| Golfing ? Give it your best shot |
By: Tom F. Stickney II
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Posted: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:35 pm
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© Matthew Apps; dreamstime.com
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The “pre-shot routine.” How many times have you heard that expression, yet how many people do you know who have one? Your pre-shot is nothing more than a mental state of mind where you focus on getting yourself mentally and physically ready to make the best shot possible. It frees your mind from negative thoughts and allows your body to stay relaxed by keeping physical motion constant. By moving through this dance step regimen, you are doing all you can to become “ready” to hit your next shot like it was your last. In this segment of your swing, you should have made all your qualitative decisions long ago, and your mind should be free of all thoughts except for the target in mind.
Your pre-shot should be a series of mental and physical “dance steps” in order to get you fully focused and ready for this shot. Not only should you do this before each shot, but also it should always take the same amount of time. A study was done years ago on Jack Nicklaus and his pre-shot routine, but it was virtually forgotten about until Greg Norman’s unfortunate fall at the Masters this year. A psychologist timed Nicklaus from the time he pulled the club out of the bag until he hit the ball on each shot, from the first tee to the 18th green during one of the important majors. The results? His time never varied more than one second! (The same psychologist measured Norman at the Masters. Lo and behold — his pre-shot got faster and faster as the round progressed.)
So just what are the steps in a routine and how do you develop them?
1. Everyone has his or her own internal pace of readiness over a shot, so that is the first clue. Never hit a shot until your clock is ready for you to go! If your internal clock is slower than your partner’s, don’t hold them up. Just start a few seconds earlier and things will be fine.
2. How many times should you look up, waggle, and shuffle your feet? To me, it has a lot to do with how high-strung you are and even how much nervous energy you have, but it is mostly related to the point above. How and what you move can only be determined by you, but never hit a shot until your mind and body are ready together!
3. What is the procedure for clearing your mind? This is the enigma of the whole situation, but things like focusing on the step-by-step process of your pre-shot and deep-breathing exercises will help dramatically. It has been studied and proven that the more relaxed you are, the less thoughts you have running through your mind at a given time. Basically, this is a lower level of extraneous awareness cues, lower personal anxiety levels and just a more content state of being.
4. How do you focus on your target? Look at where you want the ball to land or start, depending on the situation. Dr. Bob Rotella, the leading golf sports psychologist, says the smaller your target, the better chance you have of hitting the green. He uses the example of darts; do you aim at the board or the bull’s-eye? If you just aimed at the board, how many times would you get lucky enough to hit the center? Not many!
Develop your own way to “get into” your process and free your mind and body. If the professionals have a pre-shot, why don’t you?
Tom F. Stickney II is the Director of Golf Instruction at The Club at Cordillera. www.tomstickneygolf.com
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