Golf Tips: Get to the Course Early

How many times have we all done this?  We hurry from our kitchen to our car with a bagel in our mouths and a cup of coffee in our hands.  Spilling some of the coffee on our clothes, we speed to the golf course.  When we get to the course we throw our shoes on as fast as possible, grab our clubs and run into the pro shop to pay our green fees and check in.  We only have a few seconds to spare because the pro behind the counter informs us that we are on the tee. Is it really possible to perform at our best in that situation?  No.  We are not warmed up.  We are not focused on playing golf.  We are anxious.  We are stiff.  We don't know how fast the greens are because we haven't practiced on the practice green.  We don't know that today is going to be the day that all of our shots go left, because we didn't hit some balls on the practice range. Get To The Course Early There are so many reasons to get to the golf course early, from loosening up to relaxing and focusing on playing a good round of golf.  Given that we allocate enough time before the round we can do the following, which will help our round, final score, and overall enjoyment of the day.

• Stretch and loosen up.  Muscles can be tight from the night's sleep or a day at the office.
• Get a feel for which swing we brought to the course. The swing changes and we need to adapt!  Hit the practice range for a small bucket.
• Practice putting to get the speed of the greens.
• Hit a few chips and pitches to get the short game feel.
• Talk to the pro shop and/or the starter for pointers on playing the course.  Get some tips on where to aim, or how to read the greens.  They'll be valuable.
• Clean the clubs and make sure they're ready to hit quality golf shots.
• Wet the towel, preferably a Frogger Amphibian towel.
• Plan a course strategy.

Getting to the course early can be a big boost to performance and lower scores.  Don't hurry to the first tee.  Be ready in plenty of time for your next round.  You'll be glad you did.