Most of this information came from the book Every Shot Must Have A Purpose, by Lynn Marriot and Pia Nelson. This book is a must have in your collection! Your pre-shot routine is more important than you probably think! It is amazing to me how we can talk ourselves right out of a shot! The dialog that that goes on in your head probably sounds a little like this….Last time I was here I hit it in the water. DON’T HIT IT IN THE WATER! or… there are people behind us waiting! or…. keep my head still, slow back swing, left arm straight, hands to the ball, shake hands with the target, balance, (your a-z list of things that you think you should be doing).
Well I have to say that all of this chatter is really messing up your game. You can be brand new to the game or an old pro and benefit form a good pre-shot routine.
Here it goes… first we should start our routine from behind the ball also called your Think Box. In your Think Box you can take your practice swing… and think of all the hundreds of swing thoughts you would like. This is the time to work on the mechanics of the swing. This is also the time to see your shot. What do you want your shot to look like? Where do you want it to go?
Once you make your decision step up to your ball with confidence! This is your Play Box. Get into your stance, GAZE at your target..did you hear that? GAZE! We tend to look at it but we don’t really see it. We are more worried about what our body is doing instead of our target. See an image of the ball flying to where you want it to go. You want to be target oriented instead of body oriented at this point. If you see the water or hazard or whatever other than your target, STEP AWAY! Start your routine again!
Once you are over the ball again, breath, swing to the target. This should be your only thought. BE COMMITTED TO YOUR SHOT! If you have doubt STEP AWAY! You know you are going to hit it well before you even hit it! One of my favorite saying in the book is “PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INTENTION”.
You can even keep score of your focus. On a scale of 1-10, how focused were you over each shot? Add up this score at the end of each round and try to improve that and you will improve your game! GOOD LUCK! Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions!
