The Shot Routine is what we need to continually repeat and practice to become better players. It enables us to go into a concentration zone on demand, during our rounds and practice. Watch any of the top players in the world and they have the same approach to EVERY shot, which optimizes their chances of playing it as they intend. The shot routine enables us to switch from being relaxed and enjoying where we are and what we doing, into a highly focused state which connects us with the shot required. With practice, entering "the zone" can become an automated process. There are many drills and processes we can go through to improve the way we play the inner game, but the shot routine provides us with the structure, the triggers and increases commitment .

Most negative interferences in the execution of a shot happen before we start the back swing. If executed correctly, the shot routine takes us away from negative thoughts and reminds us to be in a positive state of mind.

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The concept comes from a behavioral technology called Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP), a fairly new branch of psychology that attempts to improve a person’s mental and emotional behavior. The teaching assumes that specific goals or actions (neuro) can be better achieved by “anchoring” (programming) past experiences with reinforcement stimuli such as touch, word or sight (linguistic).

Louis Ooosthuizen marked the now famous Red Dot above his thumb on his left glove after working with Sports Psychologist Dr. Karl Morris. During practice, when he was 100% focused and ready to execute a shot, he would look at the Red Dot and “anchor” this mental state with that sight. Then, during competition, looking at the Red Dot as part of his pre-shot routine would automatically recall that feeling and make his mind enter that exact same state.

The goal of NLP is to bring together the conscious and unconscious minds. In this case, Oosthuizen would first make conscious analytical decisions on how to best play the shot. Then by looking at the Red Dot, a reaction would be triggered by his unconscious mind to adopt the emotional state associated with that visual anchor. The unconscious mind does not reason, is not logical and makes no judgements. Its primary job is physiological, in regulating body temperature and breathing. But it is also a repository of feelings (hence your dreams) which (if triggered correctly) can be recalled by the conscious mind. In a game where performance can be massively impaired by conscious thinking, bringing the non-judgmental unconscious mind into the shot process can only help our scores.

Confidence plays such a huge role in performing well in golf, so it is important to be able to recall (on demand) those times you felt success. The pre-shot (and post-shot) routine is one of the most important factors in achieving this. Getting yourself into a confident, positive mind-set will massively improve your chances of success. And this is exactly what the “trigger” does.

Golf is an unusual game in that it lasts 4-5 hours. For this reason it is imperative to be able to switch on and off – relaxing as much as possible when you can and conserving energy to give EVERY shot your best concentration. During the intense pressure of The Open, Oosthuizen was able to relax in between shots, safe in the knowledge that his Red Dot would take him into the necessary state of mind to give every shot his absolute concentration and focus. It reinforced his practice and gave him the self-confidence to execute.

The next time you are on the range, practice going through your routine and get as focused as you can be on the shot you are about to play. Give it everything you have. Then look, say or feel your “trigger” – this can be visual, verbal or touch (Ernie Els uses the Velcro on his glove and Fred Couples uses a tug on his shirt). That anchor will automatically start to produce the desired action, which is to recall that same focused state of mind. When you hit a good shot, anchor that too in the same way. Then try it on the course and make your new “trigger” part of your routine. This will tell your unconscious mind to adopt that optimal state of mind and you will be ready to play the shot as best you can.

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