To the untrained eye it might go unnoticed, but when a coach watches one of his players in a tournament he or she can tell immediately whether or not they are dialled into their A-game. Ernie Els is a perfect example, and a player we know very well at the DLGA headquarters here at Champions’Gate. When Ernie is playing and swinging well – often referred to as being ‘in the zone’ – he follows a very definite routine on every single shot that he makes. This involves identifying an intermediate target a few feet ahead of the ball (a leaf or divot mark that lies directly on his line to the target), and he uses that as his point of reference as he then goes through the motions of getting himself correctly and squarely set-up for the shot.

Ernie then takes a couple of looks at that intermediate target as he swivels his head to scan the distant target, then he pulls the trigger and goes. But when he’s fidgety, not entirely happy with the shot or his club selection he will look up maybe four or five times before making his swing. And when that happens he usually hits a poor shot. The point that I’m making here is that good players develop a pre-shot routine and stick rigidly to it when they are in full flow and playing well. Which is why we at the DLGA believe it is so important that our students learn to do the same – and rehearse it regularly in practice. Let me show you how to make this a habit that helps you make more good swings and hit more solid shots.