First comp coming up

[MoonPig]

Took some of the advice on here and have signed up to play in my first comp on Sunday and thinking about it too much already. Handed my 3rd card in today so hopefully should get my first HC in time to play. Any advice on prep for the day? I know its a few days off but feeling excited and nervous plus my fourball is teeing off first.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

1) Expect to be nervous - its a good thing as long as you don't allow yourself to become too tense

2) Don't try too hard. If you try and force a good score you'll make course management mistakes and your swing will become too quick/tense

3) Make sure you know the rules. Get a copy of the rules and put it in your bag. If you aren't sure how to proceed ask before doing anything. Remember to declare any provisional balls before hitting them

4) Use your shots. If you get in trouble take the quickest and easiest route back. If you were to get an 18 handicap and your course was a par 72 (for arguments sake) you could play every hole as a par 5. What you gain on the shorter par 4's and the 3's you can afford to give back by playing the par 5's as 6's and the longer par 4's as 5's

5) ENJOY. Its always nice to play well and get cut but if you don't, make sure you don't spoil it for your partners. Make the best of it, enjoy the company and console yourself with a 0.1 increase. There is always next week

 

[MoonPig]

Thanks Homer, the rules bit does worry me a little but hopefully i will be able to ask advice from whoever i am playing with. Not really sure what HC i will be given but i expect between 19 - 23 ish as the cards i handed in are 91 (With an 8 on the stroke index 1 hole/ par 4), 95 (With a 7 (par4), 8 (par5) and a 9 (par4) on the card) plus a 96 that was just in terrible conditions. The course is a 70 par.

 

[kid2]

Hey There DMM,
Welcome to the forum.....
I too have my first comp on sunday coming and like you am both nervous and excited about it .... Good advice that i was given was to no the very basic rules and just learn the rest as you go along.And if your unsure just ask.....people will always teach you the others and you have to learn from mistakes.....The lads on this forum are well respected and very helpfull and wont steer you wrong especially Homer and RGDave....they were one of the very first 2 to reply to my very first posts and i havent forgot that.....You will always come across players that think there the elite....But what they forget is that everybody starts somewhere and you can be sure they were in the same position that you and i will be in come the weekend..... Anyway best of luck and stick a post up and let us know how you get on.

 

[MoonPig]

Thanks Kid, good luck on Sunday. Luckily one of the fourball i know quite well so that helps but i keep worrying about teeing off on the first with everyone watching! Im sure i will be ok after that but don`t want to show myself up if you know what i mean.

 

[barb]

As Homer has said just go out and enjoy it.
Treat it as a meeting of new friends and you won't go wrong.
Play it safe rather than try out new things but most importantly ENJOY.

Good luck for Sunday both to you and Kid and let us know how you get on.

 

[MoonPig]

Thanks Barb, is my estimate of my HC about right do think?

 

[barb]

Sounds about right, I'm no expert though and don't fully understand the handicapping system but they generally take the average of the 3 cards I think!

 

[jammydodger]

Good luck and just try to enjoy your golf

Remember , if its a penalty drop its within 2 club lengths , free drop is one club length

have fun

 

[Herbie]

Have a good day, Homers advice is sound, dont try too hard but dont relax too much, nerves are good, it means you are alive.

 

[sfby]

I've got my third comp on Sunday - but first one with "strangers" (my normal playing partner can't make it). Not expecting much as it's max allowance 18 & I play off 23, but hey it's Stableford, anything can happen! Scored 22 points off 9 holes a few days ago (so that's my good shots all used up

 

[Smiffy]

If it's a medal, and there is any doubt whatsover that your first shot may be in trouble....hit a provisional. There is nothing worse for your confidence than having to walk all the way back to the tee to play another ball. You will feel that everybody on the golf course is watching you and I can guarantee that the shot you play will not be as good as the provisional that you would have played originally when there wasn't as much pressure on you.
And, it will help avoid a 5 hour round....

 

[Tommo21]

Took some of the advice on here and have signed up to play in my first comp on Sunday and thinking about it too much already. Handed my 3rd card in today so hopefully should get my first HC in time to play. Any advice on prep for the day? I know its a few days off but feeling excited and nervous plus my fourball is teeing off first.

Just go with the flow, enjoy yourself as there is no point preparing in any special way until you get into the game more. Remember it’s only a wee club competition, it doesn’t matter a jot considering the big picture.

 

[Basher]

At least you have a mate playing with you. That's a good thing to steady your nerves, a familiar face.

I remember my first one last year. I was a gibbering wreck a couple of days before it. Mentioned it on here and the good people gave me lots of good advice (as they have done with you)

The 1st tee is the same for everyone, be it raw first timer or seasoned campaigner. Breathe easy, relax, swing easy and get the ball away. Following the first tee shot you will feel the pressure release and allow you to get on and above all ENJOY the game.

Don't expect too much from the game. Going all out to win puts pressure on you. Play your normal game and once again enjoy the round.

Hope the weather's kind to you, it makes a difference. On my competition debut it was raining lightly on the 1st tee. By the time we got to the turn it was hammering it down. By the time we got to the 15th we came off as the course was unplayable due to flooded greens. Not a good start!

 

[birdieman]

Don't rip a huge divot off the 1st tee and then swear like a trooper in earshot of the Captain as your topped ball scuttles off into the rough 50 yards away as you then embed your 4 iron (taken for safety! ) toe down in the 1st tee turf and create a mini volcano extracting it!

Just relax, you've loads of shots to play with so play the percentages and win some sweep money!

Fours is a palaver, most clubs singles play comps in threes?

 

[kid2]

Well just played my first competition today....A Stableford singles comp.......Finished with 34 points off a H/Cap of 21 and was out of 3 holes also.... a bit of wayward driving cost me to play provisionals which didnt work out.... i also had a 7 on a par 3 after putting my ball for a swim in the lake in front of the tee box haha.... I turned with 19 points and took 15 off the back 9 .....is this a good score for my H/Cap.....

 

[birdieman]

34 is ok, enough to avoid a 0.1 probably in your category. Depends on the difference between CSS and par. Eg if the par is 70 and the CSS is 70 you're looking for 36 stableford points to be playing exactly to handicap but with most courses CSS is below par so you might be looking for 37 or 38.
What was CSS and what is par at your course?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

More than respectable especially the front nine. A seven on a par 3 is not unusual. I did it in one of my last competitions but hitting the bunker, leaving it in there under the lip, coming out sideways, chippin on and 3 putting.

As birdieman rightly says depending on the CSS you may be int he buffer zone and so will stay where you are for handicap purposes. Don't worry too much about the bad holes as we all get them, even silly shots into the water. It will happen throughout your competitive career so learn to accept them. It seems you dealt with all the nerves and pressure really well. Good stuff and keep it going

 

[kid2]

34 is ok, enough to avoid a 0.1 probably in your category. Depends on the difference between CSS and par. Eg if the par is 70 and the CSS is 70 you're looking for 36 stableford points to be playing exactly to handicap but with most courses CSS is below par so you might be looking for 37 or 38.
What was CSS and what is par at your course?

Hey Birdieman........The par for the course is 71 and CSS from what my dad said is normally around the 36-38 mark....Does that make sense to you...Im still new to all this.

 

[kid2]

More than respectable especially the front nine. A seven on a par 3 is not unusual. I did it in one of my last competitions but hitting the bunker, leaving it in there under the lip, coming out sideways, chippin on and 3 putting.

As birdieman rightly says depending on the CSS you may be int he buffer zone and so will stay where you are for handicap purposes. Don't worry too much about the bad holes as we all get them, even silly shots into the water. It will happen throughout your competitive career so learn to accept them. It seems you dealt with all the nerves and pressure really well. Good stuff and keep it going

Thanks Homer..... Ithink the drive on the first tee settled the nerves i was only a 3/4 PW into the green its a par 4 and i came away with a par.... It was the par 3 2nd that i ended up going swimming in ..... It was the golf gods way of bringi9ng me back down to earth i think