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What's Your Pre-Shot Routine?


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What is your pre-shot routine for a full swing, a short game shot, or a putt? Why? What other routines/parts of a routine have you tried and discarded?

 

My routines

 

Full shot: get behind the ball, use the club to draw a line from the ball to the target and pick a spot a few inches in front of the ball to allign with. Allign the club face, then my feet. Look at the target, take a full practice swing, envision the result, then step in and swing.

 

Short game: Same alignment process, put after that I take some practice swings looking at the hole to get a feel for the shot. Visualize, step in, hit it.

 

Putting: Same alignment, 1-2 practice strokes looking at the cup, then visualize, step in and go.

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Full: Walk up behind to see line, stand over ball squaring clubface to line, waggle head of club, pump arms in/out once to loosen, slowly pull back and let it go.

 

Short: wipe the tears away from missing the green again...

 

Putting. Mark, look for drainage on green to read slope, pick spot to aim at, replace ball square face to target and let rip. too much thinking here and my touch seems to go. 3ft or less I will sometimes use the alignment aid on the ball to be sure...

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Full: Walk up behind to see line, stand over ball squaring clubface to line, waggle head of club, pump arms in/out once to loosen, slowly pull back and let it go.

 

Short: wipe the tears away from missing the green again...

 

Putting. Mark, look for drainage on green to read slope, pick spot to aim at, replace ball square face to target and let rip. too much thinking here and my touch seems to go. 3ft or less I will sometimes use the alignment aid on the ball to be sure...

 

 

When you say that you square the face to the line (putter or full swing), how do you do that? Is it just feel & eyes? Do you work on your alignemtn on the range to make sure you're on target?

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When you say that you square the face to the line (putter or full swing), how do you do that? Is it just feel & eyes? Do you work on your alignemtn on the range to make sure you're on target?

I use the orange sticks at the range to be sure that I am swinging on line. usually on course, I pick some leaf or something that in on my target line and try to keep that line. if my tempo is good, it works fairly well.

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I use the orange sticks at the range to be sure that I am swinging on line. usually on course, I pick some leaf or something that in on my target line and try to keep that line. if my tempo is good, it works fairly well.

 

 

I see. I try to do the same thing as far as picking a spot to aim over. I also like the orange alignment sticks, I find that sometimes my eyes get "out of sync" and I need to really focus on getting my eyes to appreciate what "aligned" really looks like.

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I see. I try to do the same thing as far as picking a spot to aim over. I also like the orange alignment sticks, I find that sometimes my eyes get "out of sync" and I need to really focus on getting my eyes to appreciate what "aligned" really looks like.

As a beginner this is something that I really have had to work on. Where I thought I was aiming and where I was aiming were often not in sync.

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As a beginner this is something that I really have had to work on. Where I thought I was aiming and where I was aiming were often not in sync.

 

 

I think that's a big problem for lots of people, myself included, at times. My dad used to have that problem very severely, but I bought him a putting mat that he aligned with the tile on his floor and it seems to have helped him out quite a bit.

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I think that's a big problem for lots of people, myself included, at times. My dad used to have that problem very severely, but I bought him a putting mat that he aligned with the tile on his floor and it seems to have helped him out quite a bit.

Fo me putting, I never practice with lines. I do have a laser that I will use occasionally at home if I am missing a ton, but I want to connect how I am aiming with where it is going and re-learn the aiming thought.

if that makes sense

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Fo me putting, I never practice with lines. I do have a laser that I will use occasionally at home if I am missing a ton, but I want to connect how I am aiming with where it is going and re-learn the aiming thought.

if that makes sense

 

A special golf laser or just a common laser pointer?

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Fo me putting, I never practice with lines. I do have a laser that I will use occasionally at home if I am missing a ton, but I want to connect how I am aiming with where it is going and re-learn the aiming thought.

if that makes sense

 

 

I think I may have been unclear about this. He doesn't use lines on his ball or anything like that. The mat is rectangular, so he lays the mat down parallel with the lines in the tile on the floor. That way he can line up his feet on the tile and know that he's lined up correctly with the target. Does that make more sense?

 

What you say you use a laser, what kind of laser and how do you use it?

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I think I may have been unclear about this. He doesn't use lines on his ball or anything like that. The mat is rectangular, so he lays the mat down parallel with the lines in the tile on the floor. That way he can line up his feet on the tile and know that he's lined up correctly with the target. Does that make more sense?

 

What you say you use a laser, what kind of laser and how do you use it?

I use a laser level so there is a long line down the putting green into the hole. After striking the ball, if I am online, the laser paints the ball all the way into the hole.

Only on my small practice green indoors though.

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I use a laser level so there is a long line down the putting green into the hole. After striking the ball, if I am online, the laser paints the ball all the way into the hole.

Only on my small practice green indoors though.

 

Wow, that's a really cool idea. Just one more toy I'm going to need to go get for my indoor putting room.

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Wow, that's a really cool idea. Just one more toy I'm going to need to go get for my indoor putting room.

$15 bucks at home depot for great feedback. Mine is the Black and Decker one that comes with a little leveling stand too.

Pro at the GG out here turned me on to using it, and I even had this one in the house already. Bonus!

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$15 bucks at home depot for great feedback. Mine is the Black and Decker one that comes with a little leveling stand too.

Pro at the GG out here turned me on to using it, and I even had this one in the house already. Bonus!

 

$15 is quite reasonable. Can't believe I don't already have one, now that you mention it...major oversight on my part.

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$15 is quite reasonable. Can't believe I don't already have one, now that you mention it...major oversight on my part.

If anyone would Norm, I would have expected you would. I had to swipe the one we had from the wife's picture hanging supplies.

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full shot: behind ball look at line want to start ball on then look at where my feet will be placed approach the ball either from left or right depends on if i am hitting a draw or fade, im lefty so if i am fading it i approach from the right draw i come from the left, take 2-3 swings sometimes one if it should have been the one to hit it with. all about feel period. u feel it u hit it

 

short same as above just pay alot more attention where my feet and ball position are, for flops low runners etc.

 

putting: read putt gett line behind ball, find a blade of grass in front of ball to roll over, look at foot positions, same as full shot if it is a left to right putt approach from left and vice versa. make 3 practice strokes and pull the trigger.

 

 

I have been trying to condense this a little but after u do it all the time it is pretty short less than 35 secs from behind the ball to hittin it i think to much time can hurt u mentally lets u think about the negatives after the positives are though out, which are few and far in between/

Andrew Bush da lefty of the forum.

 

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I see. I try to do the same thing as far as picking a spot to aim over. I also like the orange alignment sticks, I find that sometimes my eyes get "out of sync" and I need to really focus on getting my eyes to appreciate what "aligned" really looks like.

 

I pick something on the fairway about 6-12 inches in front of me and imagine rail road tracks to get everything else lined up to the target or parallel to the target.

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I use a laser level so there is a long line down the putting green into the hole. After striking the ball, if I am online, the laser paints the ball all the way into the hole.

Only on my small practice green indoors though.

 

I've done that too. Yeah, not a good idea outdoors. I don't think other players would appreciate a laser being projected across the practice green. That would be a tad bit distracting...

Callaway FT-9 Driver 10.5* Grafalloy Prolaunch Axis Blue

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Cobra Baffler Rail F Fairway 15.5* Fujikura Motore

Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

Ping Tour-W 56*,60* DG Spinner

Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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My routine is similar to the others that have been posted. The exception would be what I do on the green. I'm starting to become a lot less mechanical in that part of my game. I rarely use the line on my ball to line up anymore and I try not to stand over the ball too much. Just pick a line, judge my speed, and hit it.

 

I've found I over think things less and rely more on feel, which generally yields me better results anyway.

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Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

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I use a laser level so there is a long line down the putting green into the hole. After striking the ball, if I am online, the laser paints the ball all the way into the hole.

Only on my small practice green indoors though.

 

I used to have a piece of string setup over my putting green that made a straight line from the ball to the hole. It was basically the same idea.

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I used to have a piece of string setup over my putting green that made a straight line from the ball to the hole. It was basically the same idea.

 

And probably cheaper than $15

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Callaway FT-9 Driver 9.0* Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum

Cobra Baffler Rail F Fairway 15.5* Fujikura Motore

Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

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Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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I've heard of using a string tied to a couple tees on an actual putting green, but I'm not sure how I'd get that to work on my putting mat. As golf training aids go, $15 is pretty cheap, and it's got other uses, especially for me.

 

I've also seen guys use chalk lines on the practice green. That's something that's more practical than a laser outdoors and I doubt a superintendent wouldn't mind as long as you didn't get crazy with it. Another practical use of an item purchased at Home Depot.

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Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

Ping Tour-W 56*,60* DG Spinner

Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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I've also seen guys use chalk lines on the practice green. That's something that's more practical than a laser outdoors and I doubt a superintendent wouldn't mind as long as you didn't get crazy with it. Another practical use of an item purchased at Home Depot.

 

Yup, I'm familiar with the chalk line and Rotella is a big advocate of it. He writes in his book that courses on tour discourage pros from putting them down because they know that every pro will gravitate to it and wear out that spot on the practice green.

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I did use the laser one early evening on the practice green at the course. There is a light overhead so it is not totally dark, sort of like a big street light. I took a 3 sided cardboard display board (like a science fair one) and set it up past the hole to catch laser blow buy. Worked really well and was easy to reposition from other angles. Will do again once the evenings warm up a bit. Good split a sixer with a buddy activity too.

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I did use the laser one early evening on the practice green at the course. There is a light overhead so it is not totally dark, sort of like a big street light. I took a 3 sided cardboard display board (like a science fair one) and set it up past the hole to catch laser blow buy. Worked really well and was easy to reposition from other angles. Will do again once the evenings warm up a bit. Good split a sixer with a buddy activity too.

 

What kind of looks did you get when you walked up to the green with a laser and a science fair poster board?

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What kind of looks did you get when you walked up to the green with a laser and a science fair poster board?

It was empty. One of the lingering grounds guys came over and checked out the light and said "That's bych'n" and drove off.

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It was empty. One of the lingering grounds guys came over and checked out the light and said "That's bych'n" and drove off.

 

Nice. Sadly, the days of empty practice greens are long gone for me, unless I were to head out in the pouring rain.

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