Does anyone have their own checklist before taking a shot?

[looseleftie]

After reading and YouTubing over the last few days re tips/suggestions on improving, the advice is hard to remember when u are about to take a swing at a ball.. I wrote out a 8 step checklist, and the beauty here, is that most points to remember are before I actually hit the ball.. I have been religiously following it, and my consistancy feels like it has dramatically improved (for a newbie!!)..

Most of my errors are occuring in the backswing, and due to fact that the backswing isn't fast, I found it easy to focus on each step..

It's appears to be so obvious, shame it took me a month to work this out for myself..

Anyone else have a checklist??

Love your thoughts on this.

Cheers

Looseleftie

[saevel25]

Mine is something like this,

-Get yardage (base yardage +/- wind,elevation,temperature, how the swing feels)

-Whats the shot (do i want to play away from water, do i have to clear a bunker, is the pin in a tight spot)

-Pick a club (using the shot selection i am comfortable with, pick a club that if i hit the shot shape goes that yardage)

-Stand behind the ball, visualize the shot, take a few practice swings, become 100% comfortable with the shot. If not then go back to What type of shot i want to do and proceed down again. Really what i try to think here is, i know i hit a shot like this in the past, i know the feeling of the contact, i know the shot shape, i know the result. Then i try to remember that contact feel and visualization to my set up. Even when i stand over the ball, i will be trying to remember that feeling of the club making that flush contact with the ball.

-Point of no return, walk from behind the ball to the side, place club down on were i want the ball to start, take my stance for the shot at hand, waggle, and let it rip.

[dak4n6]

Of course a consistent pre-shot routine (checlist) is essential for consistent shotmaking. Mine is:

- Yardage

- Determine shot (considering wind, lie, elevation, pin location, etc.)

- Pull club

- Practice the swing that will produce the desired shot (this is when I consciously activate any particlular swing keys)

- Address ball for desired shot

- Swing (as this point my only swing thought is eye on ball and hit it crisp)

[lumpuckeroo]

Yardage

Pull club

Swing

No time to let thoughts creep into my mind, I spend even less time over a putt.  I find when I'm indecisive, that's when I make bad swings and bad strokes.

[WUTiger]

I would suggest that checklist is something you would use on the range or during practice holes to make sure your swing sequence is in order.

When playing, I tend to do better when I rely primarily on pre-shot routine (automatic) and setting alignment. If I start thinking checklist, I tend to exaggerate parts of the swing and lose my rhythm.

For about several years now, I have successfully gone non-verbal on my putting. I just imagine the track the ball will roll, take a couple of practice strokes for backswing distance and tempo, see "square clubface" in my set up, and hit the ball.

On full swing, slipping into checklist creates a "beehive head" of too many buzzing throughts, and I then blow a couple of shots before I come to my senses.

[Zeph]

I don't have a checklist in that matter. I pretty much do the same thing over and over again, but it's automatic by now. I sometimes take longer to set myself up or pick a club, or a couple of extra practice swings. It's more about finding your own rhythm I guess. Mine is: Plan the shot while approaching the ball Shoot some distances with my rangefinder Find out what I want to do and pick a club A practice swing Go! I look at some people that stand over the ball for 10 seconds, waggling three times and moving back and forth. It's not how I have to do it, but it's how they have to do it. As long as you don't spend an unreasonable long time, just do whatever works for you.

[GaijinGolfer]

- Get yardage

- Select club

- stand behind ball and visualize shot

- take 2 practice swings

- set up to ball making sure to align right foot to target at 90* angle, then aiming club to target, then align shoulders parallel to target

[mdl]

You def don't want a swing mechanics checklist going through your mind on the course.  One or two keys you're working on, something like keeping the weight forward/centered or hands deep or a key for firing the down swing or something, is fine to think about during your practice swings (IMO).  But you definitely don't want an 8 step checklist you're going through mentally on the course.  Have that list at the range, try to ingrain things, maybe figure out a single key where thinking about that helps alleviate your biggest struggle at the moment.  But on the course, IMO you more want to focus on staying smooth, swinging easy and with good tempo, and all the shot selection/visualization/commitment stuff others have posted about.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by mdl

You def don't want a swing mechanics checklist going through your mind on the course.  One or two keys you're working on, something like keeping the weight forward/centered or hands deep or a key for firing the down swing or something, is fine to think about during your practice swings (IMO).  But you definitely don't want an 8 step checklist you're going through mentally on the course.  Have that list at the range, try to ingrain things, maybe figure out a single key where thinking about that helps alleviate your biggest struggle at the moment.  But on the course, IMO you more want to focus on staying smooth, swinging easy and with good tempo, and all the shot selection/visualization/commitment stuff others have posted about.

Im not a fan of having mechanical swing thoughts on the course period.  Ive always been more of a feel player and even in my practice swings Im trying to make a swing that feels right.  Save the mechanical swing thoughts for the range.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by TitleistWI

Im not a fan of having mechanical swing thoughts on the course period.  Ive always been more of a feel player and even in my practice swings Im trying to make a swing that feels right.  Save the mechanical swing thoughts for the range.

How do you define a "mechanical" swing thought versus a "feel" one?

For example, what if "bend the right elbow sooner" is my swing thought for the day. Is that a "feel" thought or a "mechanical" thought?

The whole point of "feels" is to change (ideally to improve) mechanics, no?

BTW, my checklist is probably something like:

- Yardage, wind, elevation, lie, pin location, green shape, blah blah blah blah (can I just list that as one step)?

- My swing thought for the day

That's it.

[Phil McGleno]

- What's for dinner?
- Is it my turn yet?
- Are we having chicken again?
- Still not my turn? Why are these guys so slow?
- Oh, wait, we're going out tonight, right?
- Cripes, why doesn't he just drop a ball?
- I think I'll order the chicken. It's good at Cheddar's right?
- Is it my turn yet?

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by iacas

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitleistWI

Im not a fan of having mechanical swing thoughts on the course period.  Ive always been more of a feel player and even in my practice swings Im trying to make a swing that feels right.  Save the mechanical swing thoughts for the range.

How do you define a "mechanical" swing thought versus a "feel" one?

For example, what if "bend the right elbow sooner" is my swing thought for the day. Is that a "feel" thought or a "mechanical" thought?

The whole point of "feels" is to change (ideally to improve) mechanics, no?

If your mechanical thoughts aren't feel-based then they can be separate I reckon. For example if I stand at address and have a set of visual checks I do at address, followed by visual cues during the takeaway then they're mechanical moves but not related to feel.

Definitely agree that feel can be used to improve mechanics providing the person is able to understand the feel required for the desired outcome.

My shot checklist only exists on the range when I'm deliberately practicing something, e.g. "Am I doing this thing? Yes I am..."

On the course I have a 'process' rather than checklist which might sound a little anal of me but it's true. If I had a checklist it wouldn't matter what order I have for all my items whereas a process needs to be done in a certain order.

My process is:

- Evaluate the lie of the ball and what can/can't be done with it.

- Pick out a target and check distance to the target.

- Check required ball flight for the shot.

- Stand at address and waggle while checking the target and ball flight in my mind.

- Take my shot.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by iacas

How do you define a "mechanical" swing thought versus a "feel" one?

For example, what if "bend the right elbow sooner" is my swing thought for the day. Is that a "feel" thought or a "mechanical" thought?

The whole point of "feels" is to change (ideally to improve) mechanics, no?

BTW, my checklist is probably something like:

- Yardage, wind, elevation, lie, pin location, green shape, blah blah blah blah (can I just list that as one step)?

- My swing thought for the day

That's it.

To me at least, mechanical thoughts refer to specific moves that I want my body to make where as feel thoughts are more like, "swing easy" or just having an image of my mind of the shot shape that I want.

[looseleftie]

Thank you all for offering your thoughts on this... Always apprecaited.. If my game was where many of you guys games are at, then my checklist would be vastly different than the one that I have developed a couple of days ago..

I guess where I am at, my fundamentals are all over the place!! So, accepting that this is part of my development, I thought that if I had a pre shot routine, one that is incorporated right into the swing then this may help my development.. Remembering I am a beginner, I have not built up muscle memory or consistancy/feel on my shots yet.. This checklist is an aid..

7 of my 8 list items are BEFORE I hit the ball..

1.grip

2.feet

3.distance from ball

4.weight slightly on back foot

---------

5.eye on back of ball                          All of this is easy to remember, and takes place slowly and before I even hit the ball

6.close and straight elbow during backswing

7.hinge keeping swing plane

--------------------

8.downswing keeping arm straight

Till I get a lesson, late next week, I will follow this, I improved from high 75-82 s to 65 today off 9 holes.. Poor scores i know, but there is improvement.

Golf is one of the few club/racquet sports where the ball u hit is stationary, thereby allowing you some time in backswing to concentrate on technical issues.. I might be horribly wrong here, and happy to conceed as I am only learning this magnificent sport..Love all your thoughts here, and thank you for answering questions that I daresay have probably come up many,many times on this forum previosly.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by looseleftie

Thank you all for offering your thoughts on this... Always apprecaited.. If my game was where many of you guys games are at, then my checklist would be vastly different than the one that I have developed a couple of days ago..

I guess where I am at, my fundamentals are all over the place!! So, accepting that this is part of my development, I thought that if I had a pre shot routine, one that is incorporated right into the swing then this may help my development.. Remembering I am a beginner, I have not built up muscle memory or consistancy/feel on my shots yet.. This checklist is an aid..

7 of my 8 list items are BEFORE I hit the ball..

1.grip

2.feet

3.distance from ball

4.weight slightly on back foot

---------

5.eye on back of ball                          All of this is easy to remember, and takes place slowly and before I even hit the ball

6.close and straight elbow during backswing

7.hinge keeping swing plane

--------------------

8.downswing keeping arm straight

Till I get a lesson, late next week, I will follow this, I improved from high 75-82 s to 65 today off 9 holes.. Poor scores i know, but there is improvement.

Golf is one of the few club/racquet sports where the ball u hit is stationary, thereby allowing you some time in backswing to concentrate on technical issues.. I might be horribly wrong here, and happy to conceed as I am only learning this magnificent sport..Love all your thoughts here, and thank you for answering questions that I daresay have probably come up many,many times on this forum previosly.

Hang in there.  When I first started playing this game my swing thoughts were very mechanical much like your's are now.  Over time, things will feel more natural to where you wont need to focus on that stuff as much anymore and you can instead focus on feel.

[Zeph]

Forgot to mention I almost always got a swing thought too. It can change from round to round and even change during a round if a part of my swing goes haywire. Normally it's just whatever I'm working on at the moment. I think the whole "mechanical" vs "feel" discussion is stupid. A swing is a combination of both, whether you want it or not. The swing is by definition a mechanical movement and you get tons of feedback from the nerves in the body, which we call "feel". Some like to have a swing thought at the course to prevent certain mistakes or just to ingrain changes faster, others don't. That does not mean the latter is swinging with "feel" and the other not. For me, it's definitely a thing that's working well. I'm able to work on whatever I do at the range, at the course. Plus, it helps me score better. It's pretty common that you hit it good on the range, then things start getting woozy out at the course. By taking my swing thoughts with me to the course, it helps me focus on what I have to do and I guess it takes away some of the other thoughts that can creep in. I can't keep my head empty during a swing, it just doesn't work that way. By occupying it with "keep the head still", it prevents "OH MY GOD THERE IS A HUGE F***ING POND BETWEEN ME AND THE TARGET!" or "What was it that guy I'm playing with said just now? Something about his wife?" from sneaking in through the subconscious backdoor. I find my target, pick my club, set myself up and focus on my swing thought. If I aligned properly and execute the swing like I intended, things will work out. Again, there are no rules. Do whatever works for you.

[anthony]

Originally Posted by TitleistWI

- Get yardage

- Select club

- stand behind ball and visualize shot

- take 2 practice swings

- set up to ball making sure to align right foot to target at 90* angle, then aiming club to target, then align shoulders parallel to target

This is almost exactly what I do.

[rustyredcab]

wish I did not have swing thoughts but I do. I used to be bad -- like a space shuttle pilot with pre-flight list a mile long.

This last week (while on golf trip and playing every day), I got it down to a few pre-shot reminders:

After picking club and target and setting up...

1. Keep left arm straight, low, and slow

2. get right elbow into "tucked" position on backswing

3. slight flex in right knee

4. drive into flexed left knee.

5. Finish backswing