37 SECONDS
37 seconds. Sure, it is coincidentally the amount of time that I can hold my breath under water. It is also how long I can run at full speed, which is far slower than any of my four kids. It’s also how long I hope to hold a handstand at some point, fingers crossed. More than that though it is one of the best lessons that I’ve learned to prepare to do something.
I was taking a golf lesson at a local course. Pretty standard lesson, working on my grip and release. Hoping to improve enough to get in the range, give or take a few mulligans, of playing bogey golf. BH was teaching me, and as we worked together he taught me so much. On this fateful day, he dropped a gem that has stuck with me.
We were going about the lesson, trying to work on that grip, when he said, “Hold on. Can you show me how you prepare for your shot?” I was clearly confused, because he didn’t even wait for me to answer. He then asked me if I had a watch and if I could time him from the time he said start the clock until he hit the ball. On his word, he started his pre-shot routine – teeing up the ball, standing behind the ball and taking two practice swings while looking down the range, and then stepping up to the ball, he struck a pure 7 iron down the middle of the fairway. As soon as he struck the ball, I stopped the watch.
He then looked at me and said, “37 seconds?” And wouldn’t you know it, it was exactly 37 seconds. His pre-shot routine is always exactly 37 seconds. In that time, he mentally prepares for the shot and visualizes the shot, gets a rhythm and lets it rip. Needs to be consistent to deliver consistent results, and needs to be short so that you’re not in your head any longer than you need to be.
Since then, I’ve evaluated my own pre-shot routines and even gone as far as writing them out and timing them. I’m nowhere near as consistent as my golf coach, but he’s shown me a good tool to get there. Some day maybe I’ll ask you to time me, just don’t giggle as my 7 iron slices just a bit.
Get Gritty!
