Swiss Golf Simulators All venues Map By canton By city Open now Near me For business

2 October 2026 · 8 min read

Golf pre-shot routine: what belongs in it, how long it may take and what studies show

The rules recommend no more than 40 seconds per stroke. What belongs in the routine, what a meta-analysis of 112 effect sizes finds and what remains open for golf.

Golf pre-shot routine: what belongs in it, how long it may take and what studies show — post image

A pre-shot routine is the set of actions from choosing the club to the start of the swing, in a sequence you fix for yourself. The Rules of Golf recommend playing the stroke in no more than 40 seconds. The research is cautiously positive: a meta-analysis of 112 effect sizes found a benefit, but for golf alone the picture is thinner. This post gives the numbers with their uncertainty, proposes a sequence you can adapt and shows how to practise it in a simulator. I read the sources on 2 October 2026.

What is a pre-shot routine?

The PGA of America divides the swing into two phases, pre-swing and in-swing. In its beginner booklet the phase before includes the pre-shot routine and addressing the ball (PGA of America, First Swing). In the same booklet's glossary it is the actions from the moment you choose the club until you begin the swing.

Orbach and Blumenstein describe what it is for: routines are learned and practised to direct attention, regulate the response to stress and let the movement run with as little conscious interference as possible (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022). That is the intention behind a routine, not yet proof that it works. What was measured follows below.

How long may the routine take?

Rule 5.6b recommends playing the stroke in no more than 40 seconds, counted from the moment you can play without interference or distraction (R&A, Rule 5). You should usually be able to be quicker. That is a recommendation, not a limit with a penalty. Penalties exist for unreasonable delay under Rule 5.6a, and a Committee can set a maximum time per stroke in a pace of play policy.

Place in Rule 5What it says
5.6b, recommendationStroke in no more than 40 seconds, from the moment without interference or distraction
5.6b, recommendationYou should usually be able to play quicker and are encouraged to
5.6a, penaltyUnreasonable delay: first breach one penalty stroke, second the general penalty, third disqualification
5.6b, CommitteeA pace of play policy may set a maximum time for a stroke and penalties

The rule also asks you to prepare for the next stroke in advance and to be ready when it is your turn. That gives the routine its structure: decide while others play, execute when it is your turn. How long a whole round takes and what ready golf is can be found in Pace of play and the length of a round of golf.

What does the research show overall?

The largest summary is the meta-analysis by Rupprecht, Tran and Gröpel (International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology). It evaluated 112 effect sizes from pre-post and experimental studies, under low pressure and under pressure. The authors give the effect as a standardised measure: the closer the value is to 0, the smaller the difference.

Study designEffect95 % confidence interval
Pre-post0.31 (small)0.18 to 0.44
Experiment, low pressure0.64 (moderate to large)0.45 to 0.83
Experiment, under pressure0.70 (moderate to large)0.24 to 1.16

The confidence interval shows the uncertainty. Under pressure it runs from 0.24 to 1.16, so the effect is not known precisely. Why the pre-post studies show less than the experiments, the summary does not say. According to the authors the effects did not depend on the type of routine, age, gender, skill level or the features of the intervention.

And in golf specifically?

In 2009 John Hellström summarised in Sports Medicine what is known about skilled golfers (Europe PMC). His statement on the routine is careful: it is associated with performance. But it is unclear whether a constant total duration and a constant sequence improve performance. The routine could also be the result of psychological processes, for example a different task focus. For that focus see Attentional focus in the swing.

One golf study builds a look into the routine. Vine, Moore and Wilson randomly divided 22 golfers with a mean handicap of 2.7 into two groups (Frontiers in Psychology, 2011). One group practised looking calmly at the ball before the putt, the last fixation before the backswing. The instruction was 2 to 3 seconds. Afterwards the participants recorded their putts over 10 competitive rounds. The trained group averaged 27.6 putts per round, the control group 29.9, and compared with before the training it saved 1.9 putts per round.

How much that means for you is open: it was 22 people, good golfers, putting only, and what was practised was the look, not the whole routine. It is a pointer, not proof. A small study of amateurs on the tee shot is summarised in The first tee shot: what helps against nerves.

What belongs in your routine?

There is no tested ideal routine: the meta-analysis found no difference by type of routine, and the golf studies leave open what exactly works. The list is therefore a proposal, built from the phase before the swing, the rule on preparation and the calm look before the putt.

StepWhat you doWhen
1 DecideRead the lie, choose the shot and the club (see Choosing a club on the course)Before your turn
2 Fix the targetStand behind the ball, pick a small target and look along the lineBefore your turn
3 Practice swingOne swing for tempo, not for techniqueWhen it is your turn
4 AddressFeet, ball, posture (see Golf setup position)When it is your turn
5 Last lookFrom the target back to the ball, on a putt look calmly at the ballWhen it is your turn
6 SwingStart the swing without a new thoughtWhen it is your turn

Two things are backed by the sources: the preparation before your own turn that the rule asks for, and the calm look before the putt that was practised in the golf study. Everything else you try out. There is a post of its own for putting, Putting technique for beginners, and one for the tee shot, Driver tee shot for beginners.

What this means for you: a worked example

You need 90 strokes and each one takes the full 40 seconds. That makes 3,600 seconds, or 60 minutes of pure stroke time. The 40 seconds are the upper limit of the recommendation and not a target, because the rule says you should usually be quicker. For you that means: put steps 1 and 2 before your turn, and only steps 3 to 6 remain for the time when it is your turn.

How to practise the routine in a simulator

In a simulator no group waits behind you, and the ball is back in place right after the shot. That makes the bay a place where you can repeat the sequence often. Set a stopwatch to 40 seconds, run the routine on every ball, including the warm-up, and build in pressure, for example with a game against someone. The meta-analysis also evaluated studies under pressure, and that is the case you are practising for. How to film yourself with your phone is shown in Filming your golf swing.

Whether you need a mental coach for this, no study can answer for you. The meta-analysis found no difference by skill level, and a simple routine costs nothing. If you want to go through the sequence with someone: 81 of the 110 indoor venues in the directory offer coaching (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). Ask there whether someone will look at your routine with you.

Where you can practise the routine

For the first visit golf simulator for beginners is the start. Venues with coaching are on the indoor golf training page, the nearest venue is shown by golf simulator near me, and the map shows the venues by canton.

Frequently asked questions

How long may the routine before the shot take?

Rule 5.6b recommends playing the stroke in no more than 40 seconds, counted from the moment you can play without interference or distraction. You should usually be able to be quicker. It is a recommendation, not a fixed limit with a penalty.

What belongs in a pre-shot routine?

According to the PGA of America it is the actions from choosing the club until the start of the swing. Which steps exactly has not been tested: the meta-analysis found no difference by type of routine. The sequence in this post is a proposal to try out.

Does a routine help against nerves?

A meta-analysis of 112 effect sizes found an effect of 0.70 in experiments under pressure, with a confidence interval of 0.24 to 1.16. The benefit is therefore shown, but its size is uncertain. For golf alone the evidence is thinner.

Are there studies of the routine in golf specifically?

Yes, but few and small. A study of 22 golfers practised the calm look before the putt: the trained group saved 1.9 putts per round. Hellström noted in 2009 that it is unclear whether a constant duration and a constant sequence improve performance.

Is there a penalty stroke if I take longer than 40 seconds?

Not automatically. The 40 seconds are a recommendation in Rule 5.6b. A penalty stroke applies to unreasonable delay under Rule 5.6a, one for the first breach. A tournament Committee can also set a maximum time per stroke in a pace of play policy.

Sources