A good pre-shot routine is extremely important and one of the most valuable parts of the pre-shot routine is the practice swing. The practice swing should be a rehearsal of the swing you plan to use for your shot.

Too often I see players taking a practice swing that isn’t close to what they are wanting to do over the ball. This in effect is practicing a bad swing. Examples of this are those who simply wave their arms back and forth in faster than normal motion or those who swing and check the top of their backswing. Sometimes you see those backswing checkers following their arms with their head which is basically practicing moving your head on the backswing.

When I was growing up in California and taking lessons from the head pro at our club, he was extremely picky about practice swings and randomly swinging the club even if you were just standing there listening to him talk about your swing. His point was to never ever practice a bad swing move! Also going along the lines of a practice swing I think one practice swing is enough before each shot. Think about it: if you are taking two or three practice swings per shot those add up through the course of a round and you are going to wear yourself out!

In summary, take one good practice swing per shot and make this swing a rehearsal of the swing you want to use to make contact with the ball and you’ll be on your way to a better swing and a lower score!

Cathy Marino
Director of Beginners and Women’s Programs

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