Pre-shot routine? do you Visualise?

[ManchesterGolfer]

I played a few holes last night and the fella I played with was a big believer in visualising your shot before you play it. I normally just pick a target from behind the ball and fire away. He told me to stand behind the ball and see the shot fly & then go hit it. I gave it a try and 'wow' I'll be giving it another go today that's for sure. Don't get me wrong I didn't hit them all as I had imagined but I couldn't belive how many were very close to it. The misses were also alot better than normal. For example the 18th is a par 3 over a pond. I aimed at the left side of the green and played for a cut towards the pin. Stood back pictured the shot in my head then played it, the ball drew a little instead of cutting but still finished on the green & I made my par.

Anybody else play this way?

 

[mont86]

The few times I have taken time too visualize a shot it has been remarkable how close it is too the shot I want.

 

[Eracer]

Absolutely. The brain is a marvelous golfer, and it can make a lot of shots happen if you give it a good plan and get out of its way.

 

[sandwedge]

I do it sometimes but my pre shot routine hasn't become routine yet if that makes any sense.

 

[artfulgolfer]

My game totally depends on visualization. I avoid any kind of preshot routine. If you think about it, after millions of years of evolution, human bodies are quite capable of doing something as simple as hitting a stationary ball. Visualization works to communicate to your body exactly what you want it to do. After giving it a clear image of the shot you're after, just trust your body's ability to execute the shot and swing. The best way to try this out is with wedge shots that are less than a full swing. Instead of always using a half swing for distance 'x' and 3/4 swing for distance 'y', just visualize the shot landing where you want and bouncing to the pin. Your body then swings just hard enough to pull off that exact shot. It's just like shooting a basketball, where you don't think about how far to take your shooting arm back for your distance from the basket. You just focus on the basket (target), visualize the ball flight, and shoot. By visualizing my shots and focusing entirely on the target (instead of swing mechanics), I've gotten my index down under 4 in less than 2 years of playing without a single lesson or swing thought. It takes practice, but it works.

 

[demon]

I have a visualization pre-shot routine, take a practice swing behind my ball while looking down the fairway or green on the exact ball flight my ball is going to take. I pick a spot that is very exact as to where my ball will land, I then step up to the ball and look down the target line and remember my ballflight and once I turn my head back towards the ball I initiate my backswing. I do this in practice as well, so it takes me a long time to hit even a small bucket.

 

[Adam Pettman]

Absolutly, stand behind the ball and picture it flying in- the way you want.

 

[clemsonhacker]

yea i like to stand back for a second and look and then approach the ball and swing

 

[Bravo]

One of Davis Love's tips is to 'focus on a small target' no matter what club you have in hand. He says that even when he has a driver, he picks out something small in the distance before taking the club back...

 

[MGP]

I'm very much a "feel" player and visualize all my shots including putts. I usually take just one practice swing and imagine the flight of the ball from contact to landing, step up to the ball and hit it. I almost never have any swing thoughts on the course except to keep my tempo smooth.

Same with putting too. I pick the line, take a couple practice strokes trying to visualize the roll of the ball and even the ball dropping in the cup.

It's crazy, but when I start playing badly I almost always have stopped visualizing and I'm just "hitting the ball" without seeing the shot in my mind before I swing.

 

[RickinMA]

I won't say I don't visualize my shot - I just don't think about visualizing it - if that makes any sense

also, when I find myself consciously visualizing my shot - bad things happen 50-75% of the time

for example, I'm kinda behind some trees but there is some daylight coming through - I can visualize the ball flying through that space a dozen times, and once in a while I can pull it off with the right trajectory and line - but there have been plenty of times when I've over-visualized.

I think the more you play, the more you're going to naturally visualize what your shot is going to do - but I find when you start trying to bend the line the ball will fly in you're in trouble

 

[ManchesterGolfer]

Well today I've played 15 holes trying to visualize my tee shots and approaches. Conclusion;- Why the fcuk havn't I been doing this before now? I think of the shape shot I need pick out a target to start the ball at and the mind controls my swing to pull it off. No real swing thoughts. Doesn't work everytime but the misses are a hell'ov'alot better than before. I'm a happy man.

I made 5 birdies, 3 in a row. Hit some of the sweetest strikes I have done in a long time. Towards the end of the round however I found I was struggling to keep up the concentration to visualize each shot but will be working on this from now on.

 

[dave.]

I played with a pro recently who aims for the smallest bit of a cloud he can see.He never misses

 

[Eracer]

I have a visualization pre-shot routine, take a practice swing behind my ball while looking down the fairway or green on the exact ball flight my ball is going to take. I pick a spot that is very exact as to where my ball will land, I then step up to the ball and look down the target line and remember my ballflight and once I turn my head back towards the ball I initiate my backswing. I do this in practice as well, so it takes me a long time to hit even a small bucket.

Exactly....

 

[rob0225]

I played with a pro recently who aims for the smallest bit of a cloud he can see.He never misses

What if the clouds are moving??