Pre-Shot Routine

There is a lot to be learned by observing great golfers. Who better to watch and emulate than the World’s Most Recognized Athlete? I have been studying Tiger Woods since he reached the top shelf of golf in 2000. A statistical “stalker” of sorts, I recorded every televised event and then used the replay to record Tiger’s SHOT BY SHOT data. I’ve moved beyond the VCR, but I still record every event, and learn something new at every viewing.

Call me a stat-obsessed geek, but during the final round of the 2007 PGA Championship I decided to put a stop watch to Tiger’s pre-shot routine. I had done this with Phil Mickelson during his march to victory in the final round of the 2004 Masters. I found the results and comparisons interesting.

What do I mean by Pre-Shot Routine?
There are two important processes we should go through before we hit the ball. First, we plan the shot. This involves visualizing the shot and selecting the right club to make it happen. It can involve discussion with a caddie and/or a playing partner. As much of this part of the process as possible should take place before it is officially your turn.
Then once the shot decision has been made, we step forward, move into address position, and execute the shot. At this point the cameras are rolling. I think of that step forward into the address position as moving into an Isolation Bubble. Once in the bubble, no second thoughts or doubts should be allowed to permeate.
The part of the Pre-Shot Routine that I timed for Tiger and Phil was this “bubble” segment – the time from the moment each player stepped forward from behind the ball until contact with the ball was made.

What did I learn?
I timed a representative sample of tee shots, approach shots, short game shots and putts for both players. Tiger and Phil have decidedly different routines for different types of shots. Their full swing routines are quicker than their routines for putting and the short game.
Full Swing
Tiger’s full swing routine is between 9 and 11 seconds every time. Step forward, setup, two short waggles and WOOSH! For the same full shots, Phil’s routine is slightly longer - between 14 and 17 seconds.
Putting & Short Game
Interestingly, both champions had slightly longer pre-shot routines on and around the greens, but both averaged 20 seconds. Tiger’s longest putting routine – 24 seconds – came on a breaking 12 foot putt for birdie. (And 24 seconds is still quite quick in comparison to how long Jack Nicklaus would loom over a must-make putt.) My guess is that the slightly longer routines here are dictated by the addition of the distance or “touch” variable to the process.

How can you use this?

• Develop your own pre-shot routine and divide it into the two segments discussed: Planning & Execution.
• Have a friend time you in the “bubble” – from the moment you step forward and begin to address the ball until your club makes contact with the ball. If you're in it longer than 20 seconds you are not only wasting time, you are leaving too much of an opening for doubt and confusion to seep into your bubble.
• Practice your pre-shot routine whenever you practice. Make it an automatic part of each shot and the same every time, whether you are on the course or in the practice area. Relying on a solid routine is the best defense against the pressure of competition.
  

For a Complete Analysis of Your Game, log on to: www.ShotByShot.com

Make the Sand Your Friend!

The Sand Shot requires more confidence that any other shot in golf, and can be the most intimidating. You must use a reasonably full swing to propel your golf ball a relatively short distance – all the while making sure to MISS the ball. Is it any wonder that the tendency to decelerate on impact is only rivaled by the desperate urge to help the golf ball up and out of the sand with the club and/or your entire body?

Before you can get creative about shot making and target visualization, you must develop confidence in your basic sand technique. If either your technique or your self-esteem needs help, consult with your local teaching pro to develop a simple “confidence shot.” This should be a shot that you can trust to get out of any sand trap and onto the green - from any reasonable lie – every time.

A good practice drill to develop this confidence is to set a goal of executing a consecutive number of acceptable sand shots from different distance and lies before quitting. When you reach your goal, stop for the day, or move on to another facet of your golf game.

How do you set a realistic goal? Here are some statistics: In a recent study of US Open qualifiers facing sand shots 50 feet from the cup, the best 50% of these shots ended up 7½ feet from the hole, or within 15% of the original distance. The average 10 handicap golfer should certainly be satisfied with getting the ball on the green within 30% of the original distance. This creates a very large and forgiving bull’s eye.

Strive to get the ball up and down, but keep in mind that PGA Tour leaders in this category get up and down only 60% of the time. So what you really want to focus on is avoiding the “up, up and down, down” or the up, down, down and down.” By visualizing the target as the middle of a very large circle, you will minimize self-imposed pressure, make fewer mistakes, and see measurable improvement in your golf scoring.

For more specific analysis of your sand game performance, go to www.ShotByShot.com.

Putt for Dough

We have been discussing the positive impact that getting up & down can have on your golf scores. To get the ball up & down, you generally need to do two things pretty well: 1) select and execute the short shot that gets you on the green; and 2) make that putt!

Sounds easy, but is it? In a recent study of US Open qualifiers, how close do you think they had to be to make 100% of their putts? Can you relate to 1 ½ feet? These top performers make just 50% of their 8 foot putts, and only 30% of their 12 foot putts! Hopefully this makes you feel better.

One of the many things that the pros do that is worth imitating is to divide putting into two separate categories: lag putts, and short strokes. A different mindset applies to each.

Lag Putts
A good rule of thumb is to think of any putt outside 6 feet as a lag. From 6 to 12 feet you want your putts to reach the hole and have a good chance to go in, but you will only frustrate yourself if you expect to make them all. Direction and distance are both important, but in general, the farther away you are from the hole, the more priority you should place on distance.

The mind-set should be much the same as with a chip shot – if you miss, you want to leave yourself in a great position to make the next putt. Feel is key. Concentrate on the line first, visualize the putt, and focus on getting a feel for the distance and weight of the stroke. Then set up on the line and make this feel your swing key through impact.

Short Strokes
The short stroke is any putt where you are close enough to the hole that distance should not be a factor even if you miss. Practice a stroke especially for the job at hand. One of the most common causes of misses is deceleration due to last-second “result anxiety.” A good image is to picture a croquet wicket spanning the width of the hole. Visualize a stroke that will put the ball through the wicket.

If you practice nothing else, you should be working to build skill in your short stroke. Confidence in this area will take pressure off of the rest of your game, and consistent success will drive your opponents crazy!

For more personalized analysis of your putting performance and improvement progress, go to www.ShotByShot.com

Short Game: How Close is Close?

My last article highlighted the importance of eliminating short game errors from our golf rounds. Building on that, here’s more diagnostics on short game performance. Traditional golf stat programs have you evaluate your short game by counting “Saves,” or the percentage of opportunities that you get up and down. Certainly getting up and down is always the goal, but as a statistic it can be misleading. This is because it mixes two important parts of the golf game – short game shots and putting. If you are just tracking Saves, you could be masking issues (or excellence!) in either your chip/pitch or putting skill.

At ShotByShot, we believe the proper way to evaluate short game ability is to measure the average putting distance after the short game shot, and calculate the % of opportunities that are successfully hit to within 5 feet.

Chip/Pitch Shots - How Important?
The answer for any golfer depends on the number of opportunities faced in each round. Long game performance directly affects the number of chip/pitch opportunities because more greens-hit-in-regulation means fewer short game shots – but that’s a topic for another day.

Here are some basic statistics from the ShotByShot database to help put your short game skill in perspective:


These stats will tell you whether or not your Short Game represents an improvement opportunity, or if your precious practice and lesson time (and $$$) should be spent elsewhere.


For a Complete Analysis of Your Game, go to: http://www.shotbyshot.com/

Don't Forget the Short Game

I have commented previously about how frequency and severity of errors separates golfers at every level. Everyone hits good shots, but it is the bad shots that tend to be the player's signature and the determining factor in scoring. Mistakes are particularly problematic in the short game because they tend to leave an impression that carries over to the next tee.

How can you determine whether your own Short Game error performance is in or out of line with your handicap? Take a look at where you fall on the chart below by keeping track of your Chip/Pitch and Sand opportunities for the next 3 to 5 rounds. On your scorecard make a note of the total number of opportunities, and the number of those opportunites that result in an error. (Any shot that does not finish on the putting surface is considered an error.) Divide the # of errors by the total of attempts to calculate your % of Errors, and see how your stats stack up:

OK, so now what do you do if your short game error ratio is out of whack? Shot selection is one of the most common judgment errors made by amateurs. Discipline yourself to evaluate the position of your ball, the lie, its relation to the hole and the amount of green with which you have to work. Try to categorize each opportunity as a Green, Yellow or Red light.

Green = A good lie and position; one you should try to get close, if not hole out.
Yellow = Not a great lie but one that you can get to within 10 to 12 feet or closer with an average, low risk shot.
Red = A difficult lie and position. Choose a shot that will get you safely on the green in a position where you can expect to 2-putt.

Work at this when you practice and play and you will dramatically reduce your short game errors and improve your score.

(For more detailed comparative analysis on how the pieces of your game compare to your target handicap, go to http://www.shotbyshot.com/)