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If you watch the pros play on television, you’ve probably noticed that almost to a player they take a practice swing before every shot. Chances are you do, too, but are you accomplishing anything with your practice swing? You may have heard before about how the practice swing should be a rehearsal for the swing you’re about to make. This is true, but it’s not just a physical rehearsal—it’s a dry run for your mind as well. Here are a few suggestions for how to get the most out of your practice swings.

First, make your practice swing facing the target. You may see some pros do otherwise, but they have a set purpose in mind for doing so, and it won’t do you any good to try to copy every individual little wrinkle you see from tour players as a group. By taking your practice swings in the direction of the target, you get all of your physical and mental energy focused at your target. That may sound a little touchy-feely, but trust us, it helps. If you take your practice swing facing a house or a water hazard, how is that possibly going to help you?

While taking your practice swing, visualize the shot you want to play with the ball flying all the way to the target. If your mind sees the shot for you before you hit it, there’s a better than good chance it will direct your body to reproduce the practice swing when you actually swing at the ball.

Finally, always swing the dub at the speed you want to swing it during the real thing, and make the same shaped swing you want to make when putting the ball into play. If your normal shot is a draw and you normally swing a little inside-out, then do that during the practice swing. The closer the warm-up swing is to the real thing, the better your chances of making the swing you want when it counts.