20 Actions You Can Take To Insure A Great Day Of Golf

This article was originally posted in September of last year, but that's when most golfers were starting to store their clubs for the winter.  Now that almost all of the golf courses in the country (US at least) are already open, it is time to make each golf day the best it can be.

The following actions are easy to do and can develop into habits that will help you be more prepared to enjoy the day of golf as much as the game of golf. Just try some of them. It couldn't hurt!


The Night Before
1. Prepare your clubs the night before. Clean the grooves in the irons and wash and wipe the heads and the grips on all your clubs.

2. Make sure you have enough balls and tees, and pack a spare glove.

3. Clean your shoes and make sure all the spikes are tight.

4. Lay out the clothes you will wear the next day. Choose clothes that you will feel great in, and look the part of a PGA Pro. When you dress "dumpy" you feel "dumpy".

5. Put your cleaned clubs, bag and pull cart (if using one) near the door or in the garage next to the car. That way you can do a last minute check in the morning, and can make sure everything is there and that you are not forgetting anything.

6. To insure a good nights sleep, don’t have a late night meal or drink coffee.

Game Day
7. Get up early in plenty of time to get showered, dressed and at the course at least 45 minutes prior to your tee off time.

8. Take a good hot shower to warm up your body, especially your legs.

9. While in the hot shower, stretch your arms to the ceiling, then stretch down and vigorously scrub your legs, while gently stretching your hamstrings.

10. When toweling off, use the towel to act as a stretching strap to move and invigorate your entire body. Stretch down to wipe your feet and legs (again, the hamstrings).

11. Get dressed and feel like a PGA Tour Pro as you prepare to leave.

12. While in the car, play music or a CD that will keep you calm, not charged up talk radio or Heavy Metal music.

13. Grip the steering wheel hard for 5 seconds then relax. Repeat 10 times. You can also use a SqueasyBall or a tennis ball to warm up your grip.

14. Park a little way away from the clubhouse so you can get in a short warm up walk.

15. If possible...avoid too much coffee so you can stay calm and “mellow”.

16. If there is a practice range, get a small bucket of balls and head to it at least 30 minutes before your scheduled tee time.

17. Do some stretching exercises (see www.golfgym.com for recommendations). Swing a weighted club if you have one.

18. Start with your wedge. Set up every shot as if you were hitting to a specific target. Use a full follow through on every shot. Move up your irons then hit just a few drivers, swinging easy and smoothly.

19. Take a few deep breaths in...hold...then exhale as you head to the first tee to meet your buddies. This will really help to calm the nerves and help you focus.

20. Now, tee up that shiny new ball, step back, choose your target, make a firm decision, get in a good golf posture and smoothly rip one right down the middle holding a great finish position.

Check out this video with a great tip on using a "10 Second Rule". http://www.golf.com/video/10-second-swing-fix

OK...Here's #21...Have the best time you ever had on a golf course.
Yes, you can do it!!

Ken Pierce
GolfGym