How many times have you taken a practice swing that felt so smooth and pure, only to step up to the ball and hit a terrible shot? In this post, we’re going to examine why practice swings may be detrimental to your game and why you should consider reevaluating your pre-shot routine.
For a long time, I had an elaborate pre-shot routine every time I stood over the ball on the golf course. I would take multiple practice swings, rehearsing every swing thought that was in my head – wrist angles, swing plane, weight shifts, you name it. I would review my mental list of swing thoughts, preparing myself for the upcoming shot. Of course, when it actually came time to address the ball and hit it, I would feel paralyzed by all those swing thoughts swirling around inside my head.
Don’t sway!
Don’t overswing!
Don’t let the left wrist cup at the top of the swing!
Don’t let the right elbow get too high!
Don’t slide too far forward in the downswing!
This way was not working for me. That’s why last year, I made the decision to completely overhaul my pre-shot routine, most notably eliminating all practice swings. My new pre-shot routine is now much more simple:
- Pick a target down the fairway.
- Pick an intermediate target a few feet ahead of me.
- Put the club behind the ball and aim the face at the intermediate target.
- Set my feet parallel to the target line.
- Grip the club.
- Waggle the club and shuffle the feet a few times.
- Swing.
No more allowing myself to get drowned in endless swing thoughts, just free-flowing swings now. Visualize the shot, address the ball, and hit it. I’ve gotten to a point at which I know my swing enough that I don’t need to do a bunch of practice swings to calibrate myself. I simply rely on my feels, and I trust my body to create the shot I want.
The Problem with Practice Swings
The main reason why practice swings feel so great compared to the real thing is because there’s no feedback to tell us otherwise. With practice swings, our bodies are relaxed and the club whooshes effortlessly through the hitting area. If I could just repeat that, you say to yourself, it’ll be a great shot. With no ball on the ground, however, it’s impossible to truly know whether that practice swing was actually good or not.
A lot of people ask why there’s a difference between the practice swing and the real swing, but they’re thinking about it wrong. In reality, they aren’t doing anything different that’s causing a bad shot – they’re simply making the same mistake both times. For me, eliminating practice swings helped me avoid this issue. That’s not to say that I don’t still have swing faults or hit bad shots, but I no longer trick myself into poor habits through practice swings with no feedback.
To be clear, I have no problem with pre-shot rehearsals that focus on a specific part of the swing – Justin Thomas’ takeaway rehearsal, for example – because that is a tangible feel to latch onto, but I believe that full practice swings are useless and can only serve to hurt you.
The next time you’re out on the course, I’d highly recommend forgoing practice swings altogether, even if it’s only for just one hole. See the ball, hit the ball – Let your feels take over. I think you’ll find that your swing will be more free, and hopefully, your scores will be lower.
My Favorite Golf Club 