John Lucas
The swing before the swing
Published on Wed, Feb 10, 2010 by John LucasRead More Lucas
The next tip tends to get beginners nodding off with boredom. I came across an article on the Internet the other day that had an amusing twist to the problem.
Develop a pre-shot routine. Yawn. Obviously, one doesn't see fireworks with this tip. However, all professional golfers have developed their own personal pre-shot routine.
While amateurs are bored with fundamentals, PGA pros work on them constantly. Hmmm ....
When it comes to taking a shot, there are two kinds of high handicapped golfers: the "quick shot" and the "no shot."
The "quick shot" races up to his ball, club in hand and takes a whack at the ball. If he duffs it, he hurries over to the ball and takes another whack, etc.
The "no shot" carefully chooses a club, stands looking at the ball, carefully addresses the ball and stares down at the ball. And stares and stares. He checks the target, carefully adjusts his grip, then directs his stares back at the ball. Then something doesn't feel quite right - a slight gust of wind, a dog barking in the distance, so he backs away from the ball and starts all over again. Don't you just love guys like this?
The key is to develop a consistent pre-shot routine. Use the same routine on every shot, even on the driving range, to force your swing to be more repeatable and consistent.
1. Walk into the shot from behind the ball and align with the target.
2. Take your grip and place the club behind the ball
3. Take a look at the target
4. Waggle once or twice, then pull the trigger
When you see where your ball lands, immediately begin to analyze your next shot. Do not waste your time fretting over mistakes or trying to fix your swing. Do that on the driving range.
The next time you watch a PGA or LPGA tournament, take note of what the pros do. They all have their own individual routines but they all do them every time. It is so important that when they change their mind about club selection, I have seen some pros put the club back in the bag (some even remove their glove and put it on again).
Your game will improve and you will have more fun.
Rules teaser:
In match play a player plays a wrong ball from the bunker while his opponent's ball is on the putting green. It hits the opponent's ball and knocks it into the hole. Ruling?
Answer to last teaser:
In match play a player concedes a hole. Then on the next hole he remembers he had a stroke on that hole and withdraws the concession. Ruling? A concession once made, cannot be withdrawn.
John Lucas is the golf professional at SkyRidge golf course and can be reached at john98382@olypen.com.
Develop a pre-shot routine. Yawn. Obviously, one doesn't see fireworks with this tip. However, all professional golfers have developed their own personal pre-shot routine.
While amateurs are bored with fundamentals, PGA pros work on them constantly. Hmmm ....
When it comes to taking a shot, there are two kinds of high handicapped golfers: the "quick shot" and the "no shot."
The "quick shot" races up to his ball, club in hand and takes a whack at the ball. If he duffs it, he hurries over to the ball and takes another whack, etc.
The "no shot" carefully chooses a club, stands looking at the ball, carefully addresses the ball and stares down at the ball. And stares and stares. He checks the target, carefully adjusts his grip, then directs his stares back at the ball. Then something doesn't feel quite right - a slight gust of wind, a dog barking in the distance, so he backs away from the ball and starts all over again. Don't you just love guys like this?
The key is to develop a consistent pre-shot routine. Use the same routine on every shot, even on the driving range, to force your swing to be more repeatable and consistent.
1. Walk into the shot from behind the ball and align with the target.
2. Take your grip and place the club behind the ball
3. Take a look at the target
4. Waggle once or twice, then pull the trigger
When you see where your ball lands, immediately begin to analyze your next shot. Do not waste your time fretting over mistakes or trying to fix your swing. Do that on the driving range.
The next time you watch a PGA or LPGA tournament, take note of what the pros do. They all have their own individual routines but they all do them every time. It is so important that when they change their mind about club selection, I have seen some pros put the club back in the bag (some even remove their glove and put it on again).
Your game will improve and you will have more fun.
Rules teaser:
In match play a player plays a wrong ball from the bunker while his opponent's ball is on the putting green. It hits the opponent's ball and knocks it into the hole. Ruling?
Answer to last teaser:
In match play a player concedes a hole. Then on the next hole he remembers he had a stroke on that hole and withdraws the concession. Ruling? A concession once made, cannot be withdrawn.
John Lucas is the golf professional at SkyRidge golf course and can be reached at john98382@olypen.com.
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