What Do You Do Before Every Golf Shot?
When you’re preparing for a golf shot, do you have a routine? Do you go through a mental checklist? If so, how precise is it? I ask my students this very sequence of questions in my golf lessons. Often times, a student will say they have a routine, but when asked to verbalize it or write it down they simply can’t. The way I recommend you look at preparing for a golf shot is the same way an Olympic sharpshooter or biathlete prepares to shoot at a target.
First, obtain a clear understanding or image of what you need to accomplish, i.e. hitting the target or shot shape in golf.
Second, have a solid, repeatable mental checklist in order to set up as near perfect as possible to give your one shot the best odds of success.
Last, over-train this mental checklist on paper and with a trainer to a point past memorization. It is only then that you would be able to trust your routine under pressure.
Do Olympic sharpshooters miss? Do hall-of-fame pitchers miss the strike zone when it wasn’t their intention? Do great golfers hit horrendous shots? The obvious answer to all of these questions is yes, but it is infrequent. The consistency comes from the one thing all these athletes have in common – a solid, repeatable mental checklist that they had previously trained tirelessly. Even when you hit a poor shot, if you went through a precise mental checklist, you gave yourself the best chance of making a great shot.
So, the next time you’re on the range, don’t just fly through your practice bucket. Discuss the particulars with your GolfTEC Coach, get a notebook, and work out the particulars of your mental checklist so you too can give your shots the best odds of hitting the target!