Getting Competition Ready
Resources
Learn the Rules: USGA Rules
Be prepared: Prepare your bag and make sure you’re ready for whatever the day throws at you.
More Helpful Resources
Tips and Tricks for Emotion Regulation
Have some actionable steps to regulate yourself down:
Day before the competition
No new swing thoughts or swing changes. You’re in player mode now, which means there’s no more tinkering. Figure out how to play with what you have. What are your safe shots, what are the tendencies?
Look over the course map and practice specialty shots you think you’ll need on the course (punch shots, soft shots if the greens are fast and small, uneven lies on hilly courses) or if you’re near enough, go to the course you’re competing at to practice short game. Keep your practice short. You’ll have a tendency to over-practice the day before the tournament so intentionally keep the practice light.
Go buy any snacks you’ll eat on the course.
Check the weather, and double-check your tee time. Calculate how long you’ll need for practice and plan out your route.
Refer to the Be Prepared page for suggestions on what to bring with you.
Mark your golf balls, have at least 6 new golf balls, and make sure they are all the same kind of ball. You should have up to 12 balls total.
Clean your clubs, and brush those grooves.
Eat and hydrate well. 3 full meals the previous day, lots of water. AND GET TO SLEEP EARLY.
For parents of young competitive golfers: If they’re old enough to start competing, they are old enough to start going through these preparatory routines on their own. These steps will start to become a ritual for players and get them into the proper competition headspace from the night before, and will also help them feel a sense of ownership over their game. I encourage parents to help create a checklist that both you and your child can walk through together so that they know you’re there to be their sounding board but your child is the one leading the process.
Day of The Competiton
Treat these mornings as an opportunity to optimize your “Getting in the Zone” routine. This will be a helpful skill not only in golf but in school on test days or at work on presentation days. Take advantage.
On competition days, some people like to start the morning with some kind of movement (running, yoga, etc) to wake the body up into a ready-state, and have a medium-sized breakfast. Try to avoid breakfasts that are light and sugary like cereal because you’ll be crashing on the third hole.
Ideas for breakfasts:
omelet with marathon bread (lots of nuts for sustained energy)
avocado toast + fruits (oldie but a goodie)
rice balls with salmon flakes, and a side of hard boiled egg (this is a personal go-to)
steel cut or Old-fashioned oatmeal (NOT the quick cook ones, those are lower in fiber)
If you have any personal go-tos, let me know so I can put it on the list for others!
Leave the house with plenty of time so there are not external stressors on your mind. Control what you can control. Minimize undue risk of stress.
Finally, as you’re heading to the course, assess how you’re feeling. Confident? Nervous? Excited? Scared?
It’s important to acknowledge what you’re feeling so you can properly work with it to get yourself back to the flow state. If you’re finding yourself caught on some “what-ifs”, concentrate on things you have ownership over like your safety shots or your pre-shot routine. If you’re feeling super excited like you want to run around the block three times, do some jumping jacks and do some box breathing to practice regulating your heart rhythm.
You’re going to be feeling butterflies, and that’s a good thing. Your body’s more alert, you have a heightened sense of awareness, and you have your adrenaline pumping. We get jitters because we care, and testing yourself with competition is how you honor the hard work you’ve already put into the game. It’s the optimal way to stress test where you’re at so you can see the next steps clearer. Remember that being nervous and being excited are two sides of the same coin. It’s important to fixate on neutral to positive thoughts to keep yourself on the excited-side of things . If you’re feeling more worried or anxious, remind yourself of some of the best shots you’ve made recently, or of the best tournament plays you’ve had. The golf game is a combination of skill, emotion regulation, and luck. You control what you control and let whatever happens happens. So stay focused, stay present, and stay flexible.
The best pars come from the worst lies. And as long as you keep playing, there’s never one round that defines you.
After the round
Reflect and recover. Reserve a certain amount of time for reflecting on your round and assessing the following things:
Course stats (fwy hits, total putts, up and downs, penalties)
What got in your way, if anything? Were there any doubts creeping into your mind? Other players getting on your nerves? Slow play? How did those things affect you?
What are shots that you realized needed more practice? (uneven lies, lag putting, etc)
Overall thoughts and notes.
Record these thoughts somewhere as a reference. You can keep a notebook, a page on your notes app on your phone, whatever you can bring with you the next time you go practice. Your coach will probably want to see it too.
As you reflect, try to keep it as neutral as possible. For example, you can say “I need to work on my punch shots” instead of “my punch shots are really bad”. The former is more actionable and will generally lighten your mind so you can focus on the solution rather than the problem.
“…delete the adjectives and [you’ll] have the facts.” -Harper Lee
Then once your reflecting time is up, put it behind you and do some stretching, foam rolling, and anything else you feel your body and mind needs to recover.