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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00:00Are you someone who gets nervous before a big golf competition, or do you suddenly become
00:15a professional with your warm-up and pre-game routine and then flunk it on the golf course?
00:19If you do, then this video could be for you.
00:22I'm going to be joined by Alex Elliott, a Golf Monthly Top 50 coach, where we're going
00:27to be breaking down the mistakes amateurs make before going out into a big golf competition.
00:32Some of these mistakes may sound familiar, and if they do, hopefully you can pick up
00:36some tips and tricks on how to perform better on the golf course.
00:40With that in mind, let's get to it.
00:42I'm a little hungry.
00:45Right, I'm stuffed now.
00:52It's important as golfers that we don't make the mistake of going out into a big competition
00:56on an empty stomach, and it's also important to be properly hydrated.
01:0018 holes is a long time, and it's a big competition, you want to make sure you're properly fuelled
01:05before you go out.
01:06Yes, you can carry bottles of water out on the golf course, but let's start as we mean
01:08to go on.
01:09Properly fuelled, high energy, and ready to score low.
01:13So Alex, a lot of mistakes golfers might be making prior to competition rounds is changing
01:17up their swing routine.
01:19That might be because of nerves.
01:20Do you have any advice for those golfers?
01:22I think you've got two kinds of golfer.
01:24So what are you working on in your golf game right now?
01:27Probably moving my left hip back, getting it out of the way.
01:30Perfect.
01:31I would suggest to you, Monty, is do your first practice swing, a little mini one, feeling
01:34the left hip excessively out of the way.
01:37So that feeling's fresh.
01:39The next one, you're going to do a full-blooded practice swing where it's almost like you're
01:43picturing that shot.
01:45You're then going to walk into the shot and hit it.
01:47So you've got a little bit of structure of technique, a little bit of a flow of the shot,
01:52and you've got a concise routine that keeps you flowed.
01:54Rather than, I think, in a big situation, golfers can just take one more, one more,
01:58one more, one more, and it gets longer and longer, right?
02:01That's it.
02:02So keeping it short and simple is key for those golfers.
02:04Now, there are some golfers out there who don't take practice swings at all.
02:07What would you suggest for those golfers?
02:09Stick with normal.
02:10Just keep to your DNA, but make it a concise, informative routine where you're really bothered
02:15about your aim or you're bothered about the technicality if you're that kind of golfer.
02:19So just keeping it short and simple, before your competition round, don't change anything
02:23too excessively.
02:27Common mistake often made by the amateur golfer might be introducing too many swing thoughts
02:32prior to your round of golf.
02:34How many swing thoughts would you suggest is an adequate amount to take out with you
02:38onto the golf course?
02:40Usually around five or six.
02:41I would always say one backswing and one downswing would be a good rule of thumb to use.
02:47Can you explain to us those backswing and downswing?
02:50For example, I think focusing on a backswing, which is slower and smoother, is a good generic
02:56swing thought for most people who tend to rush it.
02:58So my swing thought would be, okay, slow, smooth takeaway, and then my downswing, which
03:03I sort of call my trigger thought, is I like to feel I get my belt buckled to target.
03:08Just helps me turn, not slide, so they'll be my two.
03:11And I'm guessing that's personal to you.
03:13Other golfers may have different cues for this.
03:15For sure.
03:17I'd say the first one would probably work for most people, but yeah, the downswing ones,
03:20or just in general, they are quite personal.
03:22Work them out with your PJ Pro, work them out on the range yourself, and maybe even
03:26log them down on your phone.
03:27I really suggest putting two little clear notes as a good way to build good habits,
03:31because when we play well, we tend to forget why we played well, but having that little
03:36log is what I'd recommend.
03:37So there we go.
03:38Just a couple of swing thoughts is all you need, and that could be the difference for
03:41your competition round.
03:43Ooh.
03:45Whoa, what are we doing here?
03:47It's Club Champs, mate.
03:48Alex, I was just about to implement a new wedge into my set, take out these old things
03:52and put in this new one.
03:53Why?
03:54Well, it's supposed to make me play better, no?
03:56Yeah, I get it, right?
03:57Your grooves might be a little bit short on these, but it's new.
04:02New season, new looking wedge, it might look a bit different, a little bit shinier, your
04:05eyes aren't going to be used to it.
04:06Even though I know you might feel a bit better with spinning it, I wouldn't put it in.
04:10Not for a big competition like today?
04:11No.
04:13Especially wedges or even dry.
04:14You've got to get used to that visual, have a few practice sessions, play on the course
04:18and some social golf, then bring it in.
04:20Okay, that's handy advice.
04:21I'll stick to what I know for now.
04:23Yeah, and I'll keep your percentage of your Club Champs win.
04:26Don't worry.
04:27Thanks, Alex.
04:30A mistake often made by golfers is coming out onto the golf course for a competition
04:34not having cleaned their clubs.
04:36I'm guilty of this, I come out with very dirty clubs.
04:39How important is it to make sure those grooves are clean, and particularly with the wedges?
04:44Probably more important than people give it credit for.
04:47Simply, you might hear on TV some golfers say, oh, I've got a flyer, and simply what
04:51that is, it's grass or dirt caught between the club face and the ball, reduces the spin
04:56and just causes the ball to go a little bit further.
04:59Equally, if you've got a lot of dirt on there, the ball might not fly anywhere near as much.
05:05So what I'd really recommend, and I say this for every single golfer, is just wet the corner
05:09of your towel.
05:10You might have a groove cleaner as well in your pocket with little teeth in, but I just
05:14wet my towel, and that wet corner just removes all that dirt.
05:18I do it after every shot.
05:19So cleaning the club face helps generate more spin, more control, especially with these
05:24shorter shots.
05:25Exactly.
05:26Are you able to demonstrate that for us?
05:27We will go.
05:28It's Bob on 100 yards here to the flag.
05:30I've got my 50 degree.
05:31Okay, here we go.
05:39So finally, warming up.
05:41Alex, how important is it to have a warm-up routine prior to a competition round of golf?
05:46Very.
05:47Like, we've got to think golf is quite a dynamic sport.
05:49So if you're not ready to go, I mean, you hear the old analogy of you start playing
05:54golf on the fourth hole when you've not warmed up.
05:57This is a warm-up, not a practice session, so don't hit the panic button.
06:01If they aren't great, but what you want to be doing is taking note on ball flight.
06:05Is it a little bit fadey?
06:06Is it a little bit hooky?
06:08What are my patterns?
06:09Because that's the knowledge whilst you're warming up and the body's ready.
06:12That's the knowledge you can take to the course.
06:14Now, a lot of golfers might be watching and see Tiger Woods coming out onto the driving
06:17range and hitting wedge all the way through to driver.
06:20Is that something you would recommend?
06:21No, I would just pick evens or odds.
06:24Like, most of us don't have time, right?
06:25We probably have our four and a half hours, one of a pint afterwards.
06:28We want to spend 10 minutes max here.
06:31And for golfers who don't have access to a driving range like this, you mentioned there
06:34are some movements that we can do to get warmed up, to get loose, ready for that round
06:38of golf.
06:39Are you able to take us through those?
06:40Yeah, it's going to look like a bit of an 80s dance routine, but what I'd really recommend
06:45him onto is just actually making a few dynamic moves.
06:48So the first one, I mean, if you'll do this one with me, is just get in golf posture and
06:52then you're going to sort of angle your club away from you.
06:54I'm just going to make some chops out and away and maybe just do eight in this direction.
06:59And once you feel like you're starting to loosen off, you're then going to change the
07:02angle and just chop in the other direction.
07:05You loosen up the back, you're in golf posture.
07:06A lot of people don't do many exercises in this space.
07:09A lot of people do a lot of stuff here.
07:11So it just gets our body ready.
07:12Other things you can do, I'd really suggest a bit of a lunge up and then maybe you can
07:17add a twist in as well and just do that with alternating legs.
07:22Alternating legs.
07:23I think one side is good enough for me.
07:24The thing I would say is there's not anything specific I would say you should do as those
07:29stretches.
07:30It's just something to get your body ready.
07:31So it's not getting the first tee and going, Oh, I feel a little bit shocked here.
07:37So there we have it, common mistakes made by your everyday golfer for a competition
07:44round of golf broken down for you by Alex Elliott.
07:48Now, if any of these scenarios sounded familiar or if there's anything we didn't mention,
07:52please do let us know in the comments.
07:54From Kedleston Park Golf Club, thank you for watching.
07:57Bye-bye.
08:01So there you have it.
08:05Sorry.
08:06Are you ready Alex?
08:07I'm ready.
08:08I'm ready.
08:09Are you ready?