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How to Hit Straighter Golf Shots with a Better Pre-Shot Routine
When a golfer faces an important golf shot and needs to hit the golf ball straight, many club golfers change their pre-shot routine and have an extra look at the target.
While it is always important to check alignment, sometimes that extra glance creates unwanted tension, which ruins any chance of making a smooth swing at the ball with a natural release.
Prepare for better golf in the summer by experimenting on the range to find the most effective pre-shot routine for hitting important pressure shots on the course.
A Relaxed Swing for a Natural Release
Hitting the ball straight requires the golfer to be in control of the speed and line of the backswing, but importantly, when coming into impact, the golfer must not try to guide or interfere with the club release naturally.
A good accurate golf shot comes from a swing where centrifugal force kicks in on the downswing and makes the club swish through impact as naturally as possible.
Trusting the club to release naturally increases the accuracy and power of the shot. However, on an important shot, where it is vital to trust the natural release, golfers often try to guide the club at the ball.
This usually happens when the golfer has become too fixated with the target.
Pre-Shot Routine
- The next time you are at the range, take twenty balls and experiment with your pre-shot routine.
- Take up your stance and hit five balls with only one glance at the target before each shot. This isn’t easy to do if you normally look at the target a few times.
- Take the next five balls and, this time, have two glances at the target.
- Similarly, do the same for the last ten balls, but look at the target one more time, each set of five.
- When you have finished hitting the twenty balls, have a rest and decide which set of five you hit the straightest and the best. Just looking at the target more often doesn’t necessarily mean you will hit the ball straighter.
Relax for an Important Golf Shot
With the information you have built up in practice, the next time you play golf on the course, make sure that even when facing a difficult shot to a tight target, you stick to the routine that you have proved works best.
Remember, a good golf shot comes from a relaxed swing where the release is natural, and that tension, and an inclination to guide the club, creep in when a golfer keeps looking nervously at the target.
Once you have checked your alignment, trust your aim and swing the club with freedom.
