Confidence comes from building a routine. When you’re getting ready to play in a tournament of any significance or importance – one that really matters – you should try to give yourself the best possible chance to succeed. That’s the point PGA Professional Gary Balliet was trying to get across by moving Golf Performance Enhancement (GPE) out of the classroom and onto Ken McDonald Golf Course in Tempe.
Gary was and still is a good player in his own right. He’s the perfect guy to teach GPE because his feet have felt the fire of competition at a very high level. Here are a few of Gary’s Keys to Success for when you’re getting ready for and then warming-up before a tournament:
* Clean your clubs and get your bag in order the night before. Make sure you have enough balls and tees.
* Arrive at the course between 60-90 minutes before your tee time. You want to have plenty of time to warm-up.
* Start by rolling a few putts on the practice putting green to get an idea of the speed of the greens
* Move to the short game area. Hit a few chips, pitches, and bunker shots. Move around. Don’t stay in the same place and simply hit a bunch of balls. Try different lies to see how the ball will react.
* Head over to the driving range. Warm-up by hitting a few wedges before advancing through the bag – either odd or even-numbered clubs – and finishing with your driver. Choose the flattest and best-possible lies. Think of this range session as calibrating your swing (getting it back to 0) before you play. Don’t leave the practice tee until you hit three good drives.
* Move back over to the putting green and roll a few more putts. Try to make 3-6 footers so you can see and hear the ball go into the hole. Leave yourself between 10 and 15 minutes before you tee off to either roll putts or relax before you have to report to the tee. Remember, you are responsible for showing-up for your tee time… on-time.
Hey Dan! Just checking out your blog, and I saw this tab. Some really good stuff in here I think I’ll try next time I go out and when I start class at the Academy. Thanks for helping out at the open house as well. I greatly appreciate it!
-Gabriel