fight against any swing thoughts and try to think only about my target.