What you do before a round can have a big effect on how you play. Whether you are a weekend golfer with little time to practice or a full-time player, you have to feel (and be) prepared and in a good mindset for the challenge ahead.
“The more prepared I feel, the more entitled I feel to hit good shots” – Adam Scott
Know The Course and Have A Strategy
Before you play, you’ll need to know the course and have a strategy. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What do I need to know about the golf course I’m playing?
- What shots will be required on this course and what is the optimal strategy to play it?
- What grass does the course have and what shots might I have to play around the greens?
- What is the weather forecast and wind direction?
By utilizing the course yardage book and the Google Earth measuring tool, you can define your best strategy. Things to consider are:
- Distances to the dog-legs from the tee
- What shot you feel comfortable hitting on each tee
- Whether you are better off being long or short of the greens
- The width of fairways at different distances off the tee
- The good and bad miss for tee shots and approaches
- The best strategy for the par 5’s
- Distances to the center of the green on the par 3’s
- Which holes can you take more risk and which ones are better to play conservatively?
Add notes in your yardage book. Block off zones to indicate safe and dangerous areas. Golf course designers will typically try to trick you into thinking there is less room than there actually is for your tee and approach shots. Jack Nicklaus said that he would often walk the course backwards before playing to get a better view of the landing areas.
Note where the fat parts of the greens are, and the more punishing misses. Have a clear idea of your targets and a plan for what clubs you’ll hit for every tee and approach shot. If you get to play a practice round, make some notes on the green contours and speed. You could also make assumptions on possible pin locations and see how that would affect your strategy.
Treat all rounds the same
It’s only you that attaches more importance to one shot vs another, or one round vs another. A 10-foot putt to win is the same challenge as a 10-foot putt for par on the first hole. Playing a local tournament is the same challenge as playing in the state finals. The golf ball doesn’t know what tournament it is or whether it’s a putt for birdie or bogey.
When you perceive a tournament, round or shot to be more important than others and verbalize it by saying things such as “this is a big tournament” or “this is a huge putt”, it’s going to add pressure and performance anxiety. Conversely, if you think a golf course is easy, or that you are one of the better players and winning should be easy, then you can get sloppy. Treat them equally and train as if they are in practice – they are all rounds of golf and each shot you hit is just as important as any other.
Setting Process Goals For Your Round
As we’ve already discussed in module 2, goals for your round should be aspects of your performance that you have complete control over, not your score or anything else that is uncertain. Instead of reacting to the events of the round, you stay focused on your process goals. Write them down on your mental game scorecard or in your notebook.
Let’s spend some time defining your performance process. What are the most important things for you to execute or focus on during each round, that are 100% in your control? By focusing on what you can control, you will reduce performance anxiety and increase your focus on what is most important.
Once, you’ve finished the training program, fill out the following template (I’ll remind you at the end):
Evening before
What will you do the evening before to stay relaxed and get yourself ready?
Morning of
What will you do the morning to stay relaxed and get yourself ready?
Pre Round
What can you do before your rounds to make you feel confident and prepared? How will you deal with any doubts or feelings? Will your Pre Round Preparation vary?
Pre Shot
What is it best for you to focus on as you prepare for the shot?
During the shot
Where will your focus be during your swing?
Post shot
How will you respond to the outcome of your shots?
In between shots
What will you focus on in between shots? Will you have mantras to say, talk to your playing partners, pay attention to your senses or your breathing.
Post round
How will you review your rounds and measure your success?
The goal of your mental game scorecard is to keep you focused on your “process goals” during your rounds. I have 2 versions of the scorecard.
Your process goals don’t have to be set in stone but stick to them for at least a few rounds. We can review and refine them during the post round review.
Change Your Expectations
In order for you to be disappointed and frustrated, there has to be a certain expectation that hasn’t been met. Having high expectations is a trap that a lot of players can fall into. They might have practiced well or had a good score in a previous round and then they expect that the upcoming round will be the same. They might be in a field where they are one of the better players and expect to win or finish near the top of the leaderboard.
The problem with having expectations is that golf is a very unpredictable game and you never know how you will perform on any day. When you have high expectations for your performance, but you start to fall short of those expectations, it can become frustrating and get worse as the round goes on.
Expectations can only lead to disappointment and added pressure. Playing good golf is about accepting the unknowns and the “uncontrollables” ahead, instead of constantly judging outcomes as good and bad as they pertain to your expectations.
Remember Module 1 where we talked about the Growth and Fixed mindset? To play with freedom and have no limits to your performance, you need to keep the beginner’s (growth) mindset and embrace the possibilities. You’re better off expecting just one thing: that it will be always be a challenge.
Even at the professional level, they don’t know what game they will have that day. On average, Tour players make approximately 80% of their money from 5 events, meaning that they only have their “A game” in 1 in 6 tournaments. The rest of the time, they’re having to manage their B, C and even D game and get the best out of whatever they have on that day.
The trouble with thinking that you should be playing at a certain level means that a) It’s frustrating when you don’t and b) you tend to take on riskier shots to try to get back to the level you think you should be playing at.
You need a mindset that is adaptable to the ever-changing demands and challenges of the round and the confidence that can deal with them.
Having confidence is very different from having expectations. Expectations are about results – that you will or should achieve a certain score. Confidence is accepting that there are many unknowns but knowing that you’re prepared to deal with any challenge that comes your way.
Instead of having expectations around score, expect that there will be challenges, variability and adversity, such as:
- Being out of position
- Making a 3 putt or a double bogey
- Slow play
- Bad breaks
- Changeable weather and wind
When or if these challenges or setbacks happen, it won’t be such a shock and you will be able to choose your responses, instead of reacting. Without the limits of expectations of how you should be playing, you can play with more freedom and make a good score more likely.
Eat and Drink Well
Nutrition is another component of high performance, yet it’s underestimated by most golfers.
What you are putting into your body will affect how you feel (physically and mentally), how well you think and focus and your energy level throughout the round.
You burn approximately 1200 calories if you walk a course carrying your bag (more in the heat), so if you’re not putting at least 800 back into your body, you will start to lose energy and focus. Additionally, staying calm and positive will be more difficult.
To stay mentally focused and keep energy constant through all 18 holes, sip water and eat healthy snacks throughout your round. Even mild dehydration can cause loss of focus and memory.
The evening before your round, it’s important to eat a healthy meal and get a good night’s sleep.
Before a round, keep it light and eat 2-3 hours before playing, and follow it up with a snack such as fruit and nuts about 30 mins before your tee time. A little coffee is fine, but not too much as this can make you jittery. Tiger’s pre-round meal of choice is an egg-white omelet with vegetables. A small (brown bread) sandwich with fruit would be another good option. To keep your blood sugar stable, eat slowly with small bites.
During the round, avoid the half-way hot dog and drinks that give you high blood sugar like soda or beer. The surge in insulin will make you sluggish later. Go for the healthy option of bananas, mixed nuts and health bars and sip plenty of water.
Get Your Equipment Prepared
Being prepared with everything you will need for your round the evening before will mean that you’ll feel more relaxed in the morning. You don’t want to be rushing around getting your equipment ready shortly before you have to leave for the course. Count your clubs in case any extras have made their way in there which would take you over the 14-club limit. Have your clubs, clothes, and shoes ready the evening before. Make sure your bag contains an extra glove, waterproofs, plenty of balls, tees, ball markers and a pitch-mark repairer.
Have your snacks and water ready to pop in the bag in the morning.