In this video I take a look at Charl Schwartzel during his brilliant Masters win, focusing on two particular shots and the pre-shot routine he uses before each. The first, on hole number 7, features a mid-iron shot and shows Schwartzel incorporating two practice swings before walking into the shot. The practice swings are particularly interesting as he very purposefully pauses and adjusts his hand and arm position at the top of the swing, looking very much like he is playing “golf swing” in addition to “golf shot”. He then walks over to ball, Takes three looks, and hits it, with this portion of the routine taking about 14 seconds.
The second shot is one of the most important of his career, a 7 iron from the 18th fairway into the green, knowing that if he hits the green the green jacket is his. I thought it would be cool to see if he kept to the same routine, and to see just how precise he was in doing so. As it turns out he is a hair faster, but he does use the same amount of looks and is within a couple of seconds in overall time. He hits a perfect shot, and it goes to show that the more you can make each shot the same the less the pressure tends to get to you. Certainly he handled it with aplomb, and his routine was definitely a factor.