Is a pre-shot routine really that important?

Recently in several on-course lessons I have been giving I am noticing far less focus on the shot at hand or target and much more focus on the swing.  This is a recipe for disaster if you really want to play better golf.

When I am on the course with a player I am taking video of not only their swing but also what they do prior to each shot.  One thing that is noticeable to see when I am with a student is there lack of consistency in what they do prior to each shot.  I mention this because 95% of players that I coach all state at my first lesson with them is that they want to be more consistent when they play.

Golfers have a tendency to generally think that if the swing is better then their scores will be better.  This is simply NEVER true.  Even if you have a good swing, if you lack focus before a shot then your next shot will suffer.   Ben Hogan is very known for his quote; "The most important shot is your NEXT shot".

That sounds pretty simple but if you are an avid golfer I doubt you really are focused well on the shot in front of you.  Even if you are, chances are you are probably focused on too much swing mechanic and not enough on the shot at hand.

This is a never ending merry-go-round with golfers of all levels that I see.  And this is why creating a successful and efficient pre-shot routine is extremely important.  Why do you think this may be so important?

The reason is simple and your mind has so much to do with your golf game when you play. The subconscious mind is the key here.  The subconscious mind is where you are running all your mental programs that you do not have to think about.  These programs have been running for years in you.  When you learned to drive you had to learn how to put the key in, turn it and step on the peddle to get it running. You had to learn how to place the car in gear to back up.  You had to learn the art of getting out of your driveway or the difficult art of parallel parking.  Today you do all those things naturally.  This makes room in your mind to plot your course to drive and move to your destination safely through traffic.  Much of what you do every do of course are subconscious routines that you have been doing for years.

When your subconscious mind is running routines on auto pilot it frees the mind to then create what is next to be created.  In golf, the next thing to be created is the next shot in front of you.

However if you do not have a specific routine that you follow over and over and over, then you will be victim to your mind moving you to mental items that will hurt your golf game.  These mental items would be fear of a poor shot about to happen.  The lack of belief in your ability to hit a shot to distance or direction that is challenging for you. Or the worst is your mind moving you to a mechanical thought before and during your swing.  The practice range is where you work on those thoughts, feelings and athletic motions. Not the golf course.

The pre-shot routine you may think is a golfer going through some set of steps to help them create a consistent way to go through each swing.  This is correct, but WHY is this correct.

In golf as I tell all the young coaches I see, you must understand the swing and why certain motions are happening in the swing in players they coach.  Good swing coaches find the root cause of the swing mechanic that is off and they move forward to fix that.

Why a pre-shot routine is important is because if you have one, it frees the conscious mind to focus on the shot at hand.  Too many players that have no routine fall victim to the conscious mind having to wade through fear of the swing, or shot or both.  Your conscious mind should be focused on the shot at hand and only the shot at hand.  Sadly I would say that 90% of players do not efficiently work into the next shot that faces them.

When you have a pre-shot routine it allows you to successfully chose the right club for the next shot. Determine the direction or specific point you wish to hit your next shot to.  It allows you to relax the mind as you calm yourself before you step forward into the shot.

The list is endless really in why this pre-shot routine is so important,

Every shot you face needs your focus on the shot at hand.  That focus should be on the shot that faces you. For this to happen you must utilize the pre-shot routine and commit to use it every time you hit a shot.'

Your subconscious mind needs to be busy with the routine of what you are doing before the shot.  This is WHY it is so important.  If you do not have the auto pilot doing something (the subconscious mind)  then it will look for something to focus on.  That focus would be swing mechanic, fear of the shot, last shot poor memory , etc.

With a pre-shot routine effectively  in place, you can then more freely work on the shot at hand.  How to do this is another story.  But for now create a pre-shot routine so you are able to have better focus for the most important which is the next shot in front of you.

Learn how to create a pre-shot routine here.