Improving Consistency is one of THE biggest goals for ALL levels of golfers.
As a PGA Teaching Professional and FlowCode Master Coach, I have worked with thousands of golfers from beginners to touring professionals and every one of them wanted to improve their Consistency in some aspect of the game.
If you watch closely, you will see that even top touring professionals struggle with Consistency in various parts of their game from shot to shot and round to round.
You may have also noticed EVERY touring professional has a Pre-Shot Routine for EVERY shot.
Why?
Because the QUALITY of EACH SHOT you hit is HIGHLY dependent on your QUALITY of PREPARATION for that shot.
The better your Quality of Preparation for each shot the higher your level of CONSISTENCY will be.
HIGH Quality Preparation can only be achieved when you include Goals for 3 Key Metrics in EVERY Pre-Shot Routine:
Mental
Physical
Emotional
You might be surprised to see Mental and Emotional metrics for a Pre-Shot routine.
You would not be alone.
Most golfers do not understand that a Pre-Shot Routine focused ONLY on Physical Preparation is one of the biggest reasons why they struggle with INCONSISTENCY.
It does not matter how perfectly you execute:
Grip
Posture
Alignment
Ball Position
Physical Preparation alone will not help you be more Consistent when you are on the course and experiencing pressure, emotions, and expectations.
You need to optimize your Mental and Emotional states (in addition to physical preparation) if you want to hit Quality shots when it matters the most.
Have you ever experienced the following scenario?
You go through EXACTLY the same PHYSICAL Pre-Shot Routine from one shot to the next…
BUT
You hit VASTLY different quality shots.
Read on to learn why this happens AND how optimizing your Pre-Shot Routine can help you fix it.
What IS the Best Consistency Driven Pre-Shot Routine?
The answer is simple.
The Best Pre-Shot Routine for Improving Consistency is Focused on Achieving “3 GOALS” for EVERY SHOT:
Mental Goal – Full Commitment to the Shot (Commit)
Physical Goal – Full Engagement of Your Senses (Rehearse)
Emotional Goal – Maximum Trust in Your Process (Release)
Below is a diagram that shows what the Optimum Pre-Shot Routine looks like:
The diagram includes the research proven brain wave frequencies and brain systems that trigger each phase of the routine. (1)
Here are examples of what you might experience for each of the Goals in the process:
Have you ever hit a shot where you could not decide what club to hit and you hit the shot anyway despite your uncertainty? What was the quality of that shot?
√ Full Mental Commitment gives you Clarity and Certainty for the overcoming the challenge of the shot.
Have you ever hit a shot where you KNEW exactly what the flight of the ball had to be AND exactly what the feel of the swing was going to be? What was the quality of that shot?
√ Full Engagement of Your SENSES triggers Presence in the PROCESS of hitting the shot and quiets distractions related to potential results.
Have you ever hit a shot where you could not quiet the doubts/anxiety/fear of what might happen if you did not achieve your goal for the shot? What was the quality of that shot?
√ Maximum Trust in Your Process quiets negative emotions which allows you to focus on what you want… instead of what you do not want.
How Exactly DOES the “3 Goal” Pre-Shot Routine Improve Consistency?
Let’s briefly explore the sports science that explains why the “3 GOAL” Pre-Shot Routine is your best option for improving consistency.
First and foremost it is Critical to Understand:
Once you create a habit for a skill, the habit is PERMANENT. (2)
You do not LOSE YOUR SWING or LOSE YOUR PUTTING STROKE… EVER. (3)
The reason for Inconsistency is that you lose the ability to ACCESS the Skill.
This is because pressure/emotions/expectations disrupt the Signal that you send from your Conscious Mind to your Subconscious Mind (where your patterns are stored).
This means the ULTIMATE purpose of the Pre-Shot Routine is to make sure the signal from your Conscious Mind to your Subconscious Mind is Clear, Strong, and free of Distractions.
Now let’s look at the science of EXACTLY how to do that.
Mental - Neurobiology
The bottom line for optimum Neurobiology is PRESENCE.
When you are fully PRESENT in your SENSES and fully ENGAGED in the PROCESS of hitting the shot is when you have the best chance to ACCESS the highest level of skill that you have trained.
PRESENCE is the Gateway mental state to the Peak Performance mental state… the ZONE.
Have you ever experienced the “auto-pilot” feeling of the Zone? (4)
When everything seems clear, you KNOW the shot will be good and it just “seems to happen” on its own?
When you learn to “Turn Up The Volume Dials” of your Visual and Feel sensations in the Pre-Shot Routine… you are minimizing distractions and opening the doorway to hitting more shots “In The Zone.”
The best part of Fully Engaging Your Senses as part of EVERY Pre-Shot Routine is that you do not have to get in “The Zone” to improve the Quality and Consistency of your shots.
Close to “The Zone” also has a powerful, positive effect on your shots.
When you are Close to “The Zone” your worst shots get dramatically closer in Quality to your best shots because you are “turning down the volume dials” on distractions.
This is one of the fastest ways to raise overall consistency AND lower your scores.
Physical – Physiology
The bottom line for optimum Physiology is BALANCE.
Specifically Balance between the Parasympathetic system and the Sympathetic system that regulate your nervous system functions.
What does balancing these systems mean?
Let’s look at what the systems do to clarify why Balancing them is so important.
Parasympathetic – The Rest System
Sympathetic – The Alert System
When you prepare to hit a shot, it is critical to be Fully Engaged (paying attention) to what you are doing.
Full engagement of your SENSES helps quiet distractions (thoughts, expectations, pressure).
You are fully alert, fully engaged and completely focused on the challenge of the shot.
This is the optimum balance between the Rest System (Parasympathetic) and the Alert System (Sympathetic).
When you cannot quiet distractions your Alert (Sympathetic System) kicks in to overdrive and you begin to experience anxiety, nervousness, or fear.
This is your fight/flight/freeze system for dealing with challenges.
Building a Pre-Shot Routine that gets you in the optimum balance of Rest vs. Alert Systems makes sure your Body is prepared to execute the shot you have Committed to.
Emotional – Psychology
The bottom line for optimum Psychology is TRUST
The higher your level of Trust that you have the skill to execute the shot you have chosen… the easier it is to “Let It Happen” as opposed to trying to “Make It Happen.”
One of the most important keys for improving Swing Consistency AND Shot Quality Is ALLOWING the learned movement pattern stored in your brain to execute the motion WITH NO COGNITIVE/EMOTIONAL INTERFERENCE (distractions).
Take a look at the quote on the image below to see how long this concept has been known and practiced.
Here is an example of how this works:
Imagine you are typing a sentence on a keyboard using two different methods.
It is important to you that the sentence gets typed accurately.
The first method – when you type the sentence you focus on the content of the sentence you want to type and you ALLOW your fingers execute the typing motions.
The second method – when you type the sentence you focus on CONTROLLING the movements of your fingers while executing the motions.
Which do you think will give you the best chance of typing the correct sentence smoothly and accurately?
The same is true for your golf swing.
When your TRUST level is high enough you can Focus on the Swing/Shot you have committed to and ALLOW your body to execute the swinging motion.
Building your sense of Trust as you progress through your PRE-Shot Routine is the Psychological Key to Improving Consistency.
How Do You Create Your Own Personally Optimized Pre-Shot Routine?
Here is a Step-By-Step layout for building an effective Consistency driven Pre-Shot Routine:
Step #1 Commit
The Keys to optimizing Commitment:
1. Assess ALL the variables for the shot (lie, distance, weather etc.)
2. Assess SPECIFIC target options (bold vs. safe)
3. Assess PERSONAL confidence level (80% success guideline)
4. COMMIT fully to the shot (with logic NOT ego)
Step #2 Rehearse
The Keys to optimizing Rehearsal:
1. VISUALIZE the Goal (specific target, shot shape or combination)
2. FEEL the Motion (speed, rhythm, effort level)
3. CREATE a Movie (SEE/FEEL the ENTIRE SHOT/SWING)
4. REHEARSE the Movie (hit the shot BEFORE you hit the shot)
Step #3 Release
The Keys to optimizing Release:
1. Trust Your Shot Selection
2. Trust Your Rehearsal
3. Enjoy the Challenge
4. Let It Happen
Ideally you want this entire process to take 30 seconds or less.
The shorter the Routine (without hurrying or forcing it) the less chance there is for distraction to interrupt the Process.
Even among touring professionals you will notice BIG differences in how long the Pre- Shot Routine takes.
The reality is that it will take slightly different amounts of time for each golfer to quiet distractions and get mind/body/emotions all on the same page and working together for the shot.
The best way to find out what works for you is to assess different “paces” for your routine on the range and then take it to the course for final testing.
Helpful Hints for Optimizing Your 3 Goal Pre-Shot Routine
Learn vs Fail Mindset
One of the challenges to accessing optimum Presence before each shot is having a Success vs Failure Mindset.
A Success vs. Failure Mindset means that for any shot you believe there is one of two outcomes… the shot is a success or it is a failure.
It is only natural that everyone strives for a Successful shot.
BUT
It is more difficult to execute a Successful shot if your mind is distracted by the potential of a Failed shot.
This adds pressure/negative emotions/distraction to the equation.
My suggestion is to create a Success vs. Learn Mindset.
This means that when your shot is not a Success you treat it as a Learning Experience as opposed to a Failure.
The benefit of the Mindset is that every shot you hit will have a positive result:
You will enjoy a successful result
You will enjoy learning what you can do better for next time
I have found the Success vs. Learn mindset can be VERY helpful for minimizing pressure and maximizing PRESENCE.
Challenge vs Skill Ratio
Challenge Response is another important piece of the Preparation process.
Some golfers LOVE challenges.
They NEED enough challenge to keep them fully engaged in the preparation process.
Some golfers RESIST challenges.
They need to minimize challenge as much as possible to quiet the potential distraction that the challenge triggers and keep Trust levels high..
Knowing where you are on this scale is important because it determines what is your optimum shot to Commit to.
If you LOVE challenge you will usually play best when you choose a shot that tests your skill level a bit (not more than 110% of your perceived skill level though).
If you RESIST challenge you will usually play best when you choose a shot that you feel confident you can execute (not less than 90% of your perceived skill level though).
The balance scale of Challenge to Skill Ratio is very fluid.
The fine tuning depends on confidence levels for specific shots and from day to day.
The Bottom Line is just to make sure you are finding your personal balance point for Engagement vs Trust.
Visual vs Feel Mode Dominance
“Turning up the Volume Dials” of Your Senses is one of the Keys to Success for Rehearsing Every Shot.
Knowing how far to “Turn up Each Volume Dial” take your rehearsal to an even higher level.
Why?
Because all golfers have a dominant “Sense Mode” for hitting specific shots.
Here is an example:
When you write your signature do you:
Visualize the look of your signature… and then let it happen
Feel the rhythm of the motion of your signature… and then let it happen
Now try doing the opposite.
Your dominant “Sense Mode” is the one you Trust the most.
The same is true for your golf swing.
It is very rare to have equal Trust in both “Sense Modes” for a specific shot.
Which means it is important to test and find which “Sense Mode” you Trust the most AND how much more it should be turned up to.
This will allow you to fine Tune the process of your Routine to get the Volume Dials for Visual and Feel at YOUR optimum levels.
By the way… you may find different shots have different dominant Sense modes.
For example:
My dominant Sense Mode for the full swing is FEEL.
My dominant Sense Mode for short game shots is VISUAL.
It took me a look of time and a LOT of bad shots to figure that out.
Hopefully this article shortens your process.
Conclusion
If you want to improve your Consistency on the course the fastest method is to make sure your Pre-Shot Routine is tuned for your needs:
Mentally
Physically
Emotionally
If you have not prepared yourself in all 3 Key Metrics you WILL experience the roller coaster of golf inconsistency more than you and your scorecard might enjoy.
If you would like personal help building your Optimum Pre-Shot Routine, book a complimentary 30-minute Zoom call with me.
I always enjoy chatting with golfers and coaches looking to add mental performance skills to their tool belt.
Geoff
References:
Metin, Baris & Goktepe, Ayse & Sutcubasi, Bernis & Serin, Emin & Tas, Cumhur & Dolu, Fatrmanur & Tarhan, K.. (2017) EEG findings during flow state. The Journal of Neurobehavioral Sciences. 1. 10.5455/JNBS.1496152464
Bullemer, P.; Nissen, MJ.; Willingham, D.B. (1989) On the Development of Procedural Knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 15 (6): 1047–1060.
Bouyeure, Antoine, Noulhiane, Marion. (2020) Handbook of Clinical Neurology https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/procedural-memory
Kotler, Steven (2023) What are Flow Triggers? 22 Examples to Unlock Flow State. Flow Research Collective. https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/blog/flow-triggers
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