I watch golfers take practice swings all day long and I’d estimate 90 percent are just going through the motions with no purpose, no intention and no connection to the shot they’re about to hit.
A practice swing is a rehearsal for the exact shot you’re about to execute. Most golfers treat practice swings like optional background noise and wonder why their actual swing looks nothing like those smooth practice cuts they just made.
Your practice swing should address one specific problem
I’ve seen golfers take a practice swing while thinking about their grip, their takeaway, their hip turn, their weight shift, and their follow-through all at the same time. That’s not rehearsal. That’s mental chaos.
Every practice swing should have one clear purpose. Are you rehearsing the tempo? Feeling the low point of your swing? Programming the trajectory you need to clear that bunker? Pick one thing. Rehearse that one thing with complete focus. Then step up and execute with that same singular focus.
Rehearse the shot you’re actually facing
Your practice swing must match the shot. If you’re hitting a 40-yard pitch, your practice swing should be a 40-yard pitch motion. Same length, same speed, same feel. If you need to hit a low stinger into the wind, your practice swing should finish low with that abbreviated follow-through.
I make my students take their practice swing in the exact stance they’ll use, aimed at the exact target, with the exact ball position. Right there, in position, rehearsing the actual shot.
Take your practice swing at 100-percent commitment
If you’re not fully committed to the practice swing, you’re programming hesitation into your actual swing.
This doesn’t mean you swing hard. It means you swing with intention. Match the energy of the shot, but bring 100 percent mental commitment to every rehearsal. Take your practice swing with complete focus on your one key feel. Step immediately into your setup position. Execute the shot within three seconds of addressing the ball. The gap between your practice swing and your real swing should be minimal. Your practice swing is programming your nervous system, but that program has a short shelf life. Use it immediately or lose it.
Make your practice swing match your shot shape
If you need to hit a draw around that tree, your practice swing should feel like a draw swing: inside-out path, hands releasing, club moving right of target through impact. If you need to hit a cut, rehearse that outside-in feel with the face slightly open.
Most golfers take the same neutral practice swing regardless of the shot shape they need. Then they step up and try to manipulate something mid-swing to create the curve. That’s backwards. I have students rehearse extreme versions of the shot shape they want. If you need a little draw, rehearse a big draw in your practice swing.
Practice swings are part of your shot routine
Take fewer practice swings if you need to but make every single one count. One purposeful rehearsal beats five mindless waggles every time. Your practice swing is either programming success or programming confusion. Make it count or don’t make it at all.
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