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Posted
Well at the end of the month (May 31st-June 1st) I will be flying down to Washington to play in a qualifying tournament for the Junior PGA Championship. I will be arriving there on maybe 10-13 rounds, 5 of which were in January, and I need to go low to qualify for the Championship. Along with that I will be playing on new irons, and a brand new putter. Also this will be about a year after I have started playing golf, so I have never played in a pressure situation, or in a serious tournament.

My biggest question is how to prepare for this tournament, mainly playing wise since I will not have played that many rounds since October 2007. I do go to the local indoor driving range at least twice a week, but we hit off fake grass there, like astro-turf on a football field. Also what should I do to prepare for the pressure and such?

Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it!

Here's what I play:

Titleist 907 D2 10.5* UST ProForce V2 76-S | Titleist 906F4 18.5* Aldila VS Proto "By You" 80-S | Titleist 585H 21* Aldila VS Proto "By You" 80-S | Titleist ZB 4-PW TTDG S300 | Bob Vokey Spin Milled Oil Can 54.10 | Bob Vokey Spin Milled Oil Can 60.08 | Scotty Cameron Red X5 33" |


Posted
if you've been playing for a year..and you're a 7.4 handicap...there isn't much people can really tell you.
In my tournaments, I try to get to the course 2 hours before my scheduled time.

i start with a 30 - 45 minute stretch session. 30 minutes of range work
some chipping work. putting.
then more stretching
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HiBoreXL 9.5 White Board D63 Stiff Exotics CB2 5 Wood, Exotics CB3 3 Wood MP-60 5.5 Flighted Shafts 54 & Cleveland CG-10 60 Newport 2

Posted
I agree. Playing a year and a single digit handicap. Mighty impressive. Prepare yourself mentally to go out and just play your game. The same talent and course management judgements that got you down to a 7.4 in a year are the same elements that are going to bring you a low score in this situation. Play smart. Don't get greedy. Stay focused and play your game.

In my bag:
Launcher 460 9 degree aldila stiff shaft
13 degree fairway wood aldila stiff shaft
Halo 2i hybrid stiff shaft
CG4 irons 4 thru PW regular graphite shaftsCG10 wedges 52,56, and 60 degreeOdyssey Putter #4


Posted
I have played several tournaments. Not knowing how many you have played, the best advice I can give you is remember to stay calm, and swing within your ability. Don't try harder than if you just playing for fun. The other thing is remember you're not playing against anyone. You are playing for your personal best each time you play. Hope this helps and best wishes.

Jennifer
--------------------
What's in my bag:
Nickent 4DX 9 deg V2 stiff driver
Tour Edge CB2 15 deg stiff fairway woodTour Edge #2,3,4 Tour Bazooka Hybrid (always take one out of the bag depending on the course)Soon: Adams Idea Pro 3+ 4+Tour Edge 5-PW Irons graphite regularSoon: Taylormade...


Posted
  907golfer12 said:
Well at the end of the month (May 31st-June 1st) I will be flying down to Washington to play in a qualifying tournament for the Junior PGA Championship. I will be arriving there

ParGolfGal made some nice points. To add I offer this:

Start by not thinking of all those as "negatives". You are only going to hurt yourself by thinking that way. Don't think of any of that at all. Think about what you can do. Tournament golf is no different than a regular round of golf with your buddies. Others will try and tell you otherwise, but, you shouldn't think of it that way. Doing so will only make the situation even more tense for you. I've found that I play my best when I am at my calmest. Have you "gone low" before? If so, just build on the fact that you know how to do it. Not the pressure that you have to do it. Psychically, hit a bucket of balls a day if you can. Not trying to be too technical, but just getting comfortable with your swing again. Mats or grass, no difference. also, PRACTICE YOUR PUTTING. You can do that at home on your carpet. You may have shaggy or bumpy carpet, who cares, just get your stroke flowing. Putting, not 300 yards drives, is what counts. I live by the quote, "its not about how far, its about how many."

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Callaway XTour 18* 2h w/S300
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Posted
  907golfer12 said:
Also what should I do to prepare for the pressure and such?

??????????????????????????????????????

You claim to play off 7.4. This means that you frequently shoot in the 70s and would occasionally be close to par and would consider a round in the 80s a poor score. You should know how to play pretty well. Don't think too far ahead, concentrate on the shot at hand and don't beat yourself up if you have a bad hole. If you drive into trouble, give yourself the best chance to make bogey and hope for a 1 putt par and move on.

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Posted
  Lefty731PM said:
??????????????????????????????????????

I'm not sure what math you're doing, but a 7.4 rarely breaks 80. At my home course - let's take Whispering Woods for example - an 82 gets you a 7.8 index. And that's the best 10 of your last 20...

These aren't Australian handicapping rules. Perhaps you confused the two?

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Posted
  iacas said:
I'm not sure what math you're doing, but a 7.4 rarely breaks 80. At my home course - let's take Whispering Woods for example -

Definatlly agreed there. I was just about to post the same thing when I saw that Post. I'd say a 7.4 Handicap breaks 80 once or twice every 10 rounds. Thats crazy, I just looked at my handicap tracker, and an 82 gets me an 11.8 :-S
In My Bag

Driver: Sasquatch 460 9.5°
3 Wood: Laser 3 Wood 15°
5 Wood: r7 19° (Stiff)Irons: S58 Irons 4-PW Orange DotWedge: Harmonized 60°Wedge: Z TP 54°Putter: Tiffany 34"Balls: Pro V1 Shoes: Adidas Tour 360 IIThe Meadows Golf Coursewww.themeadowsgc.comAge: 16

Posted
  907golfer12 said:
Well at the end of the month (May 31st-June 1st) I will be flying down to Washington to play in a qualifying tournament for the Junior PGA Championship. I will be arriving there on maybe 10-13 rounds, 5 of which were in January, and I need to go low to qualify for the Championship. Along with that I will be playing on new irons, and a brand new putter. Also this will be about a year after I have started playing golf, so I have never played in a pressure situation, or in a serious tournament.

tournament golf is a totally different ballpark. Just remember to play you're game. don't try to beat you're opponent, you'll end up making bad decisions.

Its you and the course. i know it the hardest thing to block out that "you have to get a good score", but just try to relax and pretend your playing a casual round. when i played in matches, i always got the jitters because i i wanted to compete with the best of em, just remember what youre game is. play to youre strengths. good luck!
Sticks
driver- X460 tour 9.5 Aldila NVS 75
irons- X-forged 3-PW TT BlackGold stiff
wedges- x-tour vintage 52, 56, 60
hybrid- FT-hybrid #2 17* putter- Sophia 33" "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."_Mario Andretti

Posted
  iacas said:
I'm not sure what math you're doing, but a 7.4 rarely breaks 80. At my home course - let's take Whispering Woods for example - an 82 gets you a 7.8 index. And that's the best 10 of your last 20...

Must have!

I saw a young New Zealander by the name of Danny Lee who was ranked something like 5 in the world on your U.S. scratch rankings with a handicap of +7. An awesome handicap ( and a fantastic player). He would probaly be a +2 or +3 on our system. So - there are a few aspiring young players out there who are not as close to the pro ranks as they mght think they are. A one marker in Australia is expected to play to that handicap regularly, meaning that on a par 72 with a rating of 71 on a fine day, even par would be playing to his handicap. But - on a difficult course, say par 72 with a rating of 75 on a particular day, two over would do it. To maintain a handicap in the scratch region means you are regularly on the par mark. Thanks for helping me to clear that up.

Posted
Dont get BURIED.

Dont get yourself in so deep that you feel you have to make incredible things happen to pull yourself back out of it.

If you card a bad score for a hole, completley forget about it. Take time out on the next tee to breathe and start fresh. You can only beat yourself up.

Its easy to say, but fundaMENTAL golf. Stick with the basics and dont make things to complicated for yourself. I feel like Bagger Vance a lil' telling you these things. Dont put alot of pressure on yourself because if you do you will only come away from the "experience" dis-heartend.

All the advice I gave you, I never followed. Which is why I quit playing golf after Highschool. I put way to much pressure on myself and I kept finding myself getting extremley frustrated during matches and started having panic attacks. I wish I didnt take the time off, but its probably the best thing I ever did. Play for fun, its a game for heavens sakes.
In My Bridgestone Stand Bag:

Driver: TM r7 425 TP (8.5*) Stiff
Wood: TM Ti 5 Wood (18*) Stiff
Irons: TM r7 TP Irons (3-PW) RegularGW LW: TM rac Satin TPs ( 52* 56* 60*)Putter: TM Rossa Monza Spider Balls: Bridgestone B330s

Posted
Dont get BURIED.

i can completely relate to everything you just said.

Sticks
driver- X460 tour 9.5 Aldila NVS 75
irons- X-forged 3-PW TT BlackGold stiff
wedges- x-tour vintage 52, 56, 60
hybrid- FT-hybrid #2 17* putter- Sophia 33" "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."_Mario Andretti

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