Prepare Yourself to Play a Great Round of Tournament Golf
How to Prepare Yourself to Play a Great Round of Tournament Golf
Whether it’s a local charity tournament or an important qualifier, preparing for each round of golf should be handled in the same way. Regardless of the importance of the round or the monetary prize, doing without proper preparation puts you at a disadvantage and will show in your score by the end.
Planning for a tournament requires a lot of time, including hours on the practice tee, practicing specific types of shots, and working on reading breaks and putting on the greens.
“Course management” – or putting yourself in the best possible
position for every each shot – is probably the most important part of preparation. You’ll want to study the course well ahead of time and plan a strategy that will work with your strengths and, if possible, not play to your weaknesses.
You need to work on course management consistently. Why? Because giving yourself the BEST opportunities on every hole can be a much more significant factor for your score than how far you hit the ball or how well you putt.
Let’s face it, you can be the best putter in the world… but that isn’t going to help you make birdies unless you’re able to hit the fairways consistently or aren’t comfortable with your iron shots. Knowing WHERE you want to position the ball – given how far you drive the ball and the particular quirks of your short game – is more than half the battle if you want to be in a position to score well.
Concentration is another necessary part of your training for golf tournaments. When taking your shot you’ll need to be able to block out all the distractions and sounds around you. FOCUS is critical, and you should be able to block out literally any distraction when you’re about to take a shot. That goes for driving off the tee or make a putting stroke – all you should be thinking about is execution, not the activity around you.
The best way to control distractions is to plan a routine you will repeat before every shot – and then follow the SAME routine each time. This is so important because you don’t want to be making last minute decisions in these crucial moments. That just slows your play, opens you up to distractions, and can even mess up your consistency.
A well developed routine assures that you will always walk up to the ball with the confidence that’s so necessary to making the shot you intend. A routine is developed over time by consistently doing the same things each time.
You have particular routines in your daily life that you are not even aware of. How you get out of bed, the first actions of the day, etc. Golf should be no different. Walk up to the tee in the same way each time, take a practice swing the same way, set up the same way, etc. Get your routine together, and you will find it so much easier to approach the ball with total confidence and concentration.
