Preparing for a tournament
May 18th, 2007 by Olaf Bound.sOlaf has started in only a handful of charitable tournaments thus far. But the experience that he has been getting from fellow tournament go getters has given him invaluable advise, for future ones. This list is never complete as each person or professional will always prepare differently, based on their own needs. But if you are a newbie in this area, check out these things which I find are very useful.
Equipment
Clubs: Make sure that you have the correct number of clubs in the bag. A maximum of 16 clubs is allowed. Also make sure you have done your homework. Try to at least get a yardage book but, in a friendly event the scorecard will do. This will help you to prepare and is an enormous help. For instance a PAR 3 195 yards. If your 3 or 4 iron is not as good as you think it is, take a hybrid club or carry a 5 wood.
Check out your scoring clubs. Wedges play a bigger role on your scores than you think.
Balls: For those newbies out there, buy new balls! Don’t take any used balls!
Tees: Carry any amount of tees that you feel comfortable with.
Accessories: Caps, rain jacket, extra pair of gloves, a cloth to wipe your balls and clubs, a bottle of water, sunblock lotion and a band aid (for blisters when necessary).
Rules of the tournament
Scoring System:
Take an effort to find out the scoring system. Basically the typical stableford system is used for most friendly competitions. The reason is some of the tournaments may use a modified system 36 stableford system and will segregate into Medal A and B groups. Medal A for those in the below 18-handicap category and Medal B for those above an 18-handicap category. Make sure you know how to score!
House Rules:
Ask about the rules and how the house rules apply for the tournament. For example, the ball is embedded/plucked in the middle of the fairway, is it a free lift? Are you allowed to lift and clean your ball? If you are unsure, ask the officials or the marshall.
Ettiquette:
I can’t emphasize this enough! Please make sure, you do not hold up play. If you lose a ball, the maximum is 5 minutes. If you can’t find the ball, trace back to the original spot where the last shot was hit from and add a stroke. Better still if you suspect the ball would not be found as soon as you have hit it.Take a pro shot and add another stroke in order to save time. AND PLEASE RAKE THE SAND! And a last bit of advise, do not throw your clubs in anger.
Time:
Make sure of your tee times. There is an allowance of only 3 minutes for you to register to the tee box. So, don’t be late!
As for the usual advice, arrive early and check out the stimpmeter for the green speed. And do some warm-up exercises before you start. If your tee time is about 10 am, arrive at 7 and head out to the driving range. Practise a few swings, work on your short game and your putting. An hour before tee time, grab a bite.
This list is a note for those amateur events and not specifically applicable to everyone! But as a newbie, just one last bit of advise. You’ve got to enjoy the game to play it, after all it’s just a game!