Pre shot routine video

Kevin Craggs talks through how an effective pre shot routine can really help improve your game.

pre shot routine

Golf Monthly Top 25 coach Kevin Craggs talks through how an effective pre shot routine can really help improve your game.

Pre shot routine video

The pre-shot routine is an area of the game often neglected by amateur golfers. While your routine will be personal to you, there are a number of things that all golfers should remember.

A consistent pre-shot routine is ideal for ridding yourself of extraneous thoughts before hitting a shot focusing only on the shot at hand.

Executing an effective pre-shot routine requires the focus of conscious attention on current tasks, consequently minimising additional time to attend to redundent or unwanted thought.

Split your routine into three zones. The first zone is signified here by the big circle because a lot of big decisions are made here.

Think about how far you have to the pin, what the ground is like, what the conditions are like and what club you need to take.

Be clear on the answers to these questions before you step into the second circle. This is where final preparation takes place and you should visualise the shot.

Never take a shot before you have seen it in your minds eye. Once you have seen the shot step in the final ring.

Thoughts here should be minimal as you work your way through the final processes. Align the club, position the feet and take a good look at the target and then confidently pull the trigger.

Develop your own unique pre-shot routine and be sure to practice it on the range to ingrain it until it becomes habitual.

You'll soon develop one you feel confident about and that you can put into practice out on the course in competitions.

Read more top golf swing tips

Try this!

When working at the range you should work through your routine on every shot. This will help you practice constructively, without ball bashing, and will help you to hone your routine for pressure situations.

 

Thomas Patrick Clarke
Sports Digital Editor


Tom Clarke joined Golf Monthly as a sub editor in 2009 being promoted to content editor in 2012 and then senior content editor in 2014, before becoming Sports Digital Editor for the Sport Vertical within Future in 2022. Tom currently looks after all the digital products that Golf Monthly produce including Strategy and Content Planning for the website and social media - Tom also assists the Cycling, Football, Rugby and Marine titles at Future. Tom plays off 16 and lists Augusta National (name drop), Old Head and Le Touessrok as the favourite courses he has played. Tom is an avid viewer of all golf content with a particularly in depth knowledge of the pro tour.