Pro shot process

[MiniBlueDragon]

With a lot of golf coverage it's rare to see the full process a pro goes through for each shot. That got me to thinking about how varied everybody's shot process could be and I figured I'd see if anyone has any idea on how the pros or very very low handicappers play shots.

As an example, here's my own hacker process:

1. On the approach to my ball I take a look at it's lie, direction of the flag from the ball, any hazards in between.
2. Look around for any clear markers of distance from the green.
3. Estimate my distance from the marker/s and what club is about right, taking into account wind/lie etc
4. Take a practice swing behind the ball and perpendicular to the target.
5. Pick a point between ball and target to aim the club face at.
6. Take address, looking at the ball's flight path over the point I noted and imagine the shot I want to take.
7. Take my swing.
8. Sigh because the shot felt nothing like I wanted.
9. Watch where the ball lands and hope it's not too bad.

I'd assume a pro has a lot more steps in between like range finding, green landing area planning etc but I don't know exactly what and when the extras are needed. e.g. at my standard I don't think a rangefinder is needed; all I'd do is look like an idiot wasting time getting readings and then hitting too long/short/left/right.

[Harmonious]

The pro's routine will be the same every time.  The hacker's routine will change every time.  The pro will spend 90% of his routine evaluating the conditions (lie, wind direction and speed), distance to an exact spot where he wants to land the ball, ensuring his grip is exactly correct, taking practice swing(s) to get the right feeling for the shot he wants to hit. This is all done before he steps to the ball  Once he has done all his prep, he gets over the ball and swings with very little hesitation.  The hacker will spend 90% of his time standing over the ball, reciting the 20 swing thoughts in his head.

[turtleback]

My routine is nothing like yours.  Except for 7, 8, and 9.  Especially 8.  Occasionally there is a post shot routine involving an expletive.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I guess the main thing I was wondering about was the "in between" stuff. When a pro gets to his ball, does the caddie say "it's 171 to the pin with the green sloping from the large oak tree to the front right lake. You want to hit it 180 yards with a little backspin to stop it on one bounce and let the slope take it back" and then off the pro goes or does the pro check the exact distance through a range finder, check his own notes for the hole based on previous rounds there etc?

[Gioguy21]

i'm pretty sure they odn't have a laser while 'in' tournament...only practice rounds i think. as for what 'pro's' do...it's completely different for every player, take for instance mickelson with bones mckay, or furyk with fluff or sergio...completely different routines and each one speaks to their caddies for different reasons...

[Harmonious]

No rangefinders, GPS, lasers.  The caddy better have all the yardages to the front and back of the green, as well as the pin position that day.  He also better have the distance to any ridges or slopes that may affect the shot.  He also will give his best guess on the amount of wind and the direction. Not much advice on how to play the shot is needed by the pro, unless the pro wants to discuss it with him (Mickelson).  He knows what kind of shot he wants to hit.  The caddy will, of course, tell him it's the right shot, or "you got that shot" or some other confident remark.

[MiniBlueDragon]

So I assume the caddy is allowed to go for a walk around the course beforehand marking points of note, distances etc based on how his pro plays? For example he knows his pro's driver would shoot too far on a certain hole so he'd tee off with a 3W which on average goes X distance. From that shot he knows his pro hits his 4i X distance and that will get him to the back of the green etc?

I'm just trying to figure out a way to reduce my own guesswork. For example I tee off and it balloons so I have no exact way of figuring out how far I hit it, how far it is to a certain layup or the green etc. The only thing I do currently is try to find the fairway markers and estimate how far ahead/behind I am and then select the club most likely to do the job. It's a lot of estimation though and often I'm slightly short or long which clearly adds a shot I would not need to have added if my estimate had been better.

[Paradox]

caddies spend lots of time during practice rounds or early mornings ranging tons of targets on a course to see carry, reaching distance, significant spots, best layups, distances to the green from a ton of different spots, sometimes weird ones lol They have yardage books made by..Mark Long I think is his name that has a ton of details already but they'll make their own notes in it, too.

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

I'm just trying to figure out a way to reduce my own guesswork. For example I tee off and it balloons so I have no exact way of figuring out how far I hit it, how far it is to a certain layup or the green etc. The only thing I do currently is try to find the fairway markers and estimate how far ahead/behind I am and then select the club most likely to do the job. It's a lot of estimation though and often I'm slightly short or long which clearly adds a shot I would not need to have added if my estimate had been better.

Does your course have a yardage book?  That, or a GPS/laser would be a great help in determining the best places to hit your drives or approaches.

[ohiolefty]

I have my home course so cold...I am a walking yardage book. It's funny when I'm playing alone and get hooked up with someone who doesn't play there all the time and we're talking through a hole and I'm busting yardages from the top of my head. I was playing with a guy who hit his drive into an adjacent fairway on a par 5, helped him find his ball. Then he was asking how far the green was, I gave him the number and the number was ugly. He was talking about laying up and was unsure of the number and I gave it to him, helped him 'club' the whole thing. He was like "Thanks, Bones" and ended up making a par. It was cool and made me feel like a good Samaritan for once in my life.

As for my routine, it's basically the same throughout a round although I'll make minor changes based on things I might be working on. A lot of times, I take a practice shot or a half-practice shot that's based on some position I'm working on. If you're screwing something up within a round, it's best to work that out before you get up to start the hole, usually on the tee box. It's always best, in my opinion, to play a hole in a brisk rhythm.