How have you guys fared playing tournament golf? How do you prep for it? What do you do that differs from your casual round? I will share some of mine but the one thing I can never get over the is the first tee gitters.

Just remember that unless it’s match play. Everyone else is so worried about their own game, they’re barely even thinking about you.

Kind of a humble brag here...but just recollecting on some of my more memorable wins and/or times I played my best and there was a recocurring theme: I won state in High School, won 2 College tournaments (along with a school record in one of them), and a really big 2 man best ball event that has tons of d1 college players. All 4 of those events had something in common: The week leading up to the tourney, I spent an enormous amount of time on the short game. We had a short range at our course, and I hit 50-75 yard pitches until I couldn't anymore....followed by chipping around the green from all sorts of lies, different clubs, different trajectories. And then putting from 8 feet and in. When I happened to hit an errant tee shot and needed to punch out...or missed a green. I got up an down every single time. I hit a lot of wedge shots close and made a lot of birdies in those events. First tee jitters will always be there...but they go away when you start making birdies. 😅

Haven't competed in about a decade. Remembering my university tryouts, dry mouth, shaky hands, block two OB, nice 5 off the tee to get your inner competitiveness going. If i ever wanted to compete nowadays, take a small CBD oil dose and you will feel zero nerves lol. Helps with that first tee jitter.

Don’t let dphatt fool you, I’ve played in mid-am events with him and he pipes the first tee ball every damn time. I have a 3/4 bunt cut swing I use off the tee when the stakes are real. It’s low, it always cuts, doesn’t look sexy, but it’s a fairway winder every time. Another thing I’ve noticed is I hit the best approach shots when I’m down in a match. Just that extra level of determination to really focus on hit my landing spot, especially with my irons is what I enjoy the most. Again that’s a small pull fade that has extra spin on it to control my landing spot into greens. I apply that to every par 3 I play, which is the strength of my game.

Eddie stop telling people I am good. I need to be able to sandbag some people every once in a while

Eddie Another thing I’ve noticed is I hit the best approach shots when I’m down in a match. In the wise words of Big Randy from no laying up... "Bad news is...Tron's not really comfortable until he's down $200". lolol (3:25)

For people who have first tee jitters, I got a recommendation for you. Start an iG live video and hit balls in front of your IG friends, talk about stressful LOL. It was fun though, we will do it again soon.

I look forward to piping one down over the right corner at BPB every time I tee it up there. First tee jitters isn't my issue, it is the chipping yips I have had for some time. I'll shake it for a while, and then the thought creeps into my head and I proceed to blade it from one side of the green to the other. Then the next one I'll stick the club into the ground behind the ball and watch it pop up a few inches and advance a foot ahead of me and settle deep into the rough.

First round where having to keep score was necessary outside of match games. Wasn't nervous, but the one aspect I felt off was over shots that weren't perfectly even lies, having been a range rat for so long, forgot how to hit shots with the ball below my feet, I pulled every damn shot.

Tournament Golf Experiences

Eddie

Congrats joe, way to grind out a good showing.

You mentioned having a way to get the ball in play on tighter holes, it’s the very reason I went mini driver, it never comes to mind in practice but for tournament golf, I believe there have to be two confident tee clubs in the bag because inevitably relying on just driver the whole round puts too much pressure on that club.

bogeysandbeers

Eddie Driver is my true love. 3 wood terrifies me but have been hitting it well lately. Hybrid and 4 iron I love and can hit both well, not sure if it’s lack of focus or what but hitting either off the tee is just way too inconsistent than they should be.

bogeysandbeers

NSiman17 yeah dude I have to learn how to read these country club greens bro, Don would ask me what I see and then shake his head when I spoke, he’d be like no way dude complete opposite lol

dbenick3

bogeysandbeers wait till you come play Keswick. I'll give you my green book if you come.

TFixer5

bogeysandbeers GHIN app now has greens layout and heat maps.

dphatt

NSiman17 you should have seen the lines he was going to take when I asked him what he saw

MarkF

bogeysandbeers Joe that sounds like a damn good first event. Why didn’t @dphatt have some extras drinks to put in that yeti?

bogeysandbeers

MarkF not that I ever deserve a caddie, but in the rare occasion I might, #1 job is keep the alcohol coming 🍻

Jaybananapantsarthur

OffTheDole

Hell yeah, dphatt!

dphatt

Another day of shitty putting. I still could not get used to the speed of the greens. They were running 11-12 but the greens are not flat which makes some putts running closer to 13-14. I am going to start using the back up SpiderX since it’s a lighter swing weight and has the softer insert.

18 putts on the front
15 on the back

Ball striking today was way worse than yesterday. I missed 4 greens yesterday but 9 today. The driver is the only club in my bag that is working for me.

OffTheDole

dphatt That's just diabolical.

PureStickGolf

dphatt Giphy - Dog Sliding GIF

conorgolf22

I was really looking forward to to the opportunity of playing in this year’s Metropolitan Amateur at St Louis Country Club. It’s a bucket list course of mine. The field was 156 spots....48 exempt players and the 108 lowest indexes of those who registered. My 3.6 index didn’t make the cut. I took a look at the scoring today and was surprised to see such high scores on the backend considering that the field is made up of such low handicap players. I realize everyone has a bad day, but I decided to do some digging and one of the players near the bottom, who just happens to be a member at the host club, is a 4.0 index. Knowing that the individual could’ve been one of the exempt players, I checked and he wasn’t. Making the rationale of the “108 lowest indexes” a total farce. I could’ve easily thrown up an upper 80s number just like these guys, but I don’t belong to a private club and this could’ve been my best opportunity at playing STLCC, which is my biggest frustration.

PureStickGolf

conorgolf22 im more eyeing the st. Clair CC +19 posted for a “low handicap”. If I remember correctly it’s like a 6500 from the tips super easy course. Clearly he fluffed his index just go get to play STLCC.

conorgolf22

PureStickGolf That’s correct. There was a 95 posted by a “+0.8” since I took this screenshot. Pretty impressive

Jaybananapantsarthur

Gimme Golf Club is suspicious by name

dphatt

There are a lot of vanity handicaps that’s try and play in events in this area. Ask @bogeysandbeers about a 11 handicap playing in a state net event who shot 126. 126!!!!!!

conorgolf22

dphatt a few of us have tried to push for qualifiers instead of going off of handicaps, but it’s been done to no avail

dphatt

conorgolf22 golf will always be about who you know 😔

bogeysandbeers

dphatt To be completely honest I’m still so confused by some of the scores I saw. Granted the greens were fast, but the course is short and so few hazards actually in play. There was a 10 handicap that shot 39 on the front and ended up with a 61 on the back. The person Don mentioned had a 12 on the 10th hole, which is dead straight, about 330 yards, very few trees, no hazards. Don always says tournament golf is another level, but I do believe there’s some truth to handicap manipulation for some of these events, it’s just super shitty if someone like that costs a more deserving person a spot.