I am anywhere from a 3-10 index and when I have an event coming up, I structure the preparation a little, well, structured.

Prior planning to avoid piss-poor performance

The 10-Index Golfer's Practice Plan for Upcoming Events

Preparing for a golf event when you’re a 10 or less-index golfer means you’re close to breaking into single digits! WooHoo! My guide outlines a comprehensive approach to fine-tune my skills and ensure I am as ready as I can be for my next event.

1. Come up with a plan that fits into where you currently are in your life.

Life ebbs and flows; I notice every year that I play golf, a new cast of characters emerges because some years we work lots, some years our family demands more of our time, etc.

I am more of a feel golfer-meaning I don’t always shoot my exact distance to the hole, I don’t need to know the exact length of a putt or chip and so forth.

That being said, I plan TIMES to practice and then decide how much time I need to dedicate to each facet of the game.

2. Driving for Consistency The drive sets the tone for each hole in my opinion. I use alignment sticks when I practice and I also line the line of the range ball up to my target. These tools are available to us so use them to create solid habits.

Then when you play, line the line of words up to your target or draw a line on your ball if that works better for you, then set your feet. The habit will already be there-now you just tee it up and swing.

3. The Key to Lowering Your Scores is Short Game

Yes I said a good drive sets the tone to a hole or round but bringing your scores down happens when you can get that ball in the hole! I’ve been relatively long since I began playing golf so really ignored my short game. AND IT SHOWS!

If you care about score, study your stats and figure out where you need work-THEN WORK ON IT. As I said before I don’t have a repeatable system in place for practice but – short game should take up 2/3 of your practice time because it makes up at least that much of your score.

Fitted Clubs Make a difference

This was the day Kelly surprised me with a PXG Club Fitting!

Age/Gender really are not the reasons to get fit for clubs…it’s simply

swing speed & strength & possibly height

This is just an aside to the practice article but fitted clubs help tremedously! Take a moment to consider this: would a strong 25 year boy use the same golf club as a 60 year old woman? No because of: swing speed & strength and possibly height.

4. Putting IMPerfection

Putting can make or break your round. Use drills that focus on maintaining a steady tempo and solid contact. Practice long putts for distance control and short putts for confidence.

I trust my instincts (as best I can on any given day) and pull the trigger when I feel ready. Go for progress over perfection!

Get Mental!!

5. Mental Toughness

Mental preparation is as important as physical practice. Yes, EASILY AS important. Both are impossible to master so just keep trying and give yourself grace. Work on visualization techniques, focus exercises, and breathing methods to stay calm under pressure. . . and then just figure out a way to channel the extra adreneline.

6. Course Management: Smart Play Over Hero Shots.

Develop a strategy for each hole on the course you’ll be playing. Understand when to be aggressive and when to play it safe. Play practice rounds with this strategy in mind. Put simply-on any given hole, come up with what yardages you need versus naming all the trouble. Know the yardages of your clubs and you won’t have to be the hero trying to hit a shot you can only hit 1 in 10 tries.

For example, our #2 on the South course here at Wildhorse Golf Course, is a par 5 that gives our women a lot of grief. A better strategy would be “I need a good drive of 200-250 yards, then I’ll need about 100-150 yards to the hazard OR 200 to get over. From there, I’ll have 50-100 yards to the center of the green. BOOM! On in regulation, 2 putt and you’re out of there with a par or better most of the time.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: I am PASSIONATE!!!! about keeping whatever strength you have, physically AT THE VERY LEAST! Even better would be to get stronger. Strength, balance and endurance should not be underestimated for the golfer. This is not to hit the ball farther necessarily; this is to stay balanced, make a solid move every time you swing and have the endurance to focus for 4-5 hours for a round of golf.