SHORE UP YOUR PRE-ROUND ROUTINE

By Brian Thornburg
GolfTEC Coach
GolfTEC Tulsa
Tulsa, OK

Follow These Four Steps to Improve Your Pre-Round Routine

Consistency is what every golfer strives for. Having a sound pre-round routine will help you become a more consistent golfer. Routines are designed to help players focus instead of getting distracted with negative thoughts. Here are four things to focus on in your pre-round routine:

1. Arrive early. However obvious this might seem, you have to do it. If you show up three minutes before your tee time, you simply don’t have time to go through a pre-round routine. So show up at least 30 minutes early. Give yourself time to prepare. Otherwise your first few holes will be your warm up. And we all know how that tends to go.


2. Stretch out and loosen up. Don’t forget to stretch when you start warming up prior to your round. Focus on dynamic/ballistic stretching, as opposed to static. There are countless dynamic stretches to choose from but the key is that they all involve movement, which stretches your muscles while warming your body up and increasing blood flow. Instead of doing seated toe-touches (static stretch), stand up and do alternating toe-touches (dynamic stretch). In the short run, stretching will help loosen up your muscles and avoid injuries. In the long run, stretching will increase your flexibility and range of motion.


3. Take a few swings. After you’ve stretched, it’s time to hit some balls. Remember, this is NOT the time to work on your swing. This is a time to loosen up your golfing muscles and work on rhythm. Start with your shorter irons to build your rhythm. Never reach straight for your driver. As you hit and build your rhythm, progress through your set from wedges to driver. Finish up your warm up sessions with a few wedge shots. This will allow you to end your warm up making smooth, controlled swings.


4. Get a feel for the greens. When you finish your warm up session, you need to spend some time on your putting and short game. Getting a feel for speed of the greens is critical during this time. I’ve found that the best way to do this is to putt from fringe to fringe. Do this a few times, trying to get the ball to stop right where the fringe begins. After you fringe putt for a few minutes, practice your shorter putts to get used to seeing the ball go in the hole. This will help you build confidence for your round. Finally, spend a few minutes hitting some sand and pitch shots to get a feel for how the greens are reacting.

These are just a couple of things that you can do to improve your consistency and become a better player. Create a routine that works well for you and stick with it!