pjcedog
New member
If you don't have one get one, no matter how you do it a pre-shot routine is critical to getting mentally and even physically ready to hit a proper golf shot.
Here is mine with reasons for why I do it in parens:
Check the yardage either GPS, laser or markers on the course and check the lie and decide what club to hit and what shot to hit. Once I decide that there is no going back, no changing it unless a gale blows in. (This is very important as far as being committed to the shot.) Then I will stand behind the ball and as I am picking out my target and my starting line (two different things!) I will try to visualize the shot I want to hit. If I can't see the shot in my mind then I pick a different shot until I can see it. (If you can't see it in your mind then you probably can't hit it - fact! Because it means you have most likely never hit that shot before anywhere even on the range.) I will then walk up next to the ball and step in with my right foot pointing straight at the ball and at a right angle to the target. (Very important to maintain correct alignment with the target) Then holding the club in my right hand only I will ground the club behind the ball with the face of the club aimed exactly in the direction I want the shot to go which should also be lined up exactly parallel to my right instep. (again - alignment) Once I have the club and my right foot lined up with the target I will step in with my left foot and make sure that my left foot is positioned so the ball is exactly where I want the ball to be in relation to that front foot (ball position - number one key to good contact and prerequisite to any good shot). As I do this I then put my left hand on the club and take my grip, without turning the club face away from the target (alignment again - very important) and then I step back to my right with my right foot to the width I want my stance to be depending on the club I am hitting making sure I keep my right foot at exactly the same right angle to the target (again this helps enormously with alignment and also locks in your stance and helps prevent swaying going back). At this point I make sure my weight is balanced and not on my heels or toes, flat footed sort of, and make sure my posture feels right, rear end out but not too far, etc. Also at this same time I am checking my balance and posture I will pick up the club and pull it in towards me to double check my distance from the ball by touching the butt end of the club to my left front pocket area and then put it back down behind the ball. (After doing this a thousand times I can tell instantly if I am setting up with the ball too far away, which almost never happens anymore, or if my posture is off and throwing my hands out away from my body too far). Once I make sure I am in the right place relative to the ball to make a good swing I will double check my arm hang to be sure my arms and hands are hanging down correctly and that my arm positions and angles are correct and that my grip is right for the shot and not too tight or loose. Any adjustments to the grip are made at this time and only after I know I am lined up perfectly with the ball and lined up on the line I want the ball to start out on. I will turn my head left once and double check my target line, I want to see the target line just to the right of my left shoulder as I look down that line. (Never pick your head up and turn to look down the line, always just rotate around your neck, the same way you are going to rotate in the swing , this is important). Then I will press my hands forward slightly and start back and make my swing. All this sounds like a lot but it really only takes about 10 seconds to actually do once I figure out the yardage and what club to hit and once I start this process I know I can swing hard and get a good result without any doubts creeping in because I have done it a thousand times before.
Here is mine with reasons for why I do it in parens:
Check the yardage either GPS, laser or markers on the course and check the lie and decide what club to hit and what shot to hit. Once I decide that there is no going back, no changing it unless a gale blows in. (This is very important as far as being committed to the shot.) Then I will stand behind the ball and as I am picking out my target and my starting line (two different things!) I will try to visualize the shot I want to hit. If I can't see the shot in my mind then I pick a different shot until I can see it. (If you can't see it in your mind then you probably can't hit it - fact! Because it means you have most likely never hit that shot before anywhere even on the range.) I will then walk up next to the ball and step in with my right foot pointing straight at the ball and at a right angle to the target. (Very important to maintain correct alignment with the target) Then holding the club in my right hand only I will ground the club behind the ball with the face of the club aimed exactly in the direction I want the shot to go which should also be lined up exactly parallel to my right instep. (again - alignment) Once I have the club and my right foot lined up with the target I will step in with my left foot and make sure that my left foot is positioned so the ball is exactly where I want the ball to be in relation to that front foot (ball position - number one key to good contact and prerequisite to any good shot). As I do this I then put my left hand on the club and take my grip, without turning the club face away from the target (alignment again - very important) and then I step back to my right with my right foot to the width I want my stance to be depending on the club I am hitting making sure I keep my right foot at exactly the same right angle to the target (again this helps enormously with alignment and also locks in your stance and helps prevent swaying going back). At this point I make sure my weight is balanced and not on my heels or toes, flat footed sort of, and make sure my posture feels right, rear end out but not too far, etc. Also at this same time I am checking my balance and posture I will pick up the club and pull it in towards me to double check my distance from the ball by touching the butt end of the club to my left front pocket area and then put it back down behind the ball. (After doing this a thousand times I can tell instantly if I am setting up with the ball too far away, which almost never happens anymore, or if my posture is off and throwing my hands out away from my body too far). Once I make sure I am in the right place relative to the ball to make a good swing I will double check my arm hang to be sure my arms and hands are hanging down correctly and that my arm positions and angles are correct and that my grip is right for the shot and not too tight or loose. Any adjustments to the grip are made at this time and only after I know I am lined up perfectly with the ball and lined up on the line I want the ball to start out on. I will turn my head left once and double check my target line, I want to see the target line just to the right of my left shoulder as I look down that line. (Never pick your head up and turn to look down the line, always just rotate around your neck, the same way you are going to rotate in the swing , this is important). Then I will press my hands forward slightly and start back and make my swing. All this sounds like a lot but it really only takes about 10 seconds to actually do once I figure out the yardage and what club to hit and once I start this process I know I can swing hard and get a good result without any doubts creeping in because I have done it a thousand times before.