First Tournament (of the year) Expectations

[bwbw]

We are approaching our first tournament this weekend. The weather here has been horrendous for practice (in February it rained more than not, or was cold). I expect both of my daughters playing to have a lot of rust to attempt to take off. Combine that with sloppy course conditions, and I am going to work with both of them on tempering expectations.

 

Here's what I hope to convince them of for this tournament:

 

1. Focus on following up a poor shot with a good shot.

2. Take their time in the scoring zones (chipping and putting).

3. Keep a good attitude through tough conditions.

4. Score is an afterthought. Use the tournament to see what needs to be worked on.

 

Of course, if either of my daughters shoot horribly, they will focus on the score. I hope to get them to avoid that.

 

What does everyone else focus on for their first tournament after a seasonal break?

[Tannerbug33]

My sons biggest challenge is 3. We work hard on everything else that I have failed to teach prepare him mentally

We have been doing our drills but have talked alot about not letting our emotions get the best if us. Bad shows are going to happen it's how you respond that matters

[GB003]

I would focus on eliminating the bad and silly shots caused by nerves, because from personal experience it is hard to rebound from. AKA awfully wild tee shots, flubbed chips, missed 2 footers, etc. Also it's important to play your own game and not let others affect your strategy or mindset. Play one hole at a time, do not get ahead of yourself.

[bwbw]

Well, the tournament was....interesting. We were in a long weather delay, had a tornado warning, and absolutely drenched course, and a long day. Oldest shot a 99, considering all, was not bad. She lost mental focus at the end that cost her 5+ strokes, and her golf strength is not back yet (her driver was really short compared to last summer, something we're going to have to work on).

 

Middle daughter hated the wet conditions and did not play well at all.

 

But, both came away with good attitudes about the day. Tournament #2 is this weekend on our home course. I hope to have enough nice days to get them out and have them work around the greens.

[Frank_Dux]

That's great and good luck to them. Whether it's the first tourney of the season or the biggest tourney of the year, I tell my tween golfer to focus on taking the necessary steps during practice so they can have the opportunities to shoot lower scores. Our focus is on scores and the goal is par (or better) so you can be in contention. Control what you can and don't worry about what anyone else does. Then analyze the areas for improvement, keep improving and keep having fun. Tournaments come and go. It's definitely the focus on the journey, not the destination (sorry to be so cliche).