Watching the golf tour professionals this past season I noticed how boring these guys’ pre-shot routines really are. Here are some of the many steps that I noticed. Start from behind the ball. Tug on the shirt to draw up the sleeve. Pick a spot just ahead of your ball in line with the target. Walk around and place the club directly behind your ball with your right hand. Position your feet. Add your left hand on the club. Make sure the grip is right. Look at the target. Look back at the ball. Look back at the target. Look back at the ball. Pull the trigger.
Too often I feel that my game is in a rut and isn’t progressing. What should I do? Remembering the old adage, that insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results, I change my routine. Insert a waggle or two. Add in a practice swing thought or two. I remember that Mike Weir used a swing pump a couple of years ago to begin his swing (Joe Morgan used something similar before his baseball swing). Hmm…maybe that would help. Or, what about adding a grip/re-grip routine? No wait, I remember when Sergio first came on tour and how he would grip and re-grip his club dozens of times before each shot? Lots of us were thinking, “Just hit the ball already.” Okay, I won’t add that step.
Take a look at the same professional later in the season. He or she might have fallen out of the running for Player of the Year, but what changes have they made to their pre-shot routine? None. Nada. Not one single step. Get out your stopwatch and time a professional’s routine. It’s the same every time. By the amateur’s standard, the golf professional’s pre-shot routine is really a pre-shot rut, but professional golfers, however, don’t consider it a rut. They look at it as a solid, dependable anchor to the rhythm of their swing.
Want better results next spring? Use this winter to identify each of the steps in your pre-shot routine and solidify them into a “pre-shot rut” you can use next Spring as a dependable foundation for a better swing.
