It give your brain a clear signal as to what you intend to do.
		It keeps you focused on the task at hand, creates a bubble of safety that does two things: A. When practiced over and over again until it becomes a habit, it becomes a familiar place that is safe. "I've been here a thousand times, I can handle it, I know what to do." B. It protects us from all those extraneous worries and distractions that bombard our minds while standing over the ball.

Now I can't tell you exactly what the perfect Pre-Shot Routine is for you. Everybody's needs are a little bit different. Just remember the routine is designed to keep you focused on the task at hand. And a good routine will take your from a purely mental state to a physical motion without you ever really knowing quite where you crossed the line between the two.

So here are some suggestions for elements to incorporate into a routine. Let's assume that you have already gotten your yardage, taken into account your lie and other variables that might affect your shot, and have selected a club. You have already taken your practice swing as well. So we are going to define our routine as the point where you have made your decisions and are preparing to hit the ball.

1. Pick a definitive target.
Probably the most important thing you can do is pick a definitive target. Not just the fairway, not just the green. Those are far too big and too ambiguous. I'm talking about a spot in the fairway or green. Why not just the fairway? Well, if the entire fairway is your target and you miss your target, where is the ball? Probably not in the fairway. If that small dark green spot out there is your target and you miss that, where might you be? Right, still in the fairway. So be very specific about where you want the ball to go. This goes for the putting green as well. Always have a specific target to stroke your putter towards. When I get close to the hole, I will even pick something so small as a blade of grass on the edge of the cup to focus on. Hey, if I miss that blade the ball might still drop. If the entire cup is my target and I miss that, well, it's the 3 putt blues for the rest of the round.

2. Stand behind the ball.
Sight down the target-line with the ball perfectly between you and your target. I always say that if you take a string and attach one end to your belly button and the other end to your target, it should run right through the ball. Why perfectly in line with the ball and target? Because this angle allows you to focus head-on to your target and is a visual method that will enable you to line up with greater accuracy. Golf is the only sport that requires us to line up sideways and cockeyed to our target. Give yourself the best possible chance and start your alignment procedure behind the ball, sighting down the target line.

3. Visualize your complete ball flight.
Remember you are sending a signal to your brain as to your intentions. Your visualization is your road map for how the ball is going to get there. Where does it start flying in relation to the target? Does it go straight or curve to the right or left? Pick something in the background, such as trees or clouds and "watch" it start there and curve back to your target. How high does it go at the apex of its trajectory? Again, use clouds and trees as a guideline for the trajectory of your ball flight. The more specific you are in your visualization, the better chance you have of hitting the shot you desire. Be sure to see the ball drop to the ground and come to rest at your target. If you have trouble actually seeing your ball flight in your mind's eye, then try saying it to yourself. Just describe the intended ball flight in your head. For instance, I am not very visual at all and so I talk my way through the whole process. Actually, I might even say the words out loud while swinging in order to keep from being distracted. However you define the shot to yourself, be specific in how you intend for the ball to fly. The more specific in your visualization, the better chance you have of pulling off the shot.

4. Take a deep breath.
Next, and this is really important, take a nice deep breath so that you can let go of any tension. A nice cleansing breath from deep in the gut will relax you more than any thought you can possibly have.

5. Set up and hit without delay.
Walk to the ball, and as you set up, keep looking at your target, imagining your intended ball flight. Set up and hit without delay. Do not hang over the ball long enough to allow those destructive thoughts to creep in.

6. Triggers and Breathing.
A couple of other things you might experiment with. Many people put a trigger or signal into their routines. This is a physical gesture of some kind that signals them they are into play mode and no extraneous thoughts are allowed in. It could be touching your arm or scratching your nose, anything that is meaningful to you. It is a physical signal that says, "this is it, I am committed to my plan of action." When you flip the switch, which is probably at the beginning of your routine, this is when that bubble of safety forms. So you might experiment with incorporating that element into your routine.

The other thing you might play with is your breathing. I have had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Debra Crews of Arizona State University do her presentation on routines. She is quite an expert in the field. She says that a good routine is designed to put you into a state of automatic, where the line between the mental and the physical is so closely drawn, you might not know where one ends and the other begins. In order to stay in that state of flow, or the zone as we call it, after your deep cleansing breath, keep your breathing even keeled and natural. Then time your breathing so that just as you are about to pull the club back, you have gently exhaled all your remaining breath. Physiologically, this will lower your heart rate and you will experience a deeper state of calmness with your heart rate low than if it is pounding 90mph.

This one takes practice though because you will get hung up on your breathing and be nearly paralyzed, unable to pull the club back. The reason that this is so important an element is, if we are to be truly in a state of automatic, we want our breathing natural, not forced. So if you time your take away with the gentle release of your breath, your swing will be smooth and efficient, not violent and jerky - like the fearful kind will produce.

Experiment with your own routine and design one that works perfectly for you. Then practice it over and over again, because an important part of that bubble of safety is the security of knowing you have been there a thousand times before. That security will allow you to remain focused on the task at hand. Who could forget Payne Stewart's win at the US Open last year? He was standing over a 20-foot putt to win. How in the world did he ever block out the thousands of people, the television cameras, his nerves, the money, the possible immortality. How did he every block all of that out long enough to get that ball in the hole? It was his Pre-Shot Routine that put up that bubble of safety around him, that's what did it for him.

And it can do the same thing for you. No, you probably will never win a US Open, but you will score your own personal victories with increasing frequency if you design and implement a routine that is right for you.

© Melissa Whitmire