Pre-Shot Routine
RESPECT THE GAME– Obviously golf deserves some respect, but we aren’t talking about the course or the rules in this regard. We are talking about you. We are talking about discipline. Here is an excerpt from my book on the acronym:
R-Resist hitting the shot you have not practiced. If you have not seen it work with your own eyes from your own swing, it will not work. It is risky, and risky does not pay off in golf 90% of the time. Manage your misses.
E-Environment must be analyzed for each shot. Lie, wind, obstacles. The foundation of each shot is what the ball is telling you on the ground. Start there and build a plan from the ball up.
S-Setup your club and body for the planned shot. Clubface points to the ending of the golf shot (where you want the ball to finish), body points to the beginning flight path. Choke up if the ball is above your feet, take all the club if it is below.
P-Prepare your rhythm with a deep breath. Oxygen is your friend. Holding your breath unintentionally causes an increase in heartrate.
E-Emotionally calm yourself before the swing. The last shot does not matter, the shot after this one does not matter until you execute this one. This shot matters.
C-Commit to your shot that you chose. You have decided, now stick to it. Swing your yardage, execute your swing.
T-Tilt your head behind the ball. This encourages clean contact. Remember golf is speed. Golf is velocity.
T-Tempo is fluid and smooth. Fast backswings do not always equate to long shots. Deliberate controlled tempo.
H-Hit the ball first. Address and impact are the same distance from the ground. No dipping trying to get some extra on it. That ends up three inches behind the ball. Ball first, then divot.
E-Evaluate the impact. The club tells a story the moment you feel the impact. Toe strikes, heel strikes, low or high on the face. The divot from the ground is an important chapter in the story. Read it as well.
G-Gaze at the ball flight. Direction indicates a push or pull. Bend indicates side spin. Did it fly as intended? If not, what caused the miscalculation?
A-Analyze how the shot felt. Think of the hands and the vibration. Did the hands turn one way or the other on impact?
M-Make mental notes on both. These notes will guide you through your round on how you are swinging and how everything is ending up. No changing your swing during play unless it is absolutely necessary.
E-Evaluate how to play your next shot. Start back at resisting, look at the environment and go again. Make the most of the next shot.
This is repeatable and consistent. If you are going out on the golf course and just winging it, you have no system to rely on when there is pressure. A pre-shot routine is MANDATORY. A post-shot routine is MANDATORY. You have to evaluate if the shot you thought of in your mind was brought to life in reality. If is was not, there are adjustments you must make. Insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results. Honestly, nobody wants to play with the person who cannot figure out their own golf game. So, adopt a system and use it every single time that you play. It will make the game more enjoyable!
-David