el marko
Head Pro
I also love seeing people spend 2 hours hitting 60 balls because they do a whole pre shot routine before every ball. That i don't see the point in
Practice Routine
- Thread starter ScratchSRL
- Start date
I also love seeing people spend 2 hours hitting 60 balls because they do a whole pre shot routine before every ball. That i don't see the point in
C
c1973
Guest
Usually just use the range to keep the swing warm. If I'm practising at all its usually at the chipping area or greens.
rossymcg
Medal Winner
If you don't practice your pre shot routine, how does it become a natural part of your game?
the_coach
Journeyman Pro
Practice that's going to help someone get better, really has to be structured & have a focus.
Important to remember golf is a target game, the brain works best to swing to send ball to target when that target has been precisely identified, from the start line to the end point.
Few different kinds of practice, block practice with drills to ingrain a new technical part of a swing change.
Then finding the right associated 'feelings' that help produce & repeat the changes needed.
Practice of the fundamentals of grip, aim, alignment, posture etc. & a small pre shot routine to make it automatic when on the course which helps focus the mind on the shot to come in a positive way when on the course. Most folks ignore both these completely which is why they make the same mistakes when playing.
Practice play, play the Tee shots to the visualized fairways to target which ever side of the fairway you know gives you the best angle in with the clubs you'd use with a/your course in mind, with second/third shots into the part of the greens on these holes, make it as 'real' as possible if you mess one up it still counts as a 'shot'. Count them up will give you an approximate idea of how you're doing tee to green.
Target practice, full wedge shot into to say 50 yards (in 10 yards steps in) 6 balls each, count up how many you get in a 20 foot circle around each target, write it down. Next time you have something more 'concrete' to beat. Get good, narrow the 'imagined circle' down.
Target chipping around the green, low & high shots from different lies, (good, tight, rough) & distances, 3 balls each with LW, SW, GW, PW, 8i etc, count up the score into a 6 foot circle.
Long range lag putting practice 30 feet. Distances in to 10 foot. Often best doing these all to a tee in the ground rather than hole.
Clock face putting with 6 balls in a 6 foot circle around the ball, if you miss you have to set them up & start again, see how many complete holed circuits you can make, keep score, you have something to aim at next time.
Putting fundamental practice, use a couple tees placed so your putter just gets through on a straight 8 foot putt, place ball directly in front of the two tees, you have to make a controlled swing through the tees to contact the ball, great for building a repetitive accurate swing path.
Warming up, therefore not practice, directly before a tee time, needs to be just focussed on getting your rhythm & balance, some stretches, few swings with two clubs to loosen up: Then 6, 3/4 wedge shots: 6, 75% effort 8i's: 6, 75% 6i's: couple 75% hybrids or 5 metals/3 metals.
If you can use a driver pretty well normally then just a couple real easy drivers.
I'd usually finish up having one rehearsal shot with the club I'm about to use on the 1st tee, picturing the shot, shape where I'd want it to finish, make it as 'real' as I can.
Then a couple long range putts to a target not a hole, couple 15 foot to target not a hole, couple of straight 4 foot putts to a hole making sure I just 'listen' to them going in not look up.
Important to remember golf is a target game, the brain works best to swing to send ball to target when that target has been precisely identified, from the start line to the end point.
Few different kinds of practice, block practice with drills to ingrain a new technical part of a swing change.
Then finding the right associated 'feelings' that help produce & repeat the changes needed.
Practice of the fundamentals of grip, aim, alignment, posture etc. & a small pre shot routine to make it automatic when on the course which helps focus the mind on the shot to come in a positive way when on the course. Most folks ignore both these completely which is why they make the same mistakes when playing.
Practice play, play the Tee shots to the visualized fairways to target which ever side of the fairway you know gives you the best angle in with the clubs you'd use with a/your course in mind, with second/third shots into the part of the greens on these holes, make it as 'real' as possible if you mess one up it still counts as a 'shot'. Count them up will give you an approximate idea of how you're doing tee to green.
Target practice, full wedge shot into to say 50 yards (in 10 yards steps in) 6 balls each, count up how many you get in a 20 foot circle around each target, write it down. Next time you have something more 'concrete' to beat. Get good, narrow the 'imagined circle' down.
Target chipping around the green, low & high shots from different lies, (good, tight, rough) & distances, 3 balls each with LW, SW, GW, PW, 8i etc, count up the score into a 6 foot circle.
Long range lag putting practice 30 feet. Distances in to 10 foot. Often best doing these all to a tee in the ground rather than hole.
Clock face putting with 6 balls in a 6 foot circle around the ball, if you miss you have to set them up & start again, see how many complete holed circuits you can make, keep score, you have something to aim at next time.
Putting fundamental practice, use a couple tees placed so your putter just gets through on a straight 8 foot putt, place ball directly in front of the two tees, you have to make a controlled swing through the tees to contact the ball, great for building a repetitive accurate swing path.
Warming up, therefore not practice, directly before a tee time, needs to be just focussed on getting your rhythm & balance, some stretches, few swings with two clubs to loosen up: Then 6, 3/4 wedge shots: 6, 75% effort 8i's: 6, 75% 6i's: couple 75% hybrids or 5 metals/3 metals.
If you can use a driver pretty well normally then just a couple real easy drivers.
I'd usually finish up having one rehearsal shot with the club I'm about to use on the 1st tee, picturing the shot, shape where I'd want it to finish, make it as 'real' as I can.
Then a couple long range putts to a target not a hole, couple 15 foot to target not a hole, couple of straight 4 foot putts to a hole making sure I just 'listen' to them going in not look up.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
rossymcg
Medal Winner
Very clever, have you ever considered coaching? You seem full of bright ideas,How about practise without one then it's becomes natural it not have a PSR
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
If I assumed a range session was 100 balls:
10-15 with an 8i as a warm up hitting 3/4 shots
10-15 hitting easy 6i
10-15 hitting easy hybrids
5 3w
5 drivers
Then the rest playing the first few holes virtually of my course, using markers on the range accordingly.
10-15 with an 8i as a warm up hitting 3/4 shots
10-15 hitting easy 6i
10-15 hitting easy hybrids
5 3w
5 drivers
Then the rest playing the first few holes virtually of my course, using markers on the range accordingly.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Well a PSR isn't needed
Seems quite logically - practise without one and it will ingrain itself.
When I have seen pros on a range you don't see them practising a PSR every time they hit a ball
G_Mulligan
Tour Rookie
To quote Padraig Harrinton "Practice like you play and play like you practice"
better to hit each shot as an individual with a purpose, a target, going through your routine, get relaxed and focused, and take notice of the feedback both in how the swing felt and where the ball went.
That is why the imaginary round is so useful and something I need to start doing again as I have been falling into the habit of hit one tee one while working on a few swing changes.
Disagree. A decent pre-shot routine, even for the average golfer can prove very useful. I have one, and to be honest I use it a lot at the range. Going through it, stops me just scraping another ball and bashing it without any thought. Works for me but there again it all depends on what is best for each individual
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Works for you ? How is it working for you ? Handicap come tumbling down ? Results improved ?
Why is it whatever I post you have to disagree with. I am happy ploughing my own furrow and have steadfast belief in what I'm doing and that results will come. At least do me the courtesy of letting me do it my way.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Did you not disagree with my post and then to highlight why you disagreed you posted your reasons why ? Hence why I countered your reasons.
If a PSR is useful for you and works for you then surely its not hard to highlight the results of it working and being useful for you
I don't need to justify my performance to you. Let me just get on with it.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
No one is asking you to justify anything about your performances - you disagreed with my point and said a PSR and practicing a PSR is working for you so I just asked for the practical results of the "working for you"
I'm guessing the defensive response means that practical it's actually not "working for you"
chrisd
Major Champion
I just bash balls at the range. I have a PSR when I play but don't do it at the range. Pretty much all I concentrate on is the strike, I figure if the strike is good then the game is too. I am able to differentiate between being at the range and playing in a comp.
the_coach
Journeyman Pro
It's interesting that there isn't one Tour pro that doesn't have a pre shot routine. Their pre shot routine is down so much through repetition & practice that if your run a clock on them shot to shot from tournament to tournament it hardly varies in the time taken before each shot. The one thing Pro's are most aware of above all else are the fundamentals of set up before they do any work on mechanics & feel, most amateurs don't pay enough attention to the basic fundamentals.
A few notable Pro's have a long & tortuous one but they are the exception really, the majority have a PRS that's somewhere between 15 & 20 seconds once they step up from behind the ball after they've got their line to target.
Every very low Cat 1 player I've ever played with in competitions or just a free game, has one, as do I.
The familiarity of your routine helps calm the mind & block distractions out so you can just focus on the positive business of visualizing, aiming & setting up to be able to execute the upcoming shot for the best possible outcome.
If on the practice ground you doing 'playing practice round' it would involve your PSR to give it focus.
If you doing block technical practice, to work on a change, ingrain a 'feel' then you'd still be using part of the PSR, waggle or movement you make directly before the swing.
Just dragging & bashing a ball after ball with no focus is pointless & won't help anyone improve their game.
A few notable Pro's have a long & tortuous one but they are the exception really, the majority have a PRS that's somewhere between 15 & 20 seconds once they step up from behind the ball after they've got their line to target.
Every very low Cat 1 player I've ever played with in competitions or just a free game, has one, as do I.
The familiarity of your routine helps calm the mind & block distractions out so you can just focus on the positive business of visualizing, aiming & setting up to be able to execute the upcoming shot for the best possible outcome.
If on the practice ground you doing 'playing practice round' it would involve your PSR to give it focus.
If you doing block technical practice, to work on a change, ingrain a 'feel' then you'd still be using part of the PSR, waggle or movement you make directly before the swing.
Just dragging & bashing a ball after ball with no focus is pointless & won't help anyone improve their game.
Last edited:
3565
Journeyman Pro
thats where your sooo wrong, you've been shouting about how Westwood is coming back into form lately and hoping he gets back to winning ways which he has done. I was getting lessons at Worksop a few years ago and one cold March Monday I pulled into the practise rounds car park my teacher came over and greeted me. Their was a player with a nice white new Ping bag and was about 75yds away with his back to me, and whilst talking to my teacher I saw this player go through his PSR for a 100yd shot and hit the ball.......... It was instantly recognisable PSR cos I'd seen it on TV sooo many times. Every shot he hit he went through his routine his mannerisms.
Why don't you write to the R&A and get PSRs banned altogether cos I don't think you'll be happy until they are banned as they get in your way of your enjoyment!
3565
Journeyman Pro
He's just argumentative and wants players to play golf his way.
3565
Journeyman Pro
Not according to Liverpoolphil, no PSRs means less time, less time means quicker rounds which increases his enjoyment, and sod anyone else.
