What Should I Focus On During My Pre Shot Golf Putting Routine (Video) - by Pete Styles
What Should I Focus On During My Pre Shot Golf Putting Routine (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now similar to any normal golf shot your pre-shot routine in your putting is nearly as fundamentally as important as the actual stroke. Lots of decision making needs to happen in that pre-shot routine, and it’s important you get that decision making done before you are actually standing over the golf ball. There’s enough to do standing over the golf ball without still having to think about how hard you want to hit or read it, so lots of decisions needs to happen in the pre-shot routine. Best bet is to step away from the golf ball a little bit and read the green, so we get down behind it read it from this angle that helps you decide on the lie of the put. Also your stand from this angle help you decide on the length of the putt look for the uphill look for downhills.

Put those two images together how is it going to break, what speed is it going to take. Take any other factors that might be important to you into consideration as well. For example if I am playing match play do I need to make this putt to win the game, or do I just need a two putt. If I just need a two putt I would be a little bit more defensive if I had to make it to get myself into play off to win the hole I would be a bit more aggressive. Consider all the other factors of how have you putted previously in the day if every putt you have hit so far has been short, your pre-shot routine would tell you hit the ball a little bit harder. If you have missed everything left or missed everything right you might take that into account not to adjustment into account as well. Then to the side of the putt, I am still in my pre-shot routine here, I am grooving in the stroke that I want to use, I am using the image of how far it's going to go uphill downhill how is it going to break I’m bringing that into my pre-shot routine here. I groove in an accurate stroke I feel like I have got the stroke that I can use to hit the putt. I then step forwards and just pull off that exact stroke. The last thing I would want to do when I am putting is walk straight up to the putt with no practice swing and then just pull the trigger first time. Because what I might consider is that it might've been 10 or 15 minutes since I last took a putt and the putt I last took might've been way longer or way shorter so it's very difficult to gauge this first time without a putting stroke without a practice stroke. So I would step back, gauge the lie of the land, how hard I want to hit it, then take a couple of practice strokes, and when I feel like I am ready to pull the trigger I can line up and hit the putt. And regardless of whether it goes in or not, I feel like I have given it the best chance to roll down towards the hole. Thankfully this one goes in because my pre-shot was really disciplined. 2014-10-13

Now similar to any normal golf shot your pre-shot routine in your putting is nearly as fundamentally as important as the actual stroke. Lots of decision making needs to happen in that pre-shot routine, and it’s important you get that decision making done before you are actually standing over the golf ball. There’s enough to do standing over the golf ball without still having to think about how hard you want to hit or read it, so lots of decisions needs to happen in the pre-shot routine. Best bet is to step away from the golf ball a little bit and read the green, so we get down behind it read it from this angle that helps you decide on the lie of the put. Also your stand from this angle help you decide on the length of the putt look for the uphill look for downhills.

Put those two images together how is it going to break, what speed is it going to take. Take any other factors that might be important to you into consideration as well. For example if I am playing match play do I need to make this putt to win the game, or do I just need a two putt. If I just need a two putt I would be a little bit more defensive if I had to make it to get myself into play off to win the hole I would be a bit more aggressive. Consider all the other factors of how have you putted previously in the day if every putt you have hit so far has been short, your pre-shot routine would tell you hit the ball a little bit harder.

If you have missed everything left or missed everything right you might take that into account not to adjustment into account as well. Then to the side of the putt, I am still in my pre-shot routine here, I am grooving in the stroke that I want to use, I am using the image of how far it's going to go uphill downhill how is it going to break I’m bringing that into my pre-shot routine here. I groove in an accurate stroke I feel like I have got the stroke that I can use to hit the putt. I then step forwards and just pull off that exact stroke.

The last thing I would want to do when I am putting is walk straight up to the putt with no practice swing and then just pull the trigger first time. Because what I might consider is that it might've been 10 or 15 minutes since I last took a putt and the putt I last took might've been way longer or way shorter so it's very difficult to gauge this first time without a putting stroke without a practice stroke. So I would step back, gauge the lie of the land, how hard I want to hit it, then take a couple of practice strokes, and when I feel like I am ready to pull the trigger I can line up and hit the putt. And regardless of whether it goes in or not, I feel like I have given it the best chance to roll down towards the hole. Thankfully this one goes in because my pre-shot was really disciplined.