Practice swings...

...before or beside the ball? Different people do and recommend different things for this. I do both, although on different shots, never on the same shot. I'm quite pleased with my system and the reasoning behind it, so I thought I'd share.

Essentially it boils down to what is more important in the shot; if it's a shot where direction is more important than length (e.g. a tee shot, long approach shots), my rehearsal swings are fom behind the ball on an extension of the ball/target line, whereas if it's a shot where distance control is premium (putts, chips and pitches spring to mind) I make my rehearsal swings beside the ball.