Long Beach Golf Festival

TOURNAMENT PREPARATION C ompeting in a golf tournament can be a completely different experience than a weekend round with friends. The pressure is ratcheted up, and different formats can get you out of your routine. As the great Bobby Jones said: "There are two kinds of golf. There is golf and there is tournament golf. They are not the same." But participating in a tourna- ment often is a lot of fun, too, and there are a few things you can do to prepare to play your best. With the tournaments of the Long Beach Golf Festival set to tee off starting on May 27, we talked to the 2019 Long Beach Open champion Taylor Mont- gomery – who currently is play- ing on the Korn Ferry Tour – and asked for his best tips for getting your game ready for tournament competition. Three months out This is the time to set goals and work out any mechanical issues with your swing as those will be exposed in pressure situations. Montgomery also suggests taking a hard look at the courses you'll be playing in the Long Beach Golf Festival to determine how you'll approach them, analyzing every- thing from lines of attack to green speeds and trouble spots. "The Long Beach Open fea- tures courses with poa annua greens that are soft but also fairly quick," Montgomery said, recall- ing his preparation for the 2019 event and in 2017, when he fin- ished second. "You'll be playing at sea level, so that has an effect on how far the ball flies. If you haven't played the course, make sure to get in a few rounds to get familiar with all the shots you'll have to hit." A few weeks out Now is the time to start fine- tuning your game in all areas, and one of the best ways to ap- proach that is to divide your practice time and effort into four areas – full swing, short game, mental game (routine, visualiza- tion, etc.) and course manage- ment (knowing the course and having a game plan). This close to the tournament, it's not advisable to attempt to make any major swing changes. Instead, empha- size your strengths and do your best to minimize the effects of your weaknesses. "Having a good feel for every club in your bag is really impor- tant at this stage of the game," Montgomery said. "This is also a great time to try to simulate the pressure you'll feel when you tee it up in the tournament. Playing in a one-day event or playing a PLAN OF ATTACK n How to get your game ready to compete in the Long Beach Golf Festival The 2019 Long Beach Open champion Taylor Montgomery. >>> Long Beach Golf Festival Tournament Guide • 2022 Edition

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