Tournament Prep

I’m playing in an one-day tournament sponsored by the Virginia State Golf Association. How am I going to try and prep for it?

I love thinking about how to work my way around a course. Some shots call for power, some shots call for placement. First thing I like to do is review the layout of the course. Usually, this is either on the course’s home website or I also like to use Bluegolf.com. If I have the opportunity to play the course beforehand, I try to hit the course for a practice round of sorts. Then I try to pick my spots based on on my usual tendencies and shot dispersion. I am one of the classic guys who will write notes based on what I see or have done in the past and try to call back to those notes while prepping for my shots on the course. Main ideas I’ll write down:

• where is the safe play
• how far it is to carry a hazard
• remembering to assess lie, elevation, wind
• a note to commit, execute, and move on

I also try to treat my body in a way that makes my performance as best as it can be on tournament day. That may sound silly to some, given that I also have a normal 40+ hour per week job, but I love golf. I love trying to best my score each day and the only way I believe I can do that is if I am ready to go, physically and mentally.

The days leading up to the round, I will start to taper my workouts a bit. Lowering the heavy weights I am strength training with, focusing more on mobility, stamina, and golf specific movements. They day before, I will do a workout in the morning. Here, I will focus on core strengthening, golf specific movements, making sure I can move my body in the manner that I want, then will finish with hitting a few balls in my basement setup. My job will require me to head into the office during the day, so I will have to focus on that for my normal routine, then head home. At home for the evening, I will again focus on a bit more stretching, getting my muscles massaged with my Theragun, and try to stick to my normal routine as much as possible for a good night’s sleep. This requires diet as well, dinner will likely be chicken and potatoes with a vegetable medley, making sure I try to hit everything I need.

Given that it is the end of July, the playing day is likely to be HOT. I plan to get to the course about an hour ahead of time, work up through my bag without getting too tired, and then focus on putting for at least 20 minutes (this is where I have been losing a lot of strokes recently).

Also, I can’t forget to mention the snacks and hydration I plan to bring the day of. I always have a peanut butter and banana sandwich on the course, it never fails me. I’ll also make sure to bring a protein bar, two giant bottles of water, and some electrolytes to keep me going. I felt a bit tired during my practice round so I’ll probably up my snack intake a little more with some almonds and cashews. In the past, this has been a nice mix to keep me going and focused for 18 holes.

Hopefully, if you want to play in a tournament round or just lock-in for your next greatest score, you can take some of these tips I’ve outlined here! I am always trying to optimize my routine and look for an advantage, but this has been a great way for me to get prepped for a round. Let me know if any of this has resonated with you! 👍