Mike Weir is a shining example of using
a pre-shot routine to groove consistency into your round and your swing.
Away from the ball he looks down the line and picks a spot in the distance. Not just a general area but a specific point – a tree trunk, a window on a building, the flagstick.
Then he’ll adjust his grip and take his stance. After checking his point in the distance he’ll take the club shaft away from the ball to practice getting the swing in the correct plane.
Then he’ll merely mirror that practice take-away, extend it and swing back and through. It’s all about muscle memory and getting a repeating swing.
There’ll be a few trying it out on the local muni next weekend – just you watch!
The Canadian also established himself as probably the world’s best putter – ahead of Brad Faxon.
His method is simple – a reverse overlap grip, light touch and repeating method.
No one has ever read the Augusta greens better and it was all down to following the same routine.
He read the line, then rolled the ball over a point a foot in front of the ball and listened for it dropping into the cup before lifting his head.
Much of the secret of putting is getting the pace of the greens.
You can do this on the practice putting green before you start your round.
Don’t try to hole a succession of 20 footers. Take three balls, pick a hole and roll 10-12 putts from around 4ft. They’re the vital ones so get the feel of the length of stroke you’ll need to do it consistently.
Jeff Maggert led the Masters after three rounds with a combination of straight driving, solid iron play and consistent putting.
Like Weir, he looks a little robotic and mechanical but it stood Nick Faldo in good stead for many years.
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He’s a great exponent of the shot that requires less than a full swing.
In practice he’ll set up for a 30-yard pitch and hit 15 balls to the target, then he’ll move back ten yards and hit 15 more.
"It’s all about grooving your swing for those shots and building some muscle memory," he says. "Maybe that doesn’t sound easy when you’ve got limited time to play but it’s the only way."
He says one key with the partial shots is not to decelerate.
"Control the length of the shot with the length of your backswing and follow through. No matter what, you have to accelerate that club through the impact area."
