Chew The Fat Behind The Ball Drill: Perfect Your Preshot Routine

I added the Chew The Fat Behind The Ball Drill to the Golf Practice Planner today because it’s one of the quickest and easiest drills to improve your scoring.

Name
Chew The Fat Behind The Ball Drill

Category
Long Game Practice Drills, Golf Mindset Drills

Difficulty
1 out of 10

Time
15 minutes

Props
Any golf club. Golf ball. Golf Practice Planner.

Overview
Tour pros chew the fat (talk through the shot out loud) when standing behind the ball, and so should you if you want to improve your golf. If you like this golf mindset drill you might like our Stare At The Target Glance At The Ball Setup Drill.

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video below.

In the video below you’ll see James Wiltshire talking through every shot he hits on the course. I was inspired by ‘talking through every shot’ when watching Colin Morikawa on the last hole, chewing the fat, on the way to winning in his PGA Championship debut, and second major appearance, by two strokes ahead of runners-up Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson.

At age 23, he became the third-youngest PGA Championship winner since World War II, behind Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus, and rose from 12th to 5th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Morikawa also set a new PGA Championship scoring record for the final 36-holes of the tournament with 129 strokes (65-64).

Step 2: Chew The Fat Definition

Chew the fat means to chat in a leisurely and prolonged way.

Step 3: Why Do Pros Talk Through The Shot Out Loud? 

Now that you know that pretty much every tour pro chews the fat (talks through the shot out loud) when standing behind the ball, it’s important to know why.

It’s simple…

Each bit of data that is verbalised out loud is giving the player a teeny tiny bit more confidence in the shot. Probably the most obvious ‘chew the fat’ player is Jordan Spieth. He has epic conversations with his caddy and himself.

Step 4: Competitive Practice
Hit 10 balls on the course verbally talking through the shot in as much detail as you can. Make sure all your ‘chewing’ is positive (e.g. “Pitch it 6 short and to the right of the pin” verses “Whatever you do, don’t hit it left”).

See a ‘chewing the fat’ example below…

“It’s 161 to the pin, 148 to the front, 171 to the back. Pitch it 6 short and to the right of the pin. It’s downhill. The wind is slightly against. Knockdown 8 iron. Aim right edge of the bunker. Love it.”

Final Thoughts

When watching Colin Morikawa play I noticed that he always says “Love it,” just before walking into the shot. That’s golf psychology 101. Also, remember the chew the fat definition (chat in a leisurely and prolonged way). Colin chats leisurely. There is no sense of urgency. This helps instil calm confidence.