Fall 2024

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT B Y L A I RD SMA L L The Anatomy of a Golf Shot mash! You just saw a perfectly executed shot performed by a TOUR player and are amazed at how consistently their shots end up right on target. How do they do that? And how do they make it look so easy? From our standpoint as fans and observers, it looks easy—the player simply grabbed the club, put it behind the ball, made a swing, and the ball went to the target.The truth, however, is that so much more is happen- ing underneath the surface. It’s like a duck on top of the water. We see the duck moving effortlessly across the water, but if you look under- neath, their feet are really churning and working. In this article, I am going to walk you through what I call “The Anatomy of a Golf Shot” which starts well before you ever pull the club out of the bag and includes making some very important decisions and fol- lowing a specific sequence of events to execute the best shot possible. You may think your golf swing is too random to create a plan. That’s not true at all…you are better than you think. I say that confidently because I know that you have hit good shots. What really went into that good shot and how can you start making it more repetitive? The key is having a plan for the shot which will allow for your mind and body to be organized on the specific shot at hand.This is called a “pre-shot routine.” Let’s think about all that goes into establishing the shot we are trying to hit: • What is the target? • What is the lie of the ball? • What is the wind doing? • How am I feeling today? •What is my current shot pattern, i.e. how am I striking the ball today? • Is the shot I’m facing a comfortable one, or do that lake and bunker make me uncomfortable? As you can see, a lot needs to be reviewed and decided upon in a short amount of time. This should be accomplished within your pre- shot routine. The pre-shot routine is the time a player takes to gather all of this information and organize their thoughts, ultimately relaxing the con- scious mind and allowing the subconscious mind to take over, letting it go, running the program, and executing the shot! There are three elements that go into a successful pre-shot routine. They are SEE, FEEL and TRUST. SEE As you prepare for your shot, the sequence begins with seeing everything around you from a wide-lens perspective. As you organize that data, you then narrow your focus to the specific location you want to shoot the ball—I’m going to hit it directly at that part of the green or that part of the fairway. This is fol- lowed by visualizing the type of shot that you’re going to hit to deliver the ball to that target. Imagine in your mind’s eye the television shot tracer with a ribbon through the sky simulat- ing the shot path to the target. Can you create that in your own mind? Can you see that tracer going right to your target? While most players see the shot that they’re trying to hit, many find visualization can be difficult. For those, I would recommend working to verbally describe the shot that you will hit, i.e. “I’m going to hit the ball towards the left bunker and have it curve away from that bunker to land in the middle of the fairway.” I am sure you have observed most TOUR players talking through and verbally describing the shot they’re trying to hit. FEEL What is the feel of the shot that you’re trying to create and yes, I use that word “create”! Because the feel of a shot that goes high and the feel of one that goes low are very different, so put in a little rehearsal motion in your swing of what you’re trying to feel.Through the golf shot it may feel like: your hands are leading the club head; you’re swinging the club more to the right of your target line; you’re sweeping the club through While most players see the shot that they’re trying to hit, many f ind visualization can be difficult. S 96 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 4