My Impetus

A routine is defined as a customary or regular course of procedure.

I have been making a concentrated effort to create a pre-shot routine that I perform before each shot. The reasoning – if you get yourself into a habit of doing the same thing before each shot, you take alot of the analytical aspects out of the game, and allow your body and mind to work as one – and most important, you build consistency into your game.

There are a few different stages to this pre-shot routine, but the key is to keep it the same each time. I try to ’see’ or visualize what I want the ball to do, then I align myself with the target, take two swings equal to what I believe to be the correct momentum, and then align myself with the ball at the right spot in my stance. I again visualize the path I want the ball to take, swing, and then begin the post-shot routine – where I try and hold the finish until the ball lands. (However, this is the tricky part – I do not hold the pose if the ball didn’t do what I wanted. I don’t want to reinforce poor swing mechanics =) )

Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre, and CPGA Pro, shows you how to put it all together in a routine for the golf course; feel is paramount!

Hopefully you will find this tip as useful as I have. Remember – “prepare like a surgeon, swing like a hippie”. Good luck, and hit ‘em straight!

Thanks again Shawn for your excellent eLearning series.

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