8 - Second Rule

Are You Standing Over the Ball Too Long?

- Bob Carney

It’s a simple question, and it seems like an important one: How long should it take to hit a golf shot? Rummage through most instruction books, and you’ll find a lot on the subject of timing, but little on time.That’s why a new book called Golf’s 8 Second Secret: What separates golf’s greatest champions, by PGA pro Mike Bender and accomplished amateur Michael Mercier, has provoked debate. The authors argue that a shot – from the time you set your lead foot, step over the ball and swing to the finish – should take eight seconds.

This period occurs only after a golfer has carefully evaluated conditions, incorporated swing thoughts and narrowed his or her focus. In other words, there is no going back. Bender and Mercier studied dozens of the game’s greats through TV coverage, film footage, even old photographic sequences, and that’s the consistent duration it took them – from Bobby Jones to Phil Mickelson.

Others, such as Lee Westwood, tend to take longer or vary the time, especially under pressure, and that invites problems. The authors add that before they even step in, a player’s pre-shot routine should take no more than 10 to 12 seconds, for a total of about 20.

Do you get it done that fast? Judging from an informal study of amateurs at a public course, most weekenders aren’t even close. They are check-listers, reviewing the do’s and don’ts as they stand over the ball, sometimes for as long as 20 seconds. Double that time when you add their pre-shot routine.