Your Pre-Shot Routine Sucks
Because you don't have one
Following Ryan Fox’s win at the Open Championship, it seemed all anyone could talk about was how fast he played.
Golf commentator Ken Brown said Fox could have hit his winning putt with no one watching if he wasn’t careful.
Scottie Scheffler even told him, “It doesn’t even feel like you’re in the group, you hit it so fast.”
And while it’s true Ryan Fox does play fast, that was not what I noticed most about his pre-shot routines. What I noticed most was how remarkably consistent they were.
Below is a video posted by the DP World Tour. Watch it and you’ll see just what I mean. He has them synched up almost to the millisecond.
Other than these clips looking really cool side by side, there is a reason Ryan Fox along with so many other pro golfers make a point to remain consistent in their pre-shot routines.
Routines protect your swing.
Consistent Routines Protect Your Swing
Many amateur golfers have a train of logic that goes something like this:
Bad shots come from bad swings. Pressure causes bad swings. Therefore pressure should be met with more attention to the swing — more thought, more care, more time to get it right. Stand over the ball a little longer. Think it through. Make sure.
This is wrong in my opinion. More thought, more care, more time — all that these things do is isolate and spotlight your swing, exposing your entire game to its natural variability.
Creating a consistent pre-shot routine absorbs the swing into a much larger and more predictable process — shielding your swing from small nerves and pressure.
The sports psychology data and Tour-tested proof all point to the same truth: a reliable routine isn’t optional — it’s essential.
Below, I’ll break down the data, provide some Tour examples, and then end with five steps to help you develop a consistent routine and make your swing a little more immune to pressure.
Let’s get into it.
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