I watch golfers take practice swings all day long, and I’d estimate that 90 percent are going through the motions aimlessly, aimlessly, and unrelated to the shot they’re about to hit.
A practice swing is a test of the exact swing you will execute. Most golfers treat practice swings as optional background noise and wonder why their actual swings bear no resemblance to those smooth practice cuts they just made.
Your practice move should address a specific problem
I’ve seen golfers take a practice swing while thinking about their grip, their swing, their hip turn, their weight shift, and their follow through all at the same time. This is not proof. This is mental chaos.
Every practice swing should have a clear purpose. Are you rehearsing? tempo? Feeling the low point of your swing? Program the trajectory you need to clear that bunker? Choose one thing. Repeat that one thing with full focus. Then get up and execute with the same singular focus.
Try the shot you are facing
Your practice swing should match the stroke. If you are hitting a 40-yard pitch, your practice swing should be a 40-yard swing. Same length, same speed, same feel. If you need to hit a low swing into the wind, your practice swing should end low with that shortened follow through.
I have my students move their practice into the exact stance they will use, aiming at the exact target, with the correct one. the position of the ball. Right there, in position, repeating the actual shot.
Take your practice to the next level with 100 percent commitment
If you’re not fully committed to your practice swing, you’re programming hesitation into your actual swing.
That doesn’t mean it swings hard. It means that it swings on purpose. Match the energy of the shot, but bring 100 percent mental commitment to every test. Take your practice movement with full focus on your single primary feeling. Enter your configuration position immediately. Take the shot within three seconds of addressing the ball. The gap between your practice swing and your real swing should be minimal. Your practice movement is programming your nervous system, but that programming has a short lifespan. Use it immediately or lose it.
Make your practice swing match your shot form
If you have to make a draw around that tree, your practice swing should feel like a draw motion: inside-out path, hand release, swing of the club right on target through impact. If you need to hit a cut, try that outside feel with a slightly open face.
Most golfers take the same neutral practice swing regardless of the shot form they need. Then they grow and try to manipulate something in the middle of the movement to create the curve. This is backwards. I have students try extreme versions of the shot form they want. If you need a small draw, try a big draw in your practice swing.
Practice swings are part of your shooting routine
Take fewer practice swings if you need to, but make every one count. A deliberate attempt beats five mindless shakes every time. Your practice move is either programming success or programming confusion. Make it count or don’t do it at all.
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