Your pre round routine

Afternoon All

Was wondering what everyone's pre round routine, or if anyone had any tips on how to start playing from the 1st tee.

Normally it takes me a good few holes to get into the swing of it, and by the time I am hitting the ball to reasonable standard any hope of a decent score is gone.

As an example this weekend scores

I took 43 shots for the first 6 holes (atrocious) then 57 shots for the remaining 12 holes.

Cheers Guys

Nay Bother

My preshot routine is normally a few putts on my home course (nine holes in order round the practice green), or alot of putts on an away course (to really get the speed of them) then a couple of practice swings. Not a lot of use to you I know!!

I spend as much time as I can loosening up but seldom "hit balls", just chip and putt as much as possible.
If it's cold, a healthy snort of Jack Daniels in my clubhouse coffee is a must.

About 5 mins putting (for green speeds) and then 5 mins hitting, at most, 10 balls (usually with a 5-iron) in the net we have adjacent to the 1st tee.

It all starts with a coffee and a bacon bap!!

Warm up basket (about 30 balls) up through the clubs wedge, 7i, 4i rescue, 3 wood, driver then back down. Last club though is what I'll hit 1st tee shot with.

Half a dozen chip shots, half a dozen long putts, half a dozen medium putts (not looking to hole out just get a feel for distance).

If at my 2nd club (which has a useful little 6 hole academy course. I'll hit a few shots to a couple of pins (into wind and downwind) to get a feel for distance on the day.

All set

Triple bogey the 1st!!!!

10 - 15 mins putting (without fail)

10 - 15 mins chipping (often)

Possibly hit a few balls with wedge or 9 iron for tempo (but do this very rarely - generally a few double club swings)

Complete pre shot routine on first tee to ensure in right mental "zone" and to clear everything else out but my target.

Wahey - tw@t it!

Depends on whether it's a competition or not.

We have a ball dispenser arrangement thingie so if it's a competition (otherwise a quick shrug of the shoulders ) then I'll go loosen up with a basket (25 balls). After that, a few minutes spent chipping (you have to pass the chipping area to get to the driving range and it never fails to amaze me just how few people include chipping in their warm-up routine). Finish off with at most a minute or two putting (never think it's a good idea to dwell too long on the putting green ).

Putt for 5 minutes, chip for 5 minutes, hold a 5 & 6 iron together (double the weight) and swing fully 10 or 15 times to ensure nothing is going to go twang. Then stand up and tw@t it as R_C so accurately puts it.

A few shots in the net with a six iron, then a few putts, then to the first tee and belt it.

Unfortunately at the moment my pre-round routine consists of parking the car, removing the clubs and walking to the tee. Just not as commited as i used to be:-(

Does anyone have an elaborate routine like the 9 shots with each club or anything?

At the moment i tend to hit a couple of dozen shots in the practice net. Start off with the 6, then 4, 8, wedge, sand iron. I vary them all between full shots, three quarter shots and punch shots. Then i head to the green and spend a few minutes chipping and putting. If I've a match i nip up to the nearby range and hit half a dozen shots with the driver too. All done in 15-20 mins.

Ideally on the range with a small bucket, working up from a wedge to the driver skipping every other club, then onto the chipping green and finally the putting green. I've managed that precisely never. Sometimes manage the first and last parts but more often than not it's a quick few 5 irons in the net and a quick putt to get the pace.

First round with my current putter I didn't even have time to get a practice putt in, 4 putted the first two greens before I got used to the pace with the new stick!

Usually start early and the range is closed so just do a few minutes on/around the green concentrate in getting down in two from longish range,from the fringes and a few yards in the longer grass.Finish with few 6 foot putts from all angles.

Can't claim a pre round routine as such. Depends how much time I have once I've arrived. If I've half hour or so and there's no one I wish to chat with I might kill some time in the net or on the practice green though I've never noticed a marked increase in performance due to this.

It's not as if golf is like real exercise that you've got to warm up for or risk injury is it?

Range for 10 -15 minutes, putting green for another 10.

This year, I'll trot over to the short game area taking time away from full shots and 5 minutes from putting.

Also, I count a lot on luck -- it's something I don't have to practice.

Each to their own hibbz. Personally i find i need to hit a few balls to feel comfortable on the opening couple of holes as these often tend to set the tone for the rest of the round.

Hibbz wrote:...It's not as if golf is like real exercise that you've got to warm up for or risk injury is it?

Pretty naïve remark eh? Plenty of people would find it an issue to stand on the 1st tee and tw@t a driver without any sort of warm up. For example, I prolapsed a L5 (or L4, forget which) disk in my back doing some stupid paving slab DIY about 18 years back and I need at least a little bit of warming up if I'm not to give myself an acute back problem. I won't even deign to comment on the 'exercise' remark.

Hibbz gets plenty of exercise . . . . . . wish we had him round here.

To be fair, you'd have to be in pretty appalling condition to get a golf injury. It's a bit like a darts or crown green bowls injury.

The guy who popped his shoulder on my ouch thread really looks after himself. Probably a bit too limber. I guess some people are just liable to certain weaknesses however well they look after themselves.

Navy, my pairs partner has similar issue. Two slipped discs in his back from pulling out weeds in the garden. Gentle warm up a must for him. Seems especially bad in the winter.

super_realist wrote:To be fair, you'd have to be in pretty appalling condition to get a golf injury. It's a bit like a darts or crown green bowls injury.

don't know about that soupy, i read somewhere that a full golf swing is like performing a 1 rep maximum weight lift. Apparently some stronger players can generate up to 3 horsepower with their swing.

I would think any injury would as a result of something else, and not directly from playing golf.

How many full shots per round (20-25 max?) and in 4 hours. Shouldn't be too taxing.

Golf is a tremendous form of aerobic exercise. Everything gets moved ... although I accept maybe not in the right order! And, what other sport gets your mind off everday matters better than golf. I'm sure this is one of the reasons why so many doctors and surgeons play it. So, it's psychologically beneficial too. Those of us lucky enough to be introduced to the game are indeed blessed.

Aerobic in that you need to breathe, but aren't they all aerobic? I've never heard of an anaerobic exercise.

Most people though probably ruin any benefit they get from the game in the bar afterwards.

It's better than doing nothing, but one or two rounds once a week won't hold the grim reaper off for long if that's all you do.

I think we've had this debate before regarding golf and fitness etc.

I don't view golf as taxing in the aerobic sense, but the golf swing can cause some injuy or more likely aggravate existing issues. With anything that uses muscles and joints, a gentle warm up is recommended. However, not warming up will not necessarily result in injury - in fact it most likely won't be an issue. It's as much about getting in the right frame of mind and increasing your chances of playing near the top of your ability.

I see a certain irony in spending a small fortune on getting the same clubs as the pros, getting them fitted just like the pros, selecting the right ball for your swing like the pros (excluding McIlroy ) and then just turning up on the first tee and tw@ting it unlike the pros (excluding McIlroy @ Medinah ). But then it all depends on how seriously you take it. Each to their own.

super_realist wrote:I would think any injury would as a result of something else, and not directly from playing golf.

How many full shots per round (20-25 max?) and in 4 hours. Shouldn't be too taxing.

You misinterpret...again. I don't think I, or anyone else, was talking about once you're into a round. I was specifically talking about prior to the start i.e. the first, probably full-blooded, driver off the 1st tee.
What does 4 hours have to do with anything? It's about the few seconds you're swinging full out.

Given the pace that people seem to walk at on the course these days (as if they are going to the gallows) I'm not sure even how much benefit they are getting from shuffling along.

super_realist wrote:Aerobic in that you need to breathe, but aren't they all aerobic? I've never heard of an anaerobic exercise.

Most people though probably ruin any benefit they get from the game in the bar afterwards.

It's better than doing nothing, but one or two rounds once a week won't hold the grim reaper off for long if that's all you do.

For a fitness freak, you're singularly ill-informed then. Go do some sprinting or a series of reps in a gym with near your max load. Ever heard of cramp?

navyblueshorts wrote:

super_realist wrote:I would think any injury would as a result of something else, and not directly from playing golf.

How many full shots per round (20-25 max?) and in 4 hours. Shouldn't be too taxing.

You misinterpret...again. I don't think I, or anyone else, was talking about once you're into a round. I was specifically talking about prior to the start i.e. the first, probably full-blooded, driver off the 1st tee.
What does 4 hours have to do with anything? It's about the few seconds you're swinging full out.

Navy, if you did 25 press ups over a four hour period would you really expect it to do any good?

There is a fallacy that golf is exercise, but the exercise is in the mileage covered, not the swing, which will be minimal. If you are hitting 300 balls a day, I'm sure this would help in toning up and suppleness.

I think you'd already have to be pretty decrepit or already have a long standing injury to get an injury playing golf. Why is anyone swinging full blood anyway? Should swing anymore than 90%.

Ever the cynic s_r ...

Golf can be a good investment for the health, according to a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The death rate for golfers is 40 per cent lower than for other people of the same sex, age and socioeconomic status, which correspond to a 5 year increase in life expectancy. Golfers with a low handicap are the safest.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080530095413.htm

navyblueshorts wrote:

super_realist wrote:Aerobic in that you need to breathe, but aren't they all aerobic? I've never heard of an anaerobic exercise.

Most people though probably ruin any benefit they get from the game in the bar afterwards.

It's better than doing nothing, but one or two rounds once a week won't hold the grim reaper off for long if that's all you do.

For a fitness freak, you're singularly ill-informed then. Go do some sprinting or a series of reps in a gym with near your max load. Ever heard of cramp?

Meant to say sport.

When the good Dr Alistair Mackenzie was a real doctor rather than golf course architect he regularly prescribed playing golf to overcome many ailments - "and even if it doesn't cure, you will feel a lot better anyway"

first off i like to have a feel of the greens so i will spend a good ten minutes just putting from various distances (usually 6ft, 12ft and 16ft) and will then use the chipping area for 5 mins.

then i hit the range with a bucket of balls (around 25) and work from pitching wedge up (prob hit about 8 -10 with that club only), couple of shots with the 8 iron, a few with the 6, couple with the 4 iron and a few with the 3 wood. i then finish up with about 5 hits or so with the driver. however, if i hit a cracking drive with any of the 5 balls i leave the rest and walk to the tee with that positive shot still in my mind.

then go and smash one straight down the middle hopefully........

don't you mean 1.8m, 3.6m and 4.8m lilbod...

barragan wrote:don't you mean 1.8m, 3.6m and 4.8m lilbod...

yeah barra thats exactly what i meant but not sure if its "politically correct"!? haha