I am playing in the US Mid-AM qualifier, but I need your help.

[mchepp]

I look forward to seeing how you do. Having played with you and tried my best to "council" you in a caddying type roll you are a tough one to manage. I think your caddy must be someone you trust and who you'll listen too. 

Still, you still need to hit the shots and you are full of confidence now, so just let it ride.

[kpaulhus]

22 hours ago, mchepp said:

I look forward to seeing how you do. Having played with you and tried my best to "council" you in a caddying type roll you are a tough one to manage. I think your caddy must be someone you trust and who you'll listen too. 

Still, you still need to hit the shots and you are full of confidence now, so just let it ride.

Yes, I should've listened to your advice a bit more. We could have beaten those east coast guys if I had been in a few more holes that match. 

[Pretzel]

My recommendation would be to make sure you play at least one practice round at the course before the event.

During a practice round I like to do a couple of things:

1) Grab a course yardage book from the pro shop (most courses have them, though some don't)

2) Mark down on the yardage book every tee shot that you want to hit. Make a small note of the spot you want to aim for as well as what club you want to use off the tee. It makes it a lot easier when it comes time for the tournament when you know exactly where to aim and what to use off the tee of every hole and helps you relax and settle into a rhythm. Some courses look really weird off the tee too, and this is tremendously helpful on such courses with weird looking or blind tee shots.

3) Mark down any important features, such as big trouble or big ridges in the green that you might want to be aware of. Don't necessarily map out the whole green, but if there are two really distinct tiers (one course I played at had an 8 foot elevation change between tiers) it's good to mark where the line between them is.

When it comes time to play in the tournament I like to get to the course between 1.5 and 2 hours early for three reasons. The first is that it gives me enough time to account for traffic, a flat tire, etc. so that I'm not panicked if I am running late. The second reason is that it lets me feel completely unhurried once I get to the course to warm up for my round. The last reason is it gives me enough time for a nice bowel movement before I have to tee off (empty guts always give me peace of mind). \

When you get out there, just remember to play and have fun. Don't let the bad shots bother you too much; react to them and then move on to focus on the next one. Similarly don't get too hung up on great shots to the point where you distract yourself from the shot in front of you. I like to chat with my playing partners when I'm not hitting to keep myself relaxed and give myself a break between shots, then I focus back up as soon as I put my glove back on. It's a nice little tool for me to keep myself from being distracted, glove on means time to focus while glove off means I can do whatever. Just play your game and enjoy the tournament, they're a lot of fun!

[MacDutch]

Nice, congrats! No other tips then have fun. Looking forward to read your adventure.

[kpaulhus]

4 hours ago, Pretzel said:

My recommendation would be to make sure you play at least one practice round at the course before the event.

During a practice round I like to do a couple of things:

1) Grab a course yardage book from the pro shop (most courses have them, though some don't)

2) Mark down on the yardage book every tee shot that you want to hit. Make a small note of the spot you want to aim for as well as what club you want to use off the tee. It makes it a lot easier when it comes time for the tournament when you know exactly where to aim and what to use off the tee of every hole and helps you relax and settle into a rhythm. Some courses look really weird off the tee too, and this is tremendously helpful on such courses with weird looking or blind tee shots.

3) Mark down any important features, such as big trouble or big ridges in the green that you might want to be aware of. Don't necessarily map out the whole green, but if there are two really distinct tiers (one course I played at had an 8 foot elevation change between tiers) it's good to mark where the line between them is.

 

So I have a yardage book since I played in the member guest at this course, and will probably play a practice round because it's a really nice course. Can I have my caddie play with me in the practice round? Or can he only carry my bag? This course has 6 sets of tees and several "death valleys" as its cut into some hill side. 

I like the idea of marking off what club I should hit off each tee. In the member guest I tried to cut off a lot of corners with my driver but I was 50/50 on finding my ball, so probably not the best idea in a big tournament. 

[SavvySwede]

2 minutes ago, kpaulhus said:

So I have a yardage book since I played in the member guest at this course, and will probably play a practice round because it's a really nice course. Can I have my caddie play with me in the practice round? Or can he only carry my bag? This course has 6 sets of tees and several "death valleys" as its cut into some hill side. 

I like the idea of marking off what club I should hit off each tee. In the member guest I tried to cut off a lot of corners with my driver but I was 50/50 on finding my ball, so probably not the best idea in a big tournament. 

The USGA likes to mix it up with the tees so be sure to know what club you would hit from some of the other tee boxes. When we hosted a US Open local qualifier they didn't set up every hole from the tips.

[natureboy]

Familiarize yourself with the course as best you can with Google Earth to consider your long game strategy.

Best of luck.

[kpaulhus]

37 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

The USGA likes to mix it up with the tees so be sure to know what club you would hit from some of the other tee boxes. When we hosted a US Open local qualifier they didn't set up every hole from the tips.

I figured they will move the tees a lot since they have a ton of options. I meant more like "driver is too much". I know the first hole I hit a 5 iron to the edge of the hill and a 9 iron down 175 yards to the green. Anything longer than a 5 iron and I was in the fescue. Weird tee shots with slanted fairways. One hole is 40-50* straight up hill. You can putt a ball off the green and it will roll back to the 100yd marker. Couple of holes where I can just rip the driver. 

[Gunther]

First, congrats...now:

Small target

Nothing to lose, play like it

Confidence up

Short memory

Have fun

Kick ass!

Edited July 1, 2016 by Gunther

[14ledo81]

Good luck!!

[Valleygolfer]

On 6/28/2016 at 11:31 PM, kpaulhus said:

 The day I shot 86 it was damn near 100* and I was hungover, so that's a major variance.

If I am out there like that, I take the round off the table as far as stats or cap posting.

As far as planning, a friend of mine caddied for a pro in regional tourneys and they always walked the course backwards prior to playing. I wish I could give you more details but we were playing golf and just chatting.

[kpaulhus]

Here we go! Signed up so now its official!

[Groucho Valentine]

12 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

The USGA likes to mix it up with the tees so be sure to know what club you would hit from some of the other tee boxes. When we hosted a US Open local qualifier they didn't set up every hole from the tips.

This is true. Ive noticed them getting cute with some of the tees over the last 4 years. I remember one from a couple years ago where they played a par three from the ladies tee, but put the pin in a ridiculous place. 

[DaveP043]

Congratulations, Kyle, I'm excited for you.  You've had lots of good advice, I'll only add one thing.  Do your best to stay even-keel.  Don't get too pumped over a good shot, or down over a bad one.  All of those previous shots are simply history, all you can do is to play the shot you're facing right now.  Now go out and enjoy the experience, I know you'll do great. 

[phillyk]

In regards to the caddy, make sure you tell him what to say and when.  If you have a miss, let him/her know what the solution is and have them mention it, if you want them to do that.  If you have any pet peeve sayings, like "hit it hard" or "keep it straight" or whatever, make sure they know not to say it.  It's easy to say stuff like that won't bother you, but when you're in the heat of the moment, it does come across as negative feelings/thoughts which could ruin your zone.  Definitely make sure they know your game plan.  Not just what you plan to do each hole, but how you play in general.  Like what clubs you play for pitch/chip shots, sand shots, all the above.  That way you're not having to say give me this, give me that, they'll have it ready.  All these things make life easier, and you can really just focus on your game.

On that note, your game.  When you start on tee 1 that's it.  No more working on swing or trying this or that.  Very tiny band aid fix type thing like gripping down or moving ball back slightly is ok.  But no major path or face angle fixes.  Play whatever game comes out on tee 1.  I'd also agree that short game will be very important to have locked down.  You don't want to feel any weak knees over those 5-10 footers.  BUT, stick to your routine.  Don't take extra time, you don't want to start doubting yourself. 

Enjoy the course, competition, and play well!

[Golfingdad]

22 minutes ago, phillyk said:

In regards to the caddy, make sure you tell him what to say and when.  If you have a miss, let him/her know what the solution is and have them mention it, if you want them to do that.  If you have any pet peeve sayings, like "hit it hard" or "keep it straight" or whatever, make sure they know not to say it.  It's easy to say stuff like that won't bother you, but when you're in the heat of the moment, it does come across as negative feelings/thoughts which could ruin your zone.  Definitely make sure they know your game plan.  Not just what you plan to do each hole, but how you play in general.  Like what clubs you play for pitch/chip shots, sand shots, all the above.  That way you're not having to say give me this, give me that, they'll have it ready.  All these things make life easier, and you can really just focus on your game.

On that note, your game.  When you start on tee 1 that's it.  No more working on swing or trying this or that.  Very tiny band aid fix type thing like gripping down or moving ball back slightly is ok.  But no major path or face angle fixes.  Play whatever game comes out on tee 1.  I'd also agree that short game will be very important to have locked down.  You don't want to feel any weak knees over those 5-10 footers.  BUT, stick to your routine.  Don't take extra time, you don't want to start doubting yourself. 

Enjoy the course, competition, and play well!

I like you post, however, I'd amend the bold section a bit and not work on swing fixes or anything like that for several days prior - not just on the first tee.

[Groucho Valentine]

56 minutes ago, phillyk said:

On that note, your game.  When you start on tee 1 that's it.  No more working on swing or trying this or that.  Very tiny band aid fix type thing like gripping down or moving ball back slightly is ok.  But no major path or face angle fixes.  Play whatever game comes out on tee 1.  I'd also agree that short game will be very important to have locked down.  You don't want to feel any weak knees over those 5-10 footers.  BUT, stick to your routine.  Don't take extra time, you don't want to start doubting yourself. 

Enjoy the course, competition, and play well!

Wholeheartedly agree here. Once the starter announces you, swing thoughts are over. Its time to play. What you have is what you have. Routine is important, confidence on the greens is important. Theres no 5-10 footer you cant make. 

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, Groucho Valentine said:

Wholeheartedly agree here. Once the starter announces you, swing thoughts are over. Its time to play.

I disagree.

A swing thought is fine. Even encouraged. Find it on the range before you play. Trust it all day.