LESSON TEE
S
ummer is the busiest time of year in terms of
tournament golf, and playing competitively
is a fun way to mix things up while keeping
yourself motivated to continually improve your
game. Being prepared to play your best, though,
takes commitment. Dana Dahlquist, a veteran
instructor at El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long
Beach, who has worked with top touring pros,
offers these tips on getting your game ready:
PLAY, PLAY, PLAY: Take advantage of The Players
Club membership to get in as much golf as you
can. There's no substitute for playing golf and,
unfortunately, I think a lot of people don't prioritize
it because they're busy with work, family or other
commitments. So when it comes time to compete,
they aren't as prepared as they should be.
LOOK UNDER THE HOOD: One of the most
important things to do well before any tournament
you might be playing in is to check your equip-
ment and make sure everything is up to date, such
as lofts, lies and grips. Then assess your game just
like you did with your clubs. Make sure you know
what type of pattern your ball flight falls into,
and get a good feel for your distances. If you find
there's something you need to work on, you'll have
some time to do it and you'll be able to set
reasonable expectations.
GET TO KNOW YOUR PARTNER: A lot of people
who play in team events pick a partner and have
never even played with them until they get to the
first tee. Get out together and play on a course that
neither of you have seen before or you haven't
played very often, so you get a good understand-
ing of how you'll each react to the different
situations that are bound to come up in tour-
nament golf playing on an unfamiliar course.
NO DAYS OFF: If you want to be a successful
tournament player, it takes a year-round
commitment. You can't take long periods off from
playing and expect not to have your game suffer.
So if you live in an area where the weather allows,
play regularly throughout the year and try to keep
the competitive juices flowing by playing
tournaments at least once a quarter.
..........................................................................................
Dana Dahlquist is a veteran instructor at El Dorado
Park Golf Course in Long Beach, Calif. CLICK HERE
to visit his website.
PLANNING TO SUCCEED
Here are 4 steps you can take to improve your performance in golf tournaments
One way to better prepare for tournaments is to play
more often, which you can do at Los Verdes (top), Rancho
San Joaquin and Scholl Canyon with The Players Club.
