Golf is a luxury for me, and I don't get to play as often as I like. Consequently, every round is planned well in advance and it's something I look forward to, often for weeks. Still, I'm extremely guilty of my first swing of the day coming from the tee box on 1.

So for those of you trying to play well, I have questions:

• Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play?
• How early do you get to the course before your round?
• Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.?

*NOTE: "Good" in this context means anyone better than me and is likely all of you.

I play every Saturday AM, and oftentimes Sunday AM too. Almost always at the ass crack of down, usually 2nd group off when it's barely light.

1) i'll stop by a nearby course a couple of times per week and putt/chip for 20ish minutes. It's good end-of-day relaxation along with being good practice

2) I own a simulator and will have a sim range session Friday evening - but usually just 25-30 balls. 5 wedges, 5 8 irons, 5 5 irons, 5 3woods. 5-10 drivers. Before the sim, I'd stop by a nearby course and hit a small or medium bucket.

Since we play at the ass crack of dawn, my practice before a round is limited. I putt as soon as I get there. I'll use balls I find on the course to hit 3-4 8 irons and 3-4 drivers on the range. I'll chip around on the teebox while we wait for the 1st group to clear the fairway

• Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play? No. Unless I'm randomly bored at home and decide to go hit balls.
• How early do you get to the course before your round? 30-45 mins. More than anything just so I'm not rushed. That's a good amount of time to check-in, grab drinks, maybe a snack, hit balls, get situated. I hate being rushed and if I am it'll fck up my entire day.
• Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.? I usually hit a small or medium bucket just so I can get the feel of the club in my hand and a sense for what good contact feels like. I usually start with a 1/2 to 3/4 swing PW just to get things moving then go up from there to 9i, 8i, 6i, 3w, D, then finish with the feel 75-100 yd shots with a SW. I just need something to help me feel where I'm at and get a sense for what feels good and what doesn't.

I do not usually have time during the week to practice

I do have time to get to the course to loosen up before the round

I used to stretch and then hit some wedges then work my way up to a driver. That means something like. Few pitches, a few low irons (an 8 or so) a few 5 irons and then maybe a driver or three wood

I don't see that as practice but more as loosening up

Then I go to the putting green by the first tee box u til we make teams to play

Now I do the same but I'd don't stretch. I swing an 8 or 9 very very softly and hit a few balls. That is my stretch and I slowly speed up until I'm loose

I get to the course an 45 to an hour early. Will have a beer or bloody and wait for another member of the group.

Warm up is some variation of stretching then
4 PW no target
4 PW at target
5 7 irons at target
5 4 irons at target
3-5 3 woods
3-5 drivers
4 52/56 wedge target
3 First tee shot

Might vary based on how I'm hitting em. Then roll some putts to get a feel for speed of greens. Start at 6-8 feet. Roll a few lags. Finish those short putts off and then gas a beer and slice my drive OB on 1. Shoot my 85 and go home

Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play?

--Hit balls/chip/putt-- at least one of those 2-3 days a week every week

How early do you get to the course before your round?

--Hour at most, 20 min is fine too but I prefer 45 min early


Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.?

--a bunch 54 degree pitches from 50-75 yards to loosen up, find good tempo, find center of the face. Then full 54, then odd clubs starting with 9 iron. Then one of my hybrids, 3 wood, then driver. Then head to putt for 5 minutes. 12-15 footers then 3-5 footers. Then a few long ones and finish up with a few more 3 footers.

I enjoy practicing, I enjoy hitting balls, and putting. Golf quiets my mind. Golf course is one of the few places my mind shuts everything else out

Also like 369 said I really enjoy going to the range. It's like meditation for me.

I putt on a mat at home every day, typically 10-15 at a time. During the week, I try to get to the closest course at least once and hit a medium bucket just working on full and 1/2 swings with irons and wedges to practice stance and contact drills. (Used ChatGPT to generate the practice plan.) That takes me about an hour, then I'll practice chipping and putting for another hour and go home. If I get to the course with time before a round, I'm usually chipping and putting only. Lately I've been using a putting gate at 1 or 2 feet away to practice starting on line.

MW03 said:

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Golf is a luxury for me, and I don't get to play as often as I like. Consequently, every round is planned well in advance and it's something I look forward to, often for weeks. Still, I'm extremely guilty of my first swing of the day coming from the tee box on 1.

So for those of you trying to play well, I have questions:

• Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play?
• How early do you get to the course before your round?
• Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.?

*NOTE: "Good" in this context means anyone better than me and is likely all of you.

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When I'm going somewhere to play and when I want to play good my biggest peeve is showing up early and not rushing. I HATE being rushed and when a playing partner is dragging ass late up to the first tee it completely oisses me off and then I geeked rushed over every shot.

So get there early, loosen up if you want, have a drink if you want, and basically just find a calm mindset

I'm kind of surprised I haven't read "stretch" in any of the posts. Of course, I am an old (61) so it is vitally more important but I can't imagine walking up to the 1st tee without engaging a robust, at least 5-10 min stretch routine. I don't know many people at my club that don't stretch beforehand. Indeed, at our practice facility we have a stretch cage with a GolfForever bar right next to it. So, for me, having the good stretch routine is a definite first order of business. I'm not talking about bending over and looking at your toes for 10 seconds and then swinging 2 or 3 clubs for 5 swings either.

Good point. I actually have a quick set of stretches that I go thru before I leave the house (since I lay on the floor for most of it). Then I keep the midsize orange whip in my bag to finish off at the course.

• Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play? My practice isn't reliant on a tee time, and its certainly not scheduled. I get to the range when I can, probably 1-2 times a week. Then practice putting on a mat at home.
• How early do you get to the course before your round? 45 minutes to an hour. Mostly to get checked in and grab a cart, so I can drive it over to the range and be ready to drive over to the first tee on time.
• Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.? 5 minutes of stretching to loosen up the back/hips/arms/etc. Then about 5 shots with the PW, 9 iron, 7 iron, hybrids/woods, and finish with driver. Key for me is not to rush. I get in what I can, and if I run out of time so be it.

I have learned to not let that warm up before the round be indicative of anything. Its just that, a warm up.

Do you MISIG, bro?

What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

wangus12 said:

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What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

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Link

^ This

I've started playing less, but playing more seriously. I play in two money games and a league, so three days a week usually.

Because of that, I've started to become hyper aware of what I need to do to improve. Last year, I spent a ton of time and effort on getting longer off the tee. That has paid off a ton. I maintain that with some daily stretches/workout I got from my PT when my back was hurting, and hitting a fair bit of driver in the sim during the week.

Next is chipping and putting. I practice chipping a TON now. I'll sneak over during lunch to hit 50 chips and eat at the club just to get my swings in during the week. The difference between my old game which was mostly bump and runs with a gap wedge, with the occasional flop shot mixed in, and a fairly dialed short game with a ton of different shots with different clubs, is huge. I used to be a feel player here, but now I laser or walk everything off playing and practicing. Getting close on chips and pitches helps the putting more than practicing putting, but I do a fair bit of putting practice as well.

I'm not as good as some players on here, but I've improved a lot recently. I take money from some very good players enough that I feel good about my game, which I'm sure I couldn't say 3 years ago.

wangus12 said:

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What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

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My wife got me the airbreak one for fathers day last year. I ironically use the airbags to make it a perfectly straight putt, and then put 3 gates up every couple feet. Then, I just try to drain dead straight 10 footers.

Do you still have and use the fiberbuilt grass mat? I have the same and am wondering if it's helping or hurting my swing. I do hit very well on it and it seems to reflect the course conditions.

Yes. Have had it for 5 years. I still think it's great and it's still in great shape after 5 years of use. Two biggest things I like - 1) I can definitely tell what I'm catching a bit fat vs some mats almost training for fat contact and 2) it's easier on my 51 year old elbows.

wangus12 said:

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What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

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6 foot PuttOut mat with the PuttOut Pressure Putt and gate. The Pressure Putt and gate are both really good. I wouldn't recommend the mat because the ball will create a "groove" in the surface material after a few dozen putts which helps the ball go straight no matter what. I have to brush the mat surface before every practice session to get the groove out.

My oldest was a gymnast, so I have a 4x12 version of one of these at home. Large but awesome.

How early I get to the course is directly related to their practice facility. If I know they're on mats, I'm not planning on spending any time on the range and it's going to be mostly chipping and putting. If they have a nice range I'll plan on getting there an hour or so before.

wangus12 said:

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What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

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Big Moss, given to me by a poster on here. Thanks again! It has helped my putting immensely.

Jawn Dough said:

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Do you MISIG, bro?

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I actually have one, lol. I got a little fired up on it early on and actually mildly injured myself. Haven't touched it since. Maybe I should pick it up again and slowly work it back in.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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wangus12 said:

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What kind of mats are y'all putting on at home?

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Big Moss, given to me by a poster on here. Thanks again! It has helped my putting immensely.

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I've been eyeing one of the 4' x 22' Birdieball mats. Did you consider one of those?

I did not. I only considered the free one. Pretty sure it is the Augusta model from Big Moss. I have it in my home office and it is great when the conference calls go long.

Jawn Dough said:

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• Do you practice during the week when you have a planned tee time coming up, or do you lay off in hopes that you don't stir something up right before you play? No.
• How early do you get to the course before your round? 30 minutes before tee time
• Do you have a pre-round routine you follow to stretch, hit balls, putt, chip, etc.? Get ice for the cooler to keep the beers I brought from home cold. Chip and putt on practice green. Get on the first tee and duck hook my drive and then slice my breakfast ball.

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This!

Course is 20+ minutes from the house so never practice during the week. Never hit the range before playing,. Stretch. Chip a few. Breakfast ball. Promise myself "I'm not drinking." Cart girl pulls up on hole 1. Double bloody, medium spice.

I can show up to the course an hour early, stretch, hit range balls, and practice putting, or I can show up 3 minutes before my tee time and run over to the tee box. Same result, the ball is being sliced OB.

Best advice I ever received.

Just show up in time to warm up, manage your expectations, because you're not breaking the course record. Give yourself some time to putt, then go play golf and enjoy the day.

Don't take it so serious and if you suck, suck fast.