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Kit Alexander highlights the things you need to do before stepping on the first tee to help you play your best.
Transcript
00:00 (golf club clacks)
00:02 I'm here on the first tee
00:05 at the beautiful Burley Park Golf Club,
00:09 and I want to talk to you about arriving right here,
00:12 ready to go, fully prepared to play your absolute best golf.
00:17 And that starts with all the preparation you do beforehand.
00:22 There's loads of things you can do
00:24 and ways you can prepare to make sure
00:26 when you arrive on the first tee,
00:28 you are ready to play your absolute best golf.
00:32 Dirty clubs can have a really negative impact
00:38 on your performance,
00:40 especially when you're looking to generate spin
00:42 on approach shots into greens
00:44 and those finesse shots around the putting surfaces.
00:47 You want to make sure your clubs are always as clean
00:50 as they possibly can be,
00:51 but especially if you've got a big round coming up.
00:55 What you want to do is leave them to soak for a little while
00:58 in some warm, soapy water.
01:00 Don't leave them for too long,
01:02 but just long enough to really soften up any dirt and grime
01:05 and get it out.
01:06 Whip them out, give them a quick wipe off,
01:10 and you'll see there's still probably a fair bit of dirt
01:12 in the grooves.
01:14 So a toothbrush is a really good thing to use,
01:16 also an old wire brush.
01:17 You can get specific tools for it as well,
01:19 and give it a little scrape right into the grooves.
01:23 That should remove any debris,
01:24 any mud that's compacted in there.
01:27 Give them another little dunk and a wipe off,
01:30 and they are absolutely ready to go.
01:32 You have got shiny clubs ready to hit the first tee.
01:35 A good night's sleep is an essential
01:40 but underrated ingredient when it comes
01:42 to playing good golf,
01:44 and you don't want to be hung over either.
01:46 So try and keep the drinking to a minimum the night before,
01:49 maybe just one or two beers if you're treating yourself.
01:52 But with that in mind, I'm heading off.
01:54 So I'll see you in the morning.
01:56 (upbeat music)
01:58 So after a good night's sleep, I am as fresh as a daisy.
02:21 I'm super chilled 'cause I know all my gear
02:23 is packed up in the car ready to go,
02:26 and I've planned my day.
02:28 I've left myself plenty of time to get there
02:31 and go through all of my routines before I tee off.
02:34 And I know even if there's a little bit of traffic,
02:36 I've got enough leeway.
02:38 I'm calm, I'm chilled, and I'm ready to go.
02:41 Something that's really going to help you
02:46 play your best golf and score better,
02:49 and can be done really at any time before you play,
02:53 is to build a strategy for the golf course
02:55 you're going to be going up against.
02:58 Now if it's your home club,
03:00 you probably know it like the back of your hand.
03:03 You know where to go, where not to go,
03:05 what clubs to hit in certain places.
03:08 Rather than just think that in your mind
03:10 and maybe recall it or not, write it down.
03:13 Get it down on paper how you're going to attack each hole,
03:17 what clubs, and what strategy are going to give you
03:20 the best opportunity to shoot the lowest scores.
03:23 And the important thing is,
03:25 once you've got a strategy, stick to it.
03:27 No matter how things are going,
03:29 if you have a brilliant start or a horrible start,
03:32 we see it so often from the pros,
03:34 they say, "I just stuck to my strategy.
03:36 "I did what I set out to do."
03:39 Have a look through, get a course planner,
03:42 decide exactly how you're going to play every hole,
03:46 and try and do just that when you get out on the course.
03:49 (gentle music)
03:51 What you eat and drink has a huge impact
03:55 on how your mind and body feels,
03:58 in general, as well as when we're playing golf.
04:01 So it's really important that you eat right
04:04 and get hydrated before you play golf.
04:08 Exactly what that means for you
04:10 is going to depend on your tee time.
04:12 If you're going out bright and early,
04:14 maybe a bowl of porridge,
04:15 something with slow release energy is great.
04:19 If you're teeing off at a bit of a funny time,
04:20 maybe midday, you might normally actually be eating
04:24 when you're teeing off or not long after.
04:26 Try and build your meals that day around your golf
04:30 so you're fully fueled for the full three and a half,
04:33 four, four and a half hours
04:35 that you're out on the golf course.
04:37 And we often overlook staying hydrated.
04:40 You always need to drink way more than you think,
04:43 and it can really affect you mentally
04:45 as well as physically if you are dehydrated.
04:49 Always have at least one of these bottles with you.
04:52 Keep sipping on it as you go through your warmup,
04:55 and when you're out on the course,
04:57 don't forget, reach for this and have a swig.
04:59 So we're in the range,
05:11 but before you go reaching for those clubs,
05:14 it's really important to have a bit of a stretch.
05:18 Warm up your muscles, get them nice and loose,
05:21 and get the blood flowing.
05:23 The golf swing itself is a really athletic motion.
05:26 There's lots of twisting and there's lots of speed in it.
05:29 So if your muscles aren't ready for that,
05:31 they're A, not gonna perform at their best,
05:34 and B, you leave yourself open to picking up injuries.
05:39 And that's awful 'cause we don't want anything
05:41 that's gonna stop us playing golf.
05:43 So what stretches should we be doing?
05:46 There are loads and loads out there.
05:48 I'm just gonna show you a couple of my favorites.
05:51 And because golf is a full body action,
05:54 it's important to try and get a little bit of movement
05:56 and stretching right the way up your body.
05:59 So a really dead simple one to start,
06:02 gets the back of your legs and your lower back.
06:04 Cross your legs over and just bend straight over
06:08 as far as you can.
06:09 I can only just get to the floor.
06:12 If you can't, that's not a problem.
06:14 Just take it until you feel the stretch
06:16 and hold it there for about 20 seconds.
06:19 Repeat on the other side,
06:21 and then that should loosen up
06:23 right up the back of your legs.
06:27 Another really good one is because we've got this turning
06:30 and twisting motion, and a lot of that comes
06:31 from around the hip area and the upper body,
06:34 is just sort of start rotating your hips.
06:36 Press them as far forward as you can feel
06:39 and as far to each side.
06:42 When you get to the sort of points on the clock,
06:45 just hold it and feel that stretch in each area.
06:49 That'll really get your hips used to this sort of motion.
06:53 And then we move in to the upper part of the body,
06:55 the arms, the shoulders.
06:57 For this, you can actually grab a club.
07:00 So take a club, stick it behind your back like this,
07:04 and just turn as much as you can.
07:07 Have a little bit of flex in your knees as well,
07:09 similar to the golf swing,
07:10 and just hold it.
07:13 That's gonna increase the amount
07:15 you can actually turn in your golf swing,
07:17 which is also going to bring greater speed
07:20 and hopefully more distance as long as you can control it.
07:25 There are loads of stretches you can do.
07:26 Those three are a great place to start,
07:29 but please do make sure you stretch
07:31 before you hit any golf balls.
07:33 Once you're stretched, it's time to get the clubs out
07:40 and hit some balls.
07:42 Now, do not reach straight for the driver.
07:45 Go in low, go with a wedge,
07:48 one that you're gonna hit a lot during the round as well.
07:51 It's a shorter club, it's an easier swing,
07:53 a bit more finesse,
07:55 and it allows you to really ease yourself
07:57 into your practice session.
08:00 From there, what I'd recommend doing
08:01 is working your way up through the bag.
08:04 You don't have to hit every single club,
08:07 but maybe jump every two or three.
08:09 Make sure there's a wedge in there.
08:11 Make sure there's a short iron, a mid iron,
08:13 a long iron or hybrid,
08:15 and then your three wood and your driver.
08:18 Now, what you're looking to achieve here is familiarity.
08:20 Remember, this is a warmup.
08:22 It's not a practice session.
08:24 You're not going to drastically change what you're doing
08:27 in these 15 or 20 minutes on the range before your tee time.
08:32 This is about grooving a little bit of what you've got,
08:34 but most importantly,
08:35 finding out what your swing is doing that day.
08:39 Where is the ball going?
08:40 And what are you going to be able to do on the golf course
08:43 to use that ball flight
08:44 and the shots that you're hitting on the range
08:46 to get round in the lowest score possible?
08:49 Just finally, a really great little tip.
08:52 Before you head to that first tee,
08:54 your last few shots in the range
08:56 can be playing the first few holes in your head.
09:00 If it's a driver that you need to hit
09:02 a little bit of fade off the first tee, hit that.
09:05 If that's going to leave you a nine iron,
09:07 then hit the nine iron.
09:08 If you've got a par three coming up
09:10 that you know requires a specific club,
09:13 practice hitting that as well.
09:15 The familiarity of hitting those shots
09:17 just before you go out onto the course
09:19 will fill you with confidence
09:21 when you face them under pressure.
09:23 It's so important that you go
09:29 to the chipping and putting green as well.
09:31 I know it can be tempting to spend all your time
09:34 hitting balls in the range,
09:36 or even just wander on, chuck a ball down,
09:38 two or three putts, and then off you go.
09:40 But I promise, any time spent chipping and putting
09:45 before your round is time well spent.
09:48 And that's for a few reasons.
09:49 First of all, when you're chipping,
09:51 not only are you practicing those shots,
09:53 working on your action just a little bit
09:54 before you go out, but it gives you a real sense
09:58 of the firmness and the speed of the greens.
10:01 If you see how it reacts on the chipping green,
10:03 with any luck, the greens out on the course
10:05 will be very similar.
10:06 It enables you to not only judge
10:08 what you're doing with your short game,
10:10 but also on your approach shots.
10:12 How is that ball going to react to the green soft?
10:15 Can I fly it all the way?
10:16 Or are they firm?
10:17 That's gonna make a huge difference
10:19 to how you play a lot of shots out on the golf course.
10:22 When you are practicing your chipping,
10:24 don't just give yourself a perfect lie all the time either.
10:27 Try a few little funky lies.
10:29 If you know the course, you'll know the type of shots
10:31 you're most likely to face.
10:33 Those are the ones you want to be hitting
10:35 and getting confident with on the chipping green
10:38 before you head out.
10:40 Once you've finished up chipping,
10:41 make sure you head into the bunkers as well
10:44 to hit a few bunker shots.
10:45 Of course, the sand will be different from course to course
10:49 and depending on the weather you've been having.
10:51 So you really need to familiarize yourself
10:53 with the bunkers on that day.
10:56 And then time for the flat stick.
10:58 There's a few things you're looking to do
11:01 on the putting green before you head out onto the course.
11:04 First, you're getting the pace.
11:06 So head to a spot about 40 feet from the fringe of the green,
11:09 a relatively flat putt.
11:12 And just putt to the apron.
11:13 You're not worried about a specific target like a hole.
11:16 You just want to gauge that pace and calibrate your stroke
11:20 to the speed of the greens on that day.
11:23 Then you can get into some more hole specific stuff.
11:26 A drill I really like to do is the round the world.
11:29 Chuck three or four balls around the hole.
11:32 Any sort of distance you like really from two to 10 feet.
11:35 You can vary it up as well
11:37 depending on how much time you've got.
11:39 That will enable you to see how the ball is breaking
11:42 from different slopes on different sides of the same hole
11:45 and also see the ball going in as well.
11:49 And finally, before you leave the putting green,
11:52 you want to be heading to that first tee
11:54 brimming with confidence.
11:57 So you want to see a putt going into the hole.
11:59 Chuck a ball down no more than a foot from the hole.
12:03 A putt you cannot possibly miss.
12:05 Line it up.
12:06 Ram it in with confidence and head to that first tee.
12:13 I hope you found all of those tips really helpful
12:19 and they will get you well and truly prepared
12:21 the next time you tee it up.
12:24 If you've liked the video, please give it a thumbs up.
12:27 If we've missed anything, any little hints and tips
12:30 you've got, add them in the comments below.
12:32 Remember to subscribe to this Golf Monthly YouTube channel.
12:36 There's so much great content coming your way.
12:39 And as we're all done here and I'm fully prepared,
12:42 I'm heading out onto the course.
12:44 (upbeat music)
12:46 (upbeat music)
12:50 (golf club clinks)
12:53 (upbeat music)
12:56 (upbeat music)
12:58 (coyote howling)