GOLF MENTAL GAME COACHING TIPS BY DR. RICK SESSINGHAUS
The Importance of a Pre-Shot Routine
Hi, I’m Rick Sessinghaus, PGA coach and coach for Collin Morikawa.
You need a better pre shot routine. Many of you are working on your swing way too much and you’re not using a key element to help you be more confident on the golf course.
A pre shot routine requires one to be aware. So I first actually look at the lie. The lie is going to dictate the shot. It’s all about your golf mental game approach.
I have one ball sitting up in the fairway. I have another one that’s sitting in an old divot that’s going to affect what you can and cannot do with that ball flight.
Next thing is, I look at my surroundings. I’m certainly paying attention to elevation, wind green complex hazards and certainly the flag. Now, when you’re on the golf course, what’s great is you can use my round pro to get some exact yardage now so you don’t have any problems picking out the right club.
So when I put all those together now, I know how far it is. I’ve looked at the elements. I need to know what’s the best shot for me to play? Not your buddy. Most of us will let our ego get in the way of our decision making.
Play within yourself. Play to your strengths and also know your distances. So sometimes I actually take an extra club and swing smoothly to get that done. I made a decision. Now the next thing I want to do is visualize success.
Improve your golf mental game practice
I’m very much into being creative on the golf course. So here I’m going to start at the fringe, on the left and fade it back in. So when I visualize, I have a very clear target. It helps my confidence.
Then a practice swing for me. I utilize it to really get my tempo for the shot that I want. Good tempo, clear target. I’m ready to go. So when you put those things together, a good, pretty shot routine is going to be about good decision making.
It’s about being focused but ultimately about committing to the golf shot. Improve your pre shot routine and you’re going to lower your scores by improving your golf mental game performance.
