What is your pre-shot routine?

[Hatchman]

At address position a few light swings to feel club and loosen up then drive, hit, or put away. Don't think much about it and probably why the results are similarly lacking.

[jsgolfer]

check lie,wind and gps

Choose club

address ball

gripfidget and regrip once or twice

2 waggles

forward press

Rip it

Our routines are pretty similar, i have maybe 3 or 4 waggles but no grip fidget.

And I take no practice swings, except maybe when I'm under 80 yards and not taking a full swing.

[mtsalmela80]

What is the official sandtrap definition of waggle? Its not shaking your rear end is it? I'm thinking its more settling your body into the shot. That I do, followed by some re-gripping.

[9wood]

tee ball to my preferred height

take two practice swings

pick a target to aim at

line up correctly

drive ball

[jsgolfer]

What is the official sandtrap definition of waggle? Its not shaking your rear end is it? I'm thinking its more settling your body into the shot. That I do, followed by some re-gripping.

Waggle the club for me, LoL

[Pretzel]

What is the official sandtrap definition of waggle? Its not shaking your rear end is it? I'm thinking its more settling your body into the shot. That I do, followed by some re-gripping.

The generally accepted definition of waggle is that it's a motion of the golf club that is similar to the start of your backswing, usually to loosen up right before a shot or to get into a kind of relaxed rhythm. This video of Jason Dufner gives a good example of a waggle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBoUmLN__SA

I do have a habit of shaking my posterior as I settle into my shot though. It's a similar wiggle to what you would see a baseball or football player do as they settle into their stance.

[ryan772]

My "waggle" is usually moving my club left to right over the ball to loosen the tension in my arms. Then set the club and swing

[Spitfisher]

practice swing from behind the ball while picking aiming point... line up club behind ball and "step into" stance... quick peek at desired target... whack it and hope it goes basically where i want it to... from start to whack, no more than 20 seconds... the less time i have to think, the better...

I have the same for every shot like yours, sand, putting, fairway or tee shot 13 seconds for all.

[saevel25]

Something I want to add that has helped me a lot lately. Visualizing the ball flight before a shot.

My Preshot Routine

- Get an idea of the type of shot I want to hit (yardage, club, ect..)

- Stand behind the ball and visualize the ball flight. Since I don't ever actually see the ball being hit when I swing. I also don't see the first 1/3 of the ball flight. I tend to just visualize the ball flight as it nears the apex and how it curves. I'll stand behind the ball for a few seconds seeing the shot I want, really trying to imagine that ball flight

- Approach the ball setting up to my target line

- Do one waggle

- Pull the trigger

[dchoye]

Something I want to add that has helped me a lot lately. Visualizing the ball flight before a shot. My Preshot Routine - Get an idea of the type of shot I want to hit (yardage, club, ect..) - Stand behind the ball and visualize the ball flight. Since I don't ever actually see the ball being hit when I swing. I also don't see the first 1/3 of the ball flight. I tend to just visualize the ball flight as it nears the apex and how it curves. I'll stand behind the ball for a few seconds seeing the shot I want, really trying to imagine that ball flight - Approach the ball setting up to my target line - Do one waggle - Pull the trigger

Never really thought about it. When I hitting a good ball by the time I turn my head and look at my ball flight it's already near the apex and I only see the descending part of the flight. It's when I get to anxious and turn to quickly to look that I mess up my shot. When I'm lobbing around the green I make sure I visualize my entire shot Chipping and uphill putts I just look for a spot. For shorter putts I make sure my eyes are down the target line. Sometime that means I have stand a bit open.

[RayG]

Less think, more do... Once I'm over the ball. my "starter" is a little squat of about an inch or two, then swing. Starting from a dead stop is a killer for me. That little 'squat' starts me moving.

[DeadMan]

1. Take a practice swing next to ball
2. Walk behind the ball
3. Pick out target line, find target a few feet in front of me
4. Line up with the short target
5. Swing

Takes about 10 seconds total. Sometimes I'll add a second practice swing, but generally not.

[Gator Hazard]

Having just started out I find that I spend more time over the ball than I probably should but I am okay with it right now.  Typically I will have an idea of what club I am going to pull as I am approaching my ball.  Once I get there, I usually:

1) look from behind the ball

2) put the club on ground and grip with what I think is a proper grip

3) Take a practice swing sometimes but not always, something I need to remedy but trying to not take too much time I sometimes skip this process

4) Align shot with club behind ball then place feet

5) Pray to the golf gods not to shank it and look like a clown offering up my children as future golfers in return for good contact

6) Wagle just a bit to get motion started, coil away, uncoil

7) walk up about 10 to 30 yards and repeat

This does not take long as I am very conscious of who is behind me when there are players.  Last weekend we had the back 9 to ourselves basically as it got a little windy and cloudy and a bunch of golfers tucked tail and went in so I had extra time to try.

Putting my routine is a little different:

1) I will usually try and take one good look from behind the ball (if no one behind us and a long one, maybe go around and see from other side but I understand I am not on tour unlike some        clowns I have seen in front of us looking from all angles at a 4 footer)

2) set up beside, take one or two conscious putt swings to make sure if sloping not going to ground club or whatever

3) take putting stance and place club directionally behind ball

4) look at hole, look at back of ball, look at hole, look at back of ball

5) execute putting stroke.

I try not to take too much time over the ball when putting.  The reason I do this is may or may not be contentious.  I noticed in videos of kids golfing, that when they putt, they are almost unconscious about it but they do much the same and drain them.  I think it shows that there is something to not overthinking on the putting green.  You are either going to put it in or you are going to miss it, so aim small miss small and don't freak out about it.

Notice I did not put fix my ball mark in there because those don't happen often yet but when I do make one I fix it and try and fix others I see as well time permitting

[dilbertrob]

1. Tee up the ball.

2. Step to the ball.

3. Take 1 practice swing.

4. Drive the ball.

5. Go search the woods for said ball.

[MrDC]

1- swig of beer
2- pull on the stogie
3- wink for the cart girl
4- a little Judge Smails waggle
5- stripe it

[9wood]

Take a practice swing next to ball

Walk behind the ball

Pick out target line, find target a few feet in front of me

Line up with the short target

Swing

Takes about 10 seconds total. Sometimes I'll add a second practice swing, but generally not.

Your steps 2-4 are the most important for me when I drive. I use to line up with the long target down field but have found that lining up with the short target produces much better results for me.

[jsgolfer]

1. Tee up the ball.

2. Step to the ball.

3. Take 1 practice swing.

4. Drive the ball.

5. Go search the woods for said ball.

Too Funny

[awmgolfer]

I try to keep mine pretty simple and consistent overall.

1. Pick my target, as small a spot as possible.
2. Decide the shot shape I want to go for if needed and visualize the shot
3. 2 practice swings about a foot away just to get a feel for the swing, usually 1/2 speed swings
4. Take one step forward with right foot to address the ball with my club face aimed at my target and once aimed I step in with the other foot into my stance
5. Take one more look at the target and fire.

For chips I do pretty much the same thing except I may take a few more swings until I feel comfortable with what I'm doing. Putting is also the same routine except I take 3 practice swings but they are one after another and I do a slight forward press to initiate the putt.