In this video, we're joined by Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott to talk you through some vital things to remember before playing a competition round of golf. From your practice routine to your nutrition, these tips should allow you to play your best golf next time you've got a card in your pocket.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Are you someone who gets nervous
00:12 before a big golf competition?
00:14 Or do you suddenly become a professional
00:16 with your warmup and pregame routine
00:18 and then flunk it on the golf course?
00:20 If you do, then this video could be for you.
00:23 I'm gonna be joined by Alex Elliott,
00:24 a Golf Monthly Top 50 coach,
00:26 where we're gonna be breaking down
00:28 the mistakes amateurs make before going out
00:30 into a big golf competition.
00:32 Some of these mistakes may sound familiar,
00:34 and if they do, hopefully you can pick up
00:37 some tips and tricks on how to perform better
00:39 on the golf course.
00:40 With that in mind, let's get to it.
00:42 I'm a little hungry.
00:43 (upbeat music)
00:47 Right, I'm stuffed now.
00:51 It's important as golfers that we don't make the mistake
00:54 of going out into a big competition on an empty stomach.
00:57 And it's also important to be properly hydrated.
01:00 18 holes is a long time, and it's a big competition.
01:03 You wanna make sure you're properly fueled
01:05 before you go out.
01:05 Yes, you can carry bottles of water out on the golf course,
01:08 but let's start as we mean to go on.
01:09 Properly fueled, high energy, and ready to score low.
01:13 So Alex, a lot of mistakes golfers might be making
01:15 prior to competition rounds
01:17 is changing up their swing routine.
01:19 That might be because of nerves.
01:20 Do you have any advice for those golfers?
01:22 - I think you've got two kinds of golfer.
01:24 So what are you working on in your golf game right now?
01:27 Probably moving my left hip back, getting it out of the way.
01:30 - Perfect.
01:30 I would suggest to you, Monty,
01:31 is do your first practice swing, a little mini one,
01:34 feeling the left hip excessively out of the way.
01:37 So that feeling's fresh.
01:39 - Okay.
01:40 - The next one, you're gonna do a full-blooded practice
01:41 swing where it's almost like you're picturing that shot.
01:45 You're then gonna walk into the shot and hit it.
01:47 So you've got a little bit of structure of technique,
01:50 a little bit of a flow of the shot.
01:51 You've got a concise routine that keeps you flowed
01:54 rather than, I think, in a big situation,
01:56 golfers can just take one more, one more, one more,
01:59 one more, and it gets longer and longer, right?
02:01 - That's it.
02:02 So keeping it short and simple is key for those golfers.
02:04 Now, there are some golfers out there
02:05 who don't take practice swings at all.
02:07 What would you suggest for those golfers?
02:09 - Stick with normal.
02:10 Just keep to your DNA,
02:11 but make it like a concise, informative routine
02:14 where you're really bothered about your aim
02:15 or you're bothered about the technicality
02:17 if you're that kind of golfer.
02:19 - So just keeping it short and simple
02:20 before your competition round.
02:22 Don't change anything too excessively.
02:26 A common mistake often made by the amateur golfer
02:29 might be introducing too many swing thoughts
02:32 prior to your round of golf.
02:34 How many swing thoughts would you suggest
02:36 is an adequate amount to take out
02:38 with you onto the golf course?
02:39 - Usually around five or six.
02:41 I would always say one backswing and one downswing
02:45 would be a good rule of thumb to use.
02:47 - Can you explain to us the backswing and downswing?
02:50 - For example, right?
02:51 I think focusing on a backswing,
02:53 which is slower and smoother
02:55 is a good generic swing thought for most people.
02:57 We tend to rush it.
02:58 So my swing thought would be,
03:00 okay, slow, smooth takeaway.
03:02 And then my downswing,
03:03 which I sort of call my trigger thought,
03:06 is I like to feel I get my belt buckle to target.
03:08 Just helps me turn, not slide.
03:10 So that would be my two.
03:11 - And I'm guessing that that's personal to you.
03:13 Other golfers may have different cues for that.
03:15 - For sure.
03:16 I mean, I'd say the first one
03:17 would probably work for most people,
03:19 but yeah, the downswing ones,
03:20 or just in general, they are quite personal.
03:22 Work them out with your PJ Pro,
03:24 work them out on the range yourself,
03:25 and maybe even log them down on your phone.
03:27 I really suggest putting two little clear notes
03:29 as a good way to build good habits.
03:32 'Cause when we play well,
03:33 we tend to forget why we played well,
03:35 but having that little log is what I'd recommend.
03:37 - So there we go.
03:38 Just a couple of swing thoughts is all you need,
03:40 and that could be the difference for your competition round.
03:43 - Ooh.
03:45 Whoa, Mons, what are we doing here?
03:47 It's Club Champs, mate.
03:49 - Alex, I was just about to implement a new wedge
03:50 into my set, take out these old things,
03:52 and put this new one. - Why?
03:54 - Well, it's supposed to make me play better, no?
03:56 - Yeah, I get it, right?
03:57 Your grooves might be a little bit short on these,
04:00 but it's new.
04:01 New season, new looking wedge.
04:03 It might look a bit different, a little bit shinier.
04:05 Your eyes aren't going to be used to it.
04:06 Even though I know you might feel a bit better
04:08 with spinning it, I wouldn't put it in.
04:10 - Not for a big competition like today?
04:11 - No, I wouldn't, like, especially wedges or even dry.
04:14 You've got to get used to that visual,
04:16 have a few practice sessions,
04:17 play on the course and some social golf,
04:19 then bring it in.
04:20 - Okay, that's handy advice.
04:21 I'll stick to what I know for now.
04:23 - Yeah, and I'll keep your percentage
04:25 of your club champs win, don't worry.
04:27 - Thanks, Alex. - Thanks.
04:28 - A mistake often made by golfers
04:32 is coming out onto the golf course
04:34 before a competition, not having cleaned their clubs.
04:36 I'm guilty of this, I come out with very dirty clubs.
04:39 How important is it to make sure those grooves are clean,
04:42 and particularly with the wedges?
04:44 - Probably more important than people give it credit for.
04:47 Simply, you might hear on TV some golfers say,
04:49 "Oh, I've got a flyer."
04:50 And simply what that is, it's grass or dirt
04:53 caught between the club face and the ball,
04:55 reduces the spin and just causes the ball
04:57 to go a little bit further.
04:59 Equally, if you've got a lot of dirt on there,
05:01 the ball might not fly anywhere near as much.
05:04 So what I'd really recommend,
05:06 and I say this for every single golfer,
05:08 is just wet the corner of your towel.
05:10 You might have a groove cleaner as well
05:12 in your pocket with little teeth in,
05:14 but I just wet my towel, and that wet corner
05:16 just removes all that dirt.
05:18 I do it after every shot.
05:19 - So cleaning the club face helps generate more spin,
05:22 more control, especially with these shorter shots.
05:25 - Exactly.
05:25 - Are you able to demonstrate that for us?
05:26 - We will go.
05:27 It's Bob on 100 yards here to the flag.
05:30 I've got my 50 degree.
05:32 Okay, here we go.
05:33 - So finally, warming up.
05:41 Alex, how important is it to have a warmup routine
05:44 prior to a competition round of golf?
05:45 - Very.
05:46 Like, we've got to think golf is quite a dynamic sport.
05:49 So if you're not ready to go,
05:51 I mean, you hear the old analogy of,
05:53 you start playing golf on the fourth hole
05:55 when you've not warmed up.
05:57 This is a warmup, not a practice session.
05:59 So don't hit the panic button if they aren't great,
06:02 but what you want to be doing is taking note on ball flight.
06:05 Is it a little bit fadey?
06:06 Is it a little bit hooky?
06:07 What are my patterns?
06:08 'Cause that's the knowledge,
06:10 whilst you're warming up and the body's ready,
06:12 that's the knowledge you can take to the course.
06:14 - Now, a lot of golfers might be watching
06:15 and see Tiger Woods coming out onto the driving range
06:18 and hitting wedge all the way through to driver.
06:20 Is that something you would recommend?
06:21 - No, I would just pick evens or odds.
06:24 Like, most of us don't have time, right?
06:25 We probably have our four and a half hours,
06:27 we want to have a pint afterwards.
06:28 We want to spend 10 minutes max here.
06:30 - And for golfers who don't have access
06:32 to a driving range like this,
06:34 you mentioned there are some movements that we can do
06:36 to get warmed up, to get loose,
06:37 ready for that round of golf.
06:38 Are you able to take us through those?
06:40 - Yeah, it's going to look like a bit of an 80s
06:42 dance routine,
06:43 but what I'd really recommend to him, Antti,
06:45 is just actually making a few dynamic moves.
06:48 So the first one, I mean, if you'll do this one with me,
06:50 is just get in golf posture,
06:52 and then you're going to sort of angle your club
06:53 away from you.
06:54 I'm just going to make some chops out and away,
06:57 and maybe just do eight in this direction.
06:59 And once you feel like you're starting to loosen off,
07:01 you're then going to change the angle
07:03 and just chop in the other direction.
07:05 You loosen up the back, you're in golf posture.
07:06 A lot of people don't do many exercises in this space.
07:09 A lot of people do a lot of stuff here.
07:11 So it just gets our body ready.
07:12 Other things you can do,
07:14 I'd really suggest a bit of a lunge up,
07:16 and then maybe you can add a twist in as well,
07:19 and just do that with alternating legs.
07:21 - Alternating legs.
07:22 I think one side is good enough for me.
07:24 - The thing I would say is,
07:26 there's not anything specific I would say you should do
07:29 as those stretches.
07:30 Just something to get your body ready,
07:31 so it's not getting the first tee and going,
07:34 oh, I feel a little bit shocked here.
07:36 (upbeat music)
07:38 - So there we have it.
07:41 Common mistakes made by your everyday golfer
07:43 for a competition round of golf,
07:45 broken down for you by Alex Elliott.
07:48 Now, if any of these scenarios sounded familiar,
07:51 or if there's anything we didn't mention,
07:52 please do let us know in the comments.
07:54 From Kedleston Park Golf Club,
07:56 thank you for watching.
07:58 Bye-bye.
07:58 (upbeat music)
08:01 So there you have it.
08:05 Sorry, that was-
08:06 - Are you ready, Alex?
08:07 - I'm ready.