How many times have you seen a player park his car, grab his bag, hurry into the pro shop and sign in and then dash to the first tee without any warm up at all? Chances are you've seen it a lot because that's pretty much a common routine for many players.
It's not a good routine, but it happens quite often. If you happen to be one of those types of players, try these tips and see if you don't improve your overall score.
First, get to the course 30 to 60 minutes before your tee time. Simply getting to the course early enough that you don't have to rush around will improve your score. Not only will this extra time allow you to warm up physically, but it will also allow you to calm down emotionally. It will help you get 'grounded', so to speak, and that's very important before hitting that first ball.
Now that you're at the course early and have some time, take care of business first. Sign in, change shoes, etc. You should immediately feel the comfort of not having to rush. And this does feel good!
Many players want to head straight for the driving range to warm up, but I prefer to go to the practice green first. Putting is a major part of your game and you should spend at least 5 minutes just putting to a coin or tee stuck in the green. This gives you a chance to get that smooth stroke motion back into your memory banks, but it also gives you a great opportunity to check how the greens/grass are playing today. Once you feel you understand how the greens are playing for the day, putt a few balls from various distances into a cup. Take you time, enjoy it. You've got plenty of time today!
Keep in mind that on a well-cared-for course the practice green is almost always cut by the same mower that cuts the course greens. What you see and feel on the practice green is what you can expect to see and feel when you get out on the course itself.
Before you leave your putting practice warm up session, do yourself a very big favor. Putt a dozen balls or so from 6 inches into the cup. You should be able to make just about every one of these and seeing those balls drop will increase your confidence in your putting immensely. Never mind that it's only a 6 inch putt...the trick is to "see" those balls drop. Try it, it works! |
