If I were to give you a basketball, have you stand 10 feet from the hoop and tell you to try your best to make the basketball go in the hoop, a few things would happen. The sequence of events that will take place is whatever you do instinctively to best prepare yourself to make the shot.

Now, shoot the ball to the best of your ability. Did you make it? If you are visualizing this in your mind right now, of course you made it.

Basketball players, before shooting a free throw, go through a getting-ready process--a routine--through which they prepare themselves to execute the shot. This sequence of events may be something they've copied or is completely home grown.

Pre-shot sequencing, more often referred to as a pre-shot routine, is not exclusive to golf. All deliberate sports [sports in which the player initiates the action] are best carried out by those with the most consistent pre-shot routines. Think of bowling, tennis, volleyball and archery. In all of these games there is a consistent manner in which players approach and execute the task, often consistent to the fraction of a second in the time it takes to perform.

Develop a set routine for consistently better golf shots:

1. Looking at the hole, visualize the perfect trajectory you made that time you hit your best golf shot. If you haven't yet done this, then visualize how someone else's ball traveled when they hit a great golf shot. This is where you would make the rehearsal swing, trying to figure out how much or little of a swing to use.

2. Set your clubface to your target and then align your body comfortably around the clubface.

3. "Let everything go" and release the club. Releasing includes the legs, hips and the upper body. Don't be afraid to accelerate through the ball to a full finish. This will ensure that you are not "quitting" on the ball at impact.

Now, go ahead and strike the ball to the best of your ability. Did you make it?