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Who is golfing in Ohio?   What is a pre-shot routine in the game of golf?  Do you become frustrated on the range?  FAQ?  Maybe not, but a few answers are found here!

I am out of the BIG HEAT of Arizona for a couple of months; exploring Columbus, Ohio. I can’t get over all the grass. Everyday I see what all the kids have to do for the summer . . .  mow, mow, mow. Guess Columbus golf courses must have a hard time recruiting teenagers for summer work!!!!!!

Westerville Golf Center is my summer teaching home. Great facility and when the temperature is too hot, I can teach in the shade and feel a temperature difference. That doesn't happen in Arizona.

www.pennypulzgolf.com/Westerville_Ohio_golf.htm

Tell all of your golfing friends and relatives in the Columbus area looking for a golf lesson, call my Columbus cell phone number:  614-679-3298. (this cell has been cancelled). Forward my newsletter to them, I'm here and teaching.

I will be back home and ready for work at Falcon Dunes beginning October 1.

Tootles and have fun playing golf.

What about your golf pre-shot routine?  Is it routine?  Is it consistent? Has your routine become comfortable, like an old pair of jeans, because of regular repetition of use?  . . . . . well, ponder . . . .  what do you do in preparation to hit your golf shots?  If your answer is clear and concise, congratulations!  Read on, you may pick up a few pointers. If, on the other hand, your answer is a bit on the wishy-washy side  --  get yourself organized to a consistent, crisp, pre-shot routine to be used in the normal every-day play of your golf game.

The pre-shot routine . . . is made up of a set of keys unique to you that sets in motion the golf swing style to target.

Before you have a pre-shot routine, you have to decide what club to choose for your shot. This topic, club selection, will come in yet another newsletter. Each of the four swing models, full swing, mini swing, putt, and chip; have similar pre-shot routines. As your proficiency at golf improves, so does your efficiency with your pre-shot routine.

I'm going to use a chip shot to further explain a pre-shot routine.

The hardest shot to learn for a beginner is the chip shot or another name, the bump and run. Why?   For beginners, it is just a 'head scratcher' to hit the ball on the down swing and yet watch the ball get airborne.

This is also a difficult shot for the better player to keep sharp. Why?  The tendency is to slide your weight passed your impact position and the resulting shocker shot is a fat chunk or skinny skid across the darn green. Don’t you just shake your head in disbelief that such a simple looking shot could be so messed up.

a chip pre-shot routine:

• Beginner Level

1. Stand behind the ball, find the spot on the green to land the ball.

2. Swing the club back and forward the length and speed you need for how far you want to hit the ball in the air.

3. Pick the swing thought that encompasses this shot. Example: 'Firm grip. Punch it.'

4. Walk up to the ball, get ready and hit the ball to the target on the green.

•   Intermediate Level

1. Stand behind the ball, find the spot on the green to land the ball.

2. Swing the club back and forward the length and speed you need for how far you want to hit the ball in the air.

3. Pick the swing thought that encompasses this shot. Example: 'Firm grip. Punch through the back of the ball.'

4. Walk up to the ball, eye your target on the green and hit the ball to the target on the green.

•  Advanced Level

1. Stand behind the ball, find the spot on the green to land the ball.

2. Swing the club back and forward the length and speed you need for how far you want to hit the ball in the air.

3. Pick the swing thought that encompasses this shot. Example: 'Trail hand thumb and forefinger crisply pinch the lower half of the ball."

4. Walk up to the ball, eye the target crisply and let the look of the shot be transferred to your hands. Hit the ball to the target on the green. 

Your pre-shot routine basics don’t change as you become a better player.  Your 'swing thought' for your shots, as you become a better player, will become more defined, refined and rhythmic because you come to understand more deeply the keys to hitting this shot successfully.

Be on the look out for a newsletter about 'swing thought'!

You will also find archive issues of passes newsletters.

"Repetition is the key to good habits, in golf and in  life." 
Sandra Haynie, LPGA Hall of Fame

excerpt, The Wisdom of Women's Golf, Dr. Criswell Freeman

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We welcome your questions, comments, suggestions and ideas; email newsletter@pennypulzgolf.com.

Penny Pulz
LPGA Tour Professional, 
LPGA Teaching and Club Professional, Class A
2 Time LPGA Champion, 
Golf Coach, Golf Schools
Motivational Speaker, Author
ppgolf@pennypulzgolf.com

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