If you watch the PGA Tour, you’ll notice that every golfer has a consistent and repeatable pre-shot routine they use before every shot. Below we outline our best advice for how to establish a pre-shot routine that will make you more confident for every shot.
Visualize:
Perhaps the best example on Tour of a golfer who visualizes is Jason Day. Before every single shot, he closes his eyes and pictures the shot he’s about to hit. If you’re going to do one thing before you hit the ball, we recommend this be it. Picture the putt or the ball flight that you want to achieve. Don’t just step up and take a swing. We guarantee this small adjustment will lead to more consistency in your game.
Practice Swings:
When you take practice swings, try to recreate them at a spot where you think the lie is going to be similar to the one you have under your ball. If you’re in the rough, don’t take a practice swing in the fairway. This technique helps you get the lay of the land. When you hit your actual shot, you’ll be more confident because you’ve already been swinging under the same conditions.
Alignment:
Pick a spot on the ground in line with your target anywhere from 2 – 4 feet in front of your ball. Align your body to focus on that point and when you swing try to get the ball to go over that spot. Do the exact same thing on the greens but pick your spot about 6 – 12 inches in front of the ball.
Waggle:
When you address the ball, we believe that a little waggle helps alleviate tension in the upper body. Don’t overdo it but take the club back a couple times on the correct swing path to get a feel for that particular shot. When you loosen the tension in your upper body, it will allow for a full turn in your swing.
Set your feet:
This is one of the most important parts of the pre-shot routine. When you address the ball “knead” the ground a bit with your feet to get into a comfortable position. This technique helps establish a solid base with your lower body. If your feet don’t feel right, it’s much harder to hit a good shot, so we highly recommend this for every golfer.
Loosen the tension in your hands:
Do not grip the club tightly for any shot. If you struggle with this, Frogger Golf makes a great grip training aid that works on every club and helps alleviate tension for golfers of every skill level.
Breathe:
One deep breath before you hit every shot. Trust us on this one.
Our best advice: Get to a comfortable position
When you’re relaxed, loose, and have visualized the shot beforehand, you’ll make better swings. If you feel like you’re not in a good spot, it’s okay to reset and get back to that comfortable position. Finding that “happy place” before every swing will absolutely lead to lower scores and better ball-striking.
Do you have any pre-shot tips and tricks that you like to use? Please share them in the comment section below or reach out to us @frogger on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
