So this column is kind of personal.

I have played golf for more than 35 years now, getting serious enough about it as a Texas teen to play for my high school varsity, and then leaving college at 19 to run off and be a golf pro.

All I cared about was golf — eating, sleeping, working, teaching, playing … living golf.

It was during that time, when I used to be able to play this silly game, that I developed a pre-shot routine. That routine has never wavered; I use the same one now that I started with all those years ago.

I have been called “deliberate” by those who play with me regularly … and even “slow” by others.

Like I said, this is kind of personal.

Fighting the nerves

In 2012, I cringed, along with the rest of the golf world, watching Kevin Na battle his demons on national TV.

The PGA touring professional was struggling with nerves during a tournament that he was leading, stopping and starting, backing away from a shot, even swinging over the top of the ball intentionally.

“Just hit the damn ball,” he exclaimed loud enough for TV microphones to pick up, after pulling away and out of a swing on one particular tee shot.

It was brutal to watch.

Bob Garza, director of instruction at Bend’s Lost Tracks Golf Club, actually witnessed the constantly frazzled Na in person at a PGA tournament that same year.

“I went to a tournament and he happened to be in the group I was following … it was absolutely ridiculous,” Garza said. “I think he definitely had a lack of confidence. For somebody of his caliber, to be on the tour, he’s got to be a very good player. For him to go through that routine, to take that long, there’s a lot of indecision.”

Like Na, all golfers have that same battle over the ball — perhaps not to that extent, but we fight it nonetheless.

And that is where the routine comes in.

It is an effort to quiet the mind and nerves and let the body do what it knows how to do: swing the golf club freely, and hit the shot desired.

In a golfing era with an emphasis on pace of play and “How fast can we get around the golf course?” a drawn-out pre-shot routine is frowned upon by many. But teaching professionals recognize that in order to perform at your best, this mental state of what I like to call “relaxed concentration” (which is difficult to attain) is of paramount importance to your game.

“It’s definitely an important part (of the swing) for consistency,” said Chris Meyer, the PGA head professional at Bend Golf and Country Club. “Everyone is a little different, but having it be consistent from shot to shot really helps to make your shots more consistent. It makes it more routine, rather than doing something new every time.”

Proper alignment and a clear picture in your mind of each shot is crucial to playing your best.

“A lot of people go up to the ball and they have a blank chalkboard, they have no idea what they want to do,” Garza said. “A pre-shot routine physically sets you up to get lined up properly and helps you visualize the shot you want to hit.”

There are ways to make it a quicker process, which I try to employ when I am on the course.

“What I tell my students is that they don’t have to wait until it’s their turn to determine what club to use, the yardage, and what kind of shot they are going to hit,” Garza said. “If they get rid of all those factors before it’s their turn to hit, then as soon as it is their turn, they can go immediately into their pre-shot routine.”

Meyer teaches much of the same to his students.

“You can start before others in your group are done hitting their shot,” Meyer said. “You can be thinking through some quiet practice swings and calculating the yardage and wind while someone else is hitting. Once their ball is hit you can go right into your routine.”

The perfect shot

Although it happens rarely, I have hit perfect golf shots in my life, as most of us have.

The latest was just last fall, a hole-out for an eagle from about 135 yards on the seventh hole at Widgi Creek.

While the two holes-in-one I have had were many years ago, I remember them vividly. And I credit both to visualizing the shot during the pre-shot routine.

In both instances, I saw the shot in my mind before I hit the golf ball, then reproduced exactly the same shot I had just seen in my head.

Right down to the number of bounces into the hole.

A little freaky, and quite Zen-like, an “at one with the universe” feeling that is hard to describe.

I am striving for that perfect shot every time I step up to the golf ball. I have described it to friends and fellow golfers as painting a shot onto the canvas of the golf course. It is really art, when you think about it.

I have a simple routine. Two practice swings behind the ball, visualize the shot, line up, set the feet, a couple of waggles and hit the shot.

When I am playing my best, it is rhythmic — almost a dance, if you will, the routine leading into the shot at pretty much the same pace for every shot.

It usually takes from 20 to 25 seconds. I actually timed it last week and that is just about right (most of the time). Occasionally I will have to reset, change clubs, or something else might cause me to back away from the shot, but the routine is pretty consistent for the most part.

By comparison, a study of PGA Tour professionals in 2011 timed the pros at an average of 31 seconds for tee shots, and 37 seconds on putts.

Whether my time is average or not, it is surprising how many times I have been told to speed it up … by players who are taking many more shots per round than I am.

It is a fine balance, between trying to play well and moving along at a pace that is not too slow, yet not feeling rushed.

I am not on the golf course to speed my way through a round. All too soon it will be over. And I will be back at this desk, in front of this computer … when I would rather be out attempting to hit that next perfect shot.

— Reporter: 541-617-7868, kduke@bendbulletin.com