11 Pregame Rituals

I get questions about preparation all the time, such as: "How did you think to say that?" and "Wow! Why did you not think about your surroundings before you told that joke?" And let me tell you, there's nothing more embarrassing than shanking that ice-breaker, or having to bounce out of a 3-foot circle.

Growing up on the blue- collar getaways, I've learned that the art of playing golf and feeling the course is very similar to the finicky art of telling a joke and relating to one's peers. Through years of listening to those more experienced golfers, there's one piece of advice has never changed or been said any differently: "Kid, learn your surroundings." And, that is advice that can never be taken too seriously. Every joke, player, and course has its own character- but the process of owning your environment should be just as comfortable and predictable as what you do in your house. You are, after all, playing in someone's backyard- which is like their home- so, mi casa es su casa.

From the breakfasts at Waffle House, to the smoking 3 cigarettes while chugging diet cokes and hitting 3 drivers 10 minutes before you tee off, the pregame ritual should never be tampered with- it's the one holy sacrament and prayer to winning- the big guys do it, and so should you.

Starting out in the mornings, I like to wake up about two hours before my tee time. This timing allows my 5-minute steam in a hot shower (timing it properly to be dried off right as the solo to "Freebird" hits the climactic tempo), and a once-through of "The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin gets me dressed and out of the door, down to the hotel lobby breakfast. For breakfast: a bowl of fruit eases the guilt of ingesting one plate of bacon, about 3 eggs and one biscuit drowned in gravy, and one apple juice. Driving to the golf course, I plan to leave myself one hour of preparation before tee time- specifically so. Of this one hour, I have my "Golf" playlist on (this develops the "mood" for the golf game- relaxed, eager, excited, and "send it" zones to mark every 6 holes of play). I have 30 minutes to putt, finding the flattest surface on the practice green to gauge speed and roll-out, starting with 3-footers, and progressing in 3' intervals to 15' putts. After that process, I hit about 10 chips to gauge receptiveness of the greens and then I head to the range with about 30 minutes before my tee time.

On the range, I will take 8 golf balls to loosen up with and work up to a full swing- each hit with my pitching wedge. As I hit the warm-ups, I'm feeling the firmness and saturation of the ground, and predicting if I will pick the ball or swing an ax at it. Once I'm warmed up, I will hit about 5 golf balls per club: PW, 8i, 6i, 3i, 2i, and Driver. I NEVER fix my swing during this- I don't care if I shank a few, chunk most, or play a stupid cut- my swing for the day is my swing. Finishing the drivers up, I choose the hardest tee shot of the day to hit- and I set it up, mentally. I choose the fairway and target, my preferred ball flight, go through my pre-shot routine, and let it rip. I do not re-hit this shot, I do not practice it- I just want to get comfortable with my pre-shot routine and the ability to relax myself and feel comfortable. This one swing ends my range-career, with about 10 minutes before tee time.

Here, I turn on a good country song or AC/DC (different days, different moods- just roll with what's feeling good for the day- no matter how yesterday's play and music went, today is a new one, and shall be respected as such), and I head back to the putting green to set up, read and make one putt, then I'm off to the tee box to demolish a drive singing some stupidly hilarious song that keeps me laughing, and completely reverses my morning routine and mindset. All of that to say, my "rituals" are random, and help me to focus. Not every shot will go to plan, and my thoughts over the ball will not always be the same- therefore, one cannot expect to do the same thing everytime, everyday- because golf does not result in the same consequences- despite your good swings, good practice, or routine- one needs to be able to adapt and overcome to the challenges faced, and the comfort comes in acceptance and your time required to do so- NOT the habitual routine of scientific calculations, nor mental detours of feeling and thinking what you were 3 holes ago- just ask Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson if that works consistently.

#Rituals #Athletes #PregamL