PGA Tour player: If I don’t do this before every shot, I won’t make a good swing
Feeling comfortable at setup is "everything," says Billy Horschel.
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It’s always interesting to hear how much pros talk about the boring stuff. Regular golfers on the range sweat over the tiniest details of their swing, but pros? They sweat over the tiniest details of the stuff that happens before their swing.
If you do that, you’ll enjoy the knock on effects of an improved golf swing. And the best part is they’re some of the easiest things to fix. It’s why pros and teachers place such high importance on them.
“Swings don’t change overnight, but setups do,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Allen Terrell. “And your setup can affect your swing.”
Why feeling comfortable at setup is so important
Billy Horschel, who’s playing alongside Sam Burns in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this week, was asked about the importance of feeling comfortable on the course during his pre-tournament press conference earlier this week, and he quickly underlined the importance of that notion.
“It’s everything. If I feel comfortable I tend to perform better,” he said. “It’s no different than when I’m on the golf course and my setup doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t matter how good the swing is, if I don’t feel comfortable over the golf ball, I’m more than likely not always going to make a great golf swing, or if I’m not comfortable in my putting setup I’m going to have a little doubt.”
As for how you can get more comfortable before you start your swing?
GOLF Top 100 teacher Michael Hunt suggests practicing a neutral setup, with your weight fairly evenly distributed and your ball position in the middle of your stance with your short irons, moving progressively further forward with each longer club.
Teachers and pros alike also preach the importance of a good pre-shot routine, no matter your skill level. It doesn’t matter what it is, it just needs to be something you do each time before each shot. Something structured so that even when things around you feel different, the same routine is working to make you feel comfortable — and bringing you to your “happy place,” as GOLF Top 100 Teacher Lou Guzzi says.
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