Keep Your Routine the Same

By Ethan Danish
Human beings are creatures of habit. Never more true than in golf where our habits need to be the same, time and time again. Here’s something we teaching professionals see every year, especially among amateurs. Is this you? Do you view some rounds as more important than others? Do you change your routine, your habits, when the stakes are higher? Here are three things to think about.

1. Tournament day diet vs regular round diet
2. Tournament day mental preparation vs regular round preparation
3. Tournament day warm up routine vs regular round routine

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We know this to be true

Being more serious does not translate to better golf. The best tour players in the world work hard to keep their routines the same – diet, mental, warm up. It may seem needlessly redundant but remember, it’s extremely important to not shock your body in any way. One of the many reasons the pros play so well under pressure is that they treat all rounds equally, without fail.

Diet

Obviously good eating is better for you than poor. But if your routine is eating fast food then tournament day is not the time to try something new. If you want to change your eating habit, do it well before the big day. Fruits, vegetables, eggs and nuts are my staples. They give me sustained energy and I feel light and fresh.

Mental

What works for you? How do you get your head into the game? Amateurs and professionals have the same issues. You must clear your mind of clutter and doubt. A positive attitude breeds confidence and confidence leads to selecting the right club and ultimately, great shots and lower scores.

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Warm up

If you normally hit half a bucket, 10 chips and a handful of putts, don't change. I'm not advocating those numbers as ideal. But as stated earlier, the day of a tournament is not the time to overhaul your routine. I believe to play your best, there are optimal practice habits. Give yourself adequate time for your body to get into the swing of things. The numbers are unique from person to person but play around with it until you find what works best for you.Warm up

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Here’s my routine

I hit 10 shots with my lob wedge, 5 pitching wedge, 5 shots - 7 iron , 5 with my 5 iron, 5 shots - 3 iron and 5 each with my 3 wood and driver. Then I count out 30 balls and try a variety of chip shots. Last but not least the putter. I hit 8 putts at least 50 feet in length to practice lag putting. Next, I move to 10 foot putts. I choose a practice green hole that has a left to right break on one side and a right to left break on the other side. I make 10 on each side before I move on. The very last thing I do before heading to the first tee is 3 footers, I make 3 on all 4 sides of the hole before I'm ready to play.

A regular round with friends or the club championship, it doesn’t matter. The amateur’s best golf is played when you eat well, have a positive attitude and your warm up habits are all the same. Just ask a pro!