Routine: The Key to Matsuyama's Masters Victory
The 2021 Masters Tournament was a very special one
Not only was it great to see the tournament return to its rightful place in April, but we also saw a massive win for Asian golf.
April 11, 2021, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to put on the green jacket.
This win will likely cause a massive influx of Japanese golfers and inspire an entire generation of Asian golfers to push for their dreams
GETTING TO THE MASTERS
What makes this win even that much more special was the fact that Matsuyama first appeared in the masters back in 2010 as a reward for winning the Asian Pacific Amateur
The great Bobby Jones, the founder of Augusta National and The Master's Tournament, was the greatest amateur to ever play the game
Despite being one of the most dominating players of the 20th century, he refused to turn professional and accept money for his victories
Instead, he played for the love of the game
Because of this, Jones always saw a need to allow amateurs to play in the master's tournament
And over the years, other global amateur events such as the Asian Pacific Amateur were added to the list of qualifying events to get into the masters
In 2010, Hideki Matsuyama qualified to play in the Masters
In 2011 he repeated, was invited back, and finished as the low amateur
10 years later, he won the event and is now a master's champion!
THE KEY TO MATSUYAMA’S SUCCESS
Obviously, years of hard work and dedication to the game got Matsuyama to the level he’s at now
But many a great player have been broken by the difficulty of Augusta Nationals greens and the pressure of the tournament
So why was it Matsuyama was able to claim the title of masters champion while so many others struggled?
In one word…. ROUTINE
ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE
Hands down, one of the most important keys to Matsuyama’s success was his routine
For all 4 days of the tournament, over every single shot, Matsuyama stuck with his routine
Even on Sunday when he put one in the water behind the green on hole 15, his routine didn’t waiver
While past contenders have been shaken by putting one in the water (Spieth, Molinari, etc), Matsuyama seemed unphased
By committing to his routine every single shot, it didn’t matter what the situation was or how much pressure was on him
Cool, calm, and collected, Matsuyama played the entire tournament in the zone and committed to the process
WHY DEVELOP A GOOD ROUTINE?
Like we mentioned earlier, Matsuyama’s pre-shot routine was the glue that held together his performance
A good pre-shot routine anchors you to the process and helps remove any extraneous or distracting thoughts
It forces you to make an educated decision as to what shot you should hit while giving you the confidence to commit
A good routine helps you connect to the course, the conditions, and of course, your swing
If you watch any high performer, especially in the sports world, you’ll notice routine
Routine brings familiarity and familiarity brings a level of predictability and predictability is the key to playing great golf
In a game of who can miss the best, being able to predict what your shot will do is critically important
Now of course there are always factors outside of our control but the more you refine and commit to your pre-shot routine, the better it becomes and as an extension, the better golf you’ll play
THE INGREDIENTS
A good pre-shot routine will divide a shot into 3 phases
1. Before
2. During
3. After
Great players prepare for a shot, execute the shot they prepared for, and learn from the shot they just hit
And while the exact style of how you execute your routine may differ, most players adhere to the framework described above
BEFORE
Before you hit a shot, you need to have an intention for the shot you want to hit
To create intention, you need to understand the conditions you’re playing in and have a basic understanding of strategy to set yourself up for success
Things you need to know are…
1. Distance: How far away is your target or other obstacles you need to navigate around
2. Conditions and Layout: What do you have to go over, around, or through, to leave yourself with the best next shot
3. Lie: How is the ball sitting and how will that affect the result of your shot
4. Landing Area: Where do you want the ball to land so that it leaves you with the best next shot
5. Club Selection: Which club will you use to pull off the shot you intend on hitting
DURING
Now that you’re standing over the ball, stop thinking about all those questions you just answered beforehand!
Now is not the time to be thinking about the wind, the club selection, etc.
The reason you answer all those questions and factor them into your routine ahead of time is that when you’re standing over the ball, you want your mind to be clear and focused
It’s not that we want to “not think” standing over the ball…
I believe “not thinking” over the ball is almost just as bad as thinking too much
So rather than trying to “think about nothing”...
What’s more important is holding your focus on a singular thought, typically the feel of the shot you’re trying to hit
Since you prepared for the shot so well ahead of time, when you’re standing over the ball, the only thought you should have is on the shot you’re about to hit
This is easier said than done but with proper training and consistent practice, you can learn to control your thoughts and dial in your focus
AFTER
Just because you hit the shot doesn’t mean you’re done
And this is a step that most players (even good players) skip over
You spent so much time preparing for your shot and staying focused on that shot as you swung the club
After you’ve hit the ball, now is the time to learn from what you just did
How well did the result of the shot match the intention of the shot?
What did you do well?
What would you do differently next time?
Since you went through so much preparation ahead of time and had a very specific intention for the outcome of the shot, you can understand what you did well and what you would change
If you just step up and swing without preparing and don’t have an intention for the shot, you have no way of knowing whether the shot was good or not
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The most important thing I can tell you is this….
Consistency is key
The specifics of your routine will be different than mine, or different than Matsuyama, but regardless, it’s important to do it EVERY SINGLE TIME
Even during practice, you should be reinforcing your routine!
For Matsuyama, there was no difference between the shots he hit during the masters and the shots he hit on the range a few weeks ago
He always sticks to his routine and lets his game run on autopilot
It seems simple and so basic but the fundamentals are fundamental for a reason
Stick with them and you’ll be rewarded
Get lazy and skip your routine and beware
Now get out there and play some great golf!
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