Pre-shot routine sequence

Much has been written and spoken about the importance of following a consistent pre-shot routine. The routine can help blend the fundamentals of grip, aim, stance and posture all into one flowing movement when addressing the ball on the golf course. However, often I will see players following a routine, but with an incorrect sequence, which often leads to standing either too close or too far from the ball. The most common sequence that I see is when the player places their feet first, then takes their grip, and then places the club behind the ball. The problem with this sequence is that the player has "measured" their distance from the ball with their eyes, and not the club. The clubs are all a different length, so you have to measure with the club that you are using at the time.

The routine sequence that I would recommend for most players would go in this order:

1. Take the completed grip with both hands
2. With the grip taken, now place the club head behind the ball, and aim it at the target
3. Keeping the club head on the ground behind the ball, now place the feet in position.

What this routine sequence does is to get you standing the correct distance from the ball for the club you are using for the shot. When you place the club head behind the ball, with the grip already taken, you will immediately feel if you are too close or too far from the ball. Trust your instinct, if you feel too close, move away a little, and vice versa, if you feel like you're stretching for the ball, trust the feeling and move in a little closer.

Another interesting pattern that I have picked up over the years is that when somebody is struggling with their shorter irons but hitting their drivers well (specifically talking about quality of strike), the reason is that they are standing too far from the ball with the irons. This often leads to topped or thin shots, shots coming off the toe and push shots. The opposite of this is when somebody is hitting their irons well but struggling with their driver and longer clubs: check the distance from the ball, chances are they are standing too close to the ball with the driver. If you are standing too close with the longer clubs, heel strikes, duffed shots and sky shots with the driver could be the most common shots.

Follow a definite pre-shot routine, but make sure that the sequence is in the correct order too.