If you are fortunate enough to be able to go to a golf tournament or If you watch a golf tournament on television, you notice one thing ALL the golfers have in common, a Pre-shot routine. They all do something the exact same way before each shot. Remember Sergio Garcia's routine? The way that he regripped the club 20 times before a shot bordered on insanity. He finally came to his senses and cut it down. Most of them also have what is known as a “trigger". A "trigger" is something they do that tells their mind that they are preparing to execute a golf shot. It's kind of like starting the engine of your car. This can be anything from a tug on your shirt sleeve, to twirling the golf club in your hand or even a phrase that you say to yourself.
One of the easiest ways to improve your game is to focus on your pre-shot routine. Most high handicap golfers don't have a routine at all, they basically step up to the shot after a couple of practice swings and freeze so they think of negative thoughts. If you don't have a routine you can't have a clear expectation for the shot you are about to hit. How many times have you missed a putt because you stepped up and just hit it? I know that you're thinking you've made a lot of putts that way also, but when the money is on the line you have to be able to rely on your routine.
When you focus on your routine that takes your mind off of the results. Thinking about the results is a sure way to bring negative thoughts to mind. "If I miss this putt I'll be down $2". "I haven't made any putts today" "This putt for birdie is only 6 feet if I miss it will be embarrassing". Any of these sound familiar? You can't play good golf with negative thoughts in your head. Negative thoughts create doubt, and doubt creates tension. Tension is the scourge golf. Have you ever played good golf in a bad mood?
When you focus on your pre-shot routine you're not thinking about anything else. Ideally your routine should have about 5 steps, if you focus on each step there is no time to have negative thoughts, ie tension. Here is a simple routine you can use the next time you play.:
1. Say to yourself “Focus". This is your trigger.
2. Stand behind the ball and look at the target.
3. Address the ball and check your alignment
4. Look at the target 2 times
5. Pull the trigger
Master your pre-shot routine and you will find the key to consistency.
