Three seconds. That is all this takes once it becomes a habit.
Not a complicated pre shot routine with twelve checkpoints. Not a series of waggles and deep breaths and trigger words. Three specific things that take three seconds combined, done before every single shot, that switch on the muscles that make the swing work and give the body its best chance at producing power, consistency, and contact through all eighteen holes.
At Berman Golf, this is the pre shot routine built around the Berman Method. Not technique. Activation. The difference between finishing the back nine feeling energized and finishing it reaching for the ibuprofen is almost always this three step sequence done consistently before every shot versus skipping it and hoping the swing works on its own.
Why Most Senior Golfers Feel Stiff and Lose Power Through the Round
Here is what is actually happening when senior golfers feel like the swing gets worse as the round progresses.
It is not fatigue in the conventional sense. It is the power muscles, the core, the glutes, and the feet, gradually turning off as the round goes on because they were never properly switched on before each shot in the first place.
When the muscles are activated before each shot, they contribute throughout the swing. When they are not activated, the body compensates with the joints and the smaller muscles. By the back nine, those compensating structures are tired and the swing breaks down further.
The three second routine fixes this by ensuring the right muscles are switched on before every shot from the first tee to the eighteenth green.
Step 1, Posture That Takes One Second
Here is the first step, and it takes one second once the habit is formed.
The most common senior golfer setup mistake is rounding down to get to the golf ball. The upper back curves forward, the shoulders hunch, and the thoracic spine gets locked in flexion before the first movement of the swing.
When the spine is rounded and flexed, the thoracic spine cannot rotate freely. The shoulder turn available from that locked position is a fraction of what is available from an upright spine.
Here is the correct sequence. Set the club head where it needs to be. Stand tall and proud before doing anything else. Chest up, belly button in. Then soften the knees. Then push the hips back to get down to the golf ball.
That is it. The club head is at the ball. The spine is tall. The body is free to rotate. One second. Done.
Step 2, Core Activation That Takes One Second
Here is the second step, and it connects the posture established in step one to the power chain that runs through the entire swing.
Pull the belly button in toward the spine. Like putting on a tight pair of pants. Just that inward drawing sensation. Keep breathing throughout.
That is core activation. Not dramatic. Not aggressive. A subtle, sustained engagement of the core muscles that gets the posture muscles and the power muscles both working before the swing starts.
The reason this has to happen before the swing rather than during it is simple. The golf swing takes 1.2 seconds. There is not enough time to activate dormant muscles once the swing has started. They have to be on when the first movement happens or they do not contribute.
One second. Belly button in. Core on.
Step 3, Ground Connection That Takes One Second
Here is the third step, and it is the one that makes everything else work.
Think about squeezing a tomato under the arch of the trail foot. Not buckling the knee in. Just increasing pressure through the inside of the arch.
Here is why this matters more than almost any other single thing in the pre shot routine.
When the trail foot connects to the ground through the arch, the glute fires. Not eventually. Immediately. The foot connects, the glute switches on, and the power chain from ground to core to club is complete.
When the trail knee straightens, that connection breaks. The foot rolls to the outside. The glute turns off. No matter how strong the core is, it cannot contribute if the glute is not working. And the glute cannot work if the foot is not connected.
Here is the pro tip that prevents the knee from straightening during the backswing. As the backswing builds, think about increasing the bend in the trail knee rather than maintaining it. Not actually squatting more. Just the thought of increasing the bend. That thought alone keeps the brain from allowing the knee to straighten, which keeps the foot connected, which keeps the glute firing.
Think about jumping as high as possible. Nobody jumps from the outside of the foot. The foot is planted, the arch is engaged, all the big power muscles fire from that stable base. The golf swing works the same way. Ground connection through the arch is the foundation everything else is built on.
The Full Three Second Routine
Here is what it looks like when all three steps happen together.
Line up the club head. Stand tall, chest up, belly button in. Soft knees. Hips back to the ball. That is posture. One second.
Pull the belly button in a little more. That is core activation. One second.
Think about squeezing the tomato under the trail foot arch. That is ground connection and glute activation. One second.
Then swing. Belt buckle initiating. Body rotating. Power already loaded and waiting to be delivered.
Three seconds. Done before every shot. Consistent from the first tee to the eighteenth green. Not just on the driver. Not just on par fives. Every single shot.
Why Consistency of the Routine Is Everything
Here is the detail that determines whether this routine produces results or just feels good on the range.
The routine has to happen before every shot. Not most shots. Not the important ones. Every shot.
Here is why. The value of a pre shot routine is not just the physical activation it produces on any single shot. It is the consistency of the activation across all shots throughout the round. When the routine is skipped on some shots and performed on others, some swings have the power muscles on and some do not. The results are unpredictable because the inputs are inconsistent.
When the routine is performed before every shot, the inputs are consistent. The muscles are on every time. The results become more predictable because the body is producing the same activated swing on every shot instead of some activated shots and some arm swings.
That consistency is what produces the back nine that feels energized instead of depleted. The body was using the right muscles all day instead of compensating with the wrong ones.
Get a Free Swing Analysis
Want to know whether the pre shot routine is actually activating the right muscles and whether the activation is surviving the backswing or dropping out before the swing gets going?
Set the camera or phone up at two angles. One from the front, face on. One from behind, down the line. Film in slow motion. Swing.
Send both videos to gaindistance.com and Dr. Berman will give a free swing analysis. The first one is on him.
See exactly what the camera shows, not what the brain thinks is happening. The trail knee position during the backswing and the posture at address are both immediately visible in slow motion and almost always reveal whether the three second routine is actually being executed correctly.
Want a Step-by-Step Blueprint?
If this resonates and the advice out there feels designed for 25-year-old tour pros, there is a simple blueprint built specifically for senior golfers.
It breaks down:
How the aging body changes
Which muscles actually produce power
How to gain distance without swinging harder
How to improve consistency while reducing aches and pains
It is written at a fifth-grade reading level with clear visuals and practical drills that can start immediately.
A FREE digital copy is available at: 👉 gaindistance.comÂ
No gimmicks. Just clarity on how the body should move to play better golf for years to come.
Bringing It All Together
Three steps. Three seconds. Every single shot.
Step one is tall posture with the chest up, belly button in, soft knees, and hips pushed back to the ball. One second. Step two is belly button pulled in a little more to activate the core. One second. Step three is squeezing the tomato under the trail foot arch to connect the foot to the ground and fire the glute. One second.
Done consistently before every shot from hole one to hole eighteen, this routine ensures the big power muscles are switched on every time the swing starts. The body uses the right muscles instead of compensating with the wrong ones. The back nine feels like the front nine. The contact stays solid. The distance does not drop off.
At Berman Golf, the focus is biomechanics first. Not cookie cutter swings. The goal is teaching the body how it should move, especially as it ages, so power can be generated safely and repeated under pressure.
The in-house and online coaching programs are built specifically for senior golfers who want more distance and better consistency without beating up their bodies.
For anyone tired of advice designed for tour pros and ready for a blueprint built for their body, help is available.
Because when the three second routine happens before every shot, the muscles are ready, the body is activated, and the swing has everything it needs to work.
And when the swing works on every shot from tee to green, the game gets soooooo much easier!
If you enjoyed what you read and want to see it in action, watch the video below where Dr. Berman demonstrates all three steps and hits it right down the middle!
