Preparing for the Round

• Arrive at the course early enough to allow time for a relaxed and comprehensive warm-up. Deep breathing and stretching exercises before you hit balls will help you “gear down” and relax. This is a key strategy for fast-paced individuals like you.
  
  
• “Play” the first few holes on the practice tee. Visualize the tee shot on #1, go through your pre-shot routine and hit that shot, then the second shot, and keep going until you mentally “play” the first four or five holes. With this routine, you’ll be in a “prepared to play” mindset when you step on the first tee.
  
  This “practice as if you’re playing” concept also applies to putting. Brad Faxon, one of the smartest players and perhaps the best putter on the PGA Tour, puts it this way: “Just before I go to the first tee, I’ll hit some putts on the putting green using my full routine including lining up the putt. I just get into a flow with my routine and then take it to the golf course.”
  
  
• Use the space to the right to describe an “ideal” pre-round routine for you. Consider including these components in your ideal pre-round warm-up—
  
  • loosening up with a good stretching and deep breathing routine
    
  • mentally “playing” a few holes on the range
    
  • getting a good feel for various short game shots
    
  • reviewing your “game plan” for the course
    
  • visualize yourself playing at your highest level
    
  
  
• A consistent and effective pre-round routine helps prepare you to play and get you into the “rhythm” of the round before you step on the first tee.