Pre-Shot Routine

[HogansAlley]

Looking for suggestions on pre-shot routines. I know everybody has to use what works and feels right for them but just wondering what fellow Sand Trappers do. I currently with driver- take one full practice swing a few steps back and to the right of the ball and then place my right foot down to get the line and then set up and address the ball, irons- one full practice swing and same as with driver, putter- two looking down at the putter and two looking at the hole to try and feel the speed. I'm trying to find something that I can start doing more consistently. I tend to not always duplicate my pre-shot routine on every shot on every hole but I know this can be a very valuable mental preparation for each shot. Any suggestions?

[The Recreational Golfer]

First convince yourself that the shot you are about to hit can only have the best possible result.

After that, do whatever makes sense to you, but get right to the point of hitting the ball.

[keeps21]

The only thing I do consistently before each shot is to take a practice swing, if it doesn't feel right I'll do another and keep trying until the swing 'feels right'.

Sometimes it will only take one practice swing, sometimes it can take a few.

My putting's atrocious - I have no touch or feel on the green and no pre shot routine and my grip changes every time.

I shot 112 in my first 'proper' round last week, with no one putts, only 1 two putt, a few three's and the rest were fours.

[saevel25]

My preshot routine

Determine yardage (length to hole +/- wind, +/- elevation)

What lie do i have, were is the pin, is it one were i want to attack.

What shot would minimize my distance to the hole and minimize my chances of ending up in a really bad place.

search my memory through all the shots i can play and find a club that fits that shot and the swing i want to hit.

I stand behind the ball and visualize myself hitting that shot, the feel of the contact and the trajectory of the ball, were it will land

I do not take a practice swing though, i am not a big fan of that. Because if i made a bad practice swing then i tend to think about my swing more.

Find my starting line, and fix my club to that line, than take my stance for the shot i want to hit.

waggle a few times, let it rip.

It sounds like alot, but i am stock shot type of guy, and i hit a naturally high shot. So i really have no problem carrying trouble, or getting above trees. So unless something really bothers the natural shot shape, i do not bother with many other shot types. The only time i really take practice swings is in the rough, chip shots, and pitch shots.

[HogansAlley]

  saevel25 said:

Originally Posted by saevel25

My preshot routine

Determine yardage (length to hole +/- wind, +/- elevation)

What lie do i have, were is the pin, is it one were i want to attack.

What shot would minimize my distance to the hole and minimize my chances of ending up in a really bad place.

search my memory through all the shots i can play and find a club that fits that shot and the swing i want to hit.

I stand behind the ball and visualize myself hitting that shot, the feel of the contact and the trajectory of the ball, were it will land

I do not take a practice swing though, i am not a big fan of that. Because if i made a bad practice swing then i tend to think about my swing more.

Find my starting line, and fix my club to that line, than take my stance for the shot i want to hit.

waggle a few times, let it rip.

It sounds like alot, but i am stock shot type of guy, and i hit a naturally high shot. So i really have no problem carrying trouble, or getting above trees. So unless something really bothers the natural shot shape, i do not bother with many other shot types. The only time i really take practice swings is in the rough, chip shots, and pitch shots.

Thanks for the help. I agree that when I hit a bad practice shot, either chunky or too thin then I get to thinking more about my swing than the shot at hand. I always have to practice chip and pitch shots because I am a feel player so I look at how far I am and adjust backswing accordingly. Thanks for the post.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Well the above posts serve to demonstrate to me that I don't think about course strategy in the slightest.

My process is:

- Tee the ball.

- Stand 10ft or so behind the ball and note a mark on the ground I want to ball to fly over, imagining the ball flight and where it will land.

- Make a practice swing, still standing perpendicular to the target.

- Walk around to my address position.

- Line my club up so that the point I noted is in line with the club face.

- "wiggle" (cock my wrist to check my grip is ok, pad my feet a few times to check my stance width and make sure I'm happy with the ground I'm standing on, slide my hips parallel left a couple of times)

- Squat slightly, lift my chin a little and initiate my swing.

Waggling and checking for the best aim option to avoid problems are things I need to work on as they don't even enter my head to do.

[imtomtomim]

I'll decide the shot as I walk up to it and sometimes I'll just set up to it and see what kind of lie I'm in and how it's going to determine the shot.

Then I step back, maybe 2-3 yards behind the ball and take a couple practice swings.  Sometimes one, sometimes 3.  I'm just trying to feel the arc of the clubhead in relation to my body so I can set up to the ball properly, also gives me a good marker for my alignment.  This helps me get my tempo set as well.

Then I look at the ball, draw a quick mental stripe of the line through impact and the direction and I set up.  Set up consists of just walking up from behind and aiming the clubface, sometimes a smooth waggle so I know I'm in a natural position if it ever felt awkward.  Then I just fire away.

I need to be pretty quick about this or I won't be as focused when I hit the shot.  My attention isn't as precise if I extend the necessary time and it interferes with my instincts.  Practice swings take maybe 7-10 seconds, setup to swing maybe 5.

Short game shots, I could take up to 5 practice swings to lock in the distance.  Putting I don't take any practice swings, and never a waggle at setup but I take longer to examine the shot.

Oh, and one last thought.  When I set up, all I'm trying to do is set the arc to run into the ball and make sure that arc is pointed in the right direction.  All descriptions make it seem so complicated but it's really simple.  See it, feel it, point, shoot.

[jesup]

Here's what I do:

-I place the club behind the ball with no particular aim to check tee-height for my driver, and lie condition for my irons.

-I then back away while looking at the target, then immediately focus on getting comfortable with the particular club I have.

-I do a few half-swings while trying to focus on making a smooth transition from my back swing to down swing.  I then try to graze the grass to get myself familiar with the length of the club. I take one full swing then take a deep breath.

-I imagine what kind of shot I want to hit.  In most cases, this is just me merely imagining a 5-7 yard yard fade since this is what I generally hit with all of my clubs up until my 8-iron.

-I address the ball by first aligning my body, then my club head.  I simultaneously look back and forth between the ball and my target.

-I think "drop the club on the ball" and just focus on an even tempo, fully trusting my swing.

-Fire.

-If it goes straight, I yell "CUT!"

-In this case, the ball usually doesn't listen and I'm left with a stupidly long putt or chip.

[jshots]

my preshot routine...

yell "****!" after hitting my last shot

slam club on ground or throw club

yell "fore!"

yell more profanities

get in cart and drive to ball

take drink of beer

analyze the shot

find yardage

decide on shot type (punch, flop, draw, fade, hard, soft)

step behind ball and choose intermediate target

step up to ball

check alignment by looking down the line from ball to intermediate target and then making my feet parelell

look down entire target line imagine shot, back to intermediate target, back to ball

SWANG AWAy!

rinse repeat -> shoot low score

[anotherday]

I'm a fan of the practice swings for the purpose of muscle memory. My practice swings include all of my swing thoughts... but once I have a solid 1 or 2 practice swings I immediately step up to the ball. Now I only have 1 swing thought, do that same swing. I rely on the short-term muscle memory and just swing.

So I can have a million things running through my head on my practice swings, but the second it comes to executing my shot there is only one thing on my mind. And even then, I'm just accepting that what i've done before will happen again.. so its nothing that I need to really think about.

On a side note: My pre-shot routine of practice swings kinda gets me in a bind some times. I don't like to let go of my club.. I set my grip and practice, practice, then step up and swing, all while maintaining my same grip. The problem comes from the practice swings leaving blades of grass on my club face which annoys the hell out of me. So i have to remove my grip to wipe it off and then I have this urge to go through my routine again. But then I start taking other people's time while I OCD over my shot.

Anyone have any advice on this? Will blades of grass on the club face affect my shot? I'm assuming it will to an extent..

[aleski]

Since I've yet to develop a routine since my return to the game after a prolonged break (and having previously had a consistent, relatively functional one), I am curious, is pre-shot the pre-shot routine something fellow golfers consciously develop, or is it something that is allowed develop over time?

[awmgolfer]

I have a little different routine depending on the club I am using.

Off the tee I determine where I want the ball to go and the club to get it there. I take a full swing with no real stance just to feel the motion. I pick the smallest target where I want to hit it, grip the club as needed, step up to the ball but before taking my stance I put the club behind the ball to aim it at my target. Then I position myself and take my stance. I glance once more at my target to have it clearly in my mind and swing. Once I step up to the ball it only takes about 10 seconds till I swing. All the thinking happens behind the ball so when I step up I know exactly what I'm doing. I do the same routine for longer fairway hits.

Up closer in wedge range I will do all the behind the ball stuff as on the tee but I will take a few practice swings next to the ball to feel what kind and how big of a swing I need. Once I feel I have it, I step up, aim, and do all the same things up at the ball as I do off the tee.

With the putter, I get my line and do all the thinking behind the ball. Once I have the line I need to hit I step up to the ball, feet together but a few inches away from it. I take three practice swings to feel speed and accelerating through the ball. I then move the putter behind the ball to get it aimed on my line, then step up with my fee shoulder width apart, take one more look and then swing.

My game has really stepped up this year and I firmly believe it has a lot due to my routine.

[Mattplusness]

Here's mine:

I normally have a big dip in, so I'll line up behind the ball, visualize my shot, spit. Go up to the ball and get comfortable with 2-3 waggles, and let it rip. I find that if I take practice swings I waste my good swings!