- 09/07/2025
In this video Neil Tappin is joined by PGA Professional Alex Elliott to look at 10 tips to handle your first golf competition!
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00:00Playing competition golf is not easy and that's why we've come out here today to produce a
00:05video on the 10 best tips to handle your first golf competition. This is all the things that
00:10you need to do from the strategy that you have on the golf course, good course management,
00:14to developing some of the stock shots that you need to be able to compete and get yourself in
00:19the best possible mindset to return a good score. Right, let's head out onto the golf course here at
00:24Fox Hills and look at the 10 best tips to handle your first golf competition.
00:34Okay, so we're on the first tee here at the long course golf course at Fox Hills and Alex,
00:39you said to me that one of the best things that you can do if you're going to play in a competition
00:42is to have a stock shot. Definitely. Now, I think a lot of people when you say stock shot, they
00:47associate like low handicappers, professionals, but that could literally be for anybody. Now,
00:53most commonly for players who are a high handicap, that might be a lot of movement left to right
00:57or right to left, depending on if you're a right or left-hander, but just sticking with that,
01:02knowing what happens is very powerful. Okay, so if you were to advise somebody
01:08and just say, this is a good stock shot to have, what would you suggest they use?
01:13Now, it can vary day to day. If you've got the opportunity to practice the day before or on the day
01:17before on a driving range, I would just see what comes out, whether it be a fade, whether it be a
01:22draw, and I would stick with that on the golf course. Okay, fine. All right, well, I'm going
01:26to go for my stock shot here, which is my stock shot in this scenario would be a little fade,
01:31I think, Alex. Okay, so interesting, as you said before,
01:34sometimes it feels a draw, but if you have to hit a fairway, it becomes a fade, so that is your stock
01:39shot. If you're one of those players that likes to hit a draw, but you have to hit a fairway swing,
01:44and it comes out a fade, that becomes a stock shot. Yes, a safe shot, something we can all do with.
01:48Right, let's see if this one can work for me.
02:00Beauty, that is really nice.
02:14Now, the next one on our list is a very simple one, but it's really important. Alex, what is it?
02:20Cleaning your clubs after every single shot. Yes. Do you know what? It's very,
02:25very wet underfoot at the moment in the UK. We've had so much rain, and it's obvious to clean your
02:30clubs after every shot, but why is it so important? I think the main thing is when it doesn't look like
02:35it's got much on it, it could be a little bit of broken mud inside the grooves, you're more likely to get
02:40a flyer. Right, so that means when you're hitting from the rough, likely to end up hitting it too
02:45far. Exactly. Well, having dirty grooves, having grass in the grooves, you could have that same
02:50effect from the fairway, so a shot that could go 90 yards, and it could go 100 yards, getting you in
02:55trouble. Because it's not spinning. Exactly, so when you get grass between the ball and the grooves,
02:59or some sort of debris between the ball and the grooves, this causes the ball to spin less,
03:05the ball could potentially go further. Yes, so obviously, carry a golf towel,
03:09give every club in the bag, a quick wipe, once you've hit it, and you'll be fine. Exactly.
03:20Okay, so the next one on the list relates to your scorecard, and a little bit of prep you can do
03:25before you go out and tear up for the first time in a competition. What is that prep, Alex?
03:30Firstly, we've got to have our name, date, competition, and your handicap. What I get people
03:35to do, especially if they're brand new to the game, and find the scoring system potentially a
03:39little bit difficult on a stable foot, I get them to mark on everywhere they've got a single shot,
03:44or off the handicap, say, for example, 20, where they get two shots.
03:47Fine, so you're just making that little note on the stroke indexes to say,
03:51you get two shots here and two shots here, and that's important because that can actually have
03:55a bearing on the way in which you play those holes, right, Alex?
03:58Exactly, so say, for example, the stroke index one, we know we don't potentially have to get it on
04:02in three, we can actually get it on in one more than that.
04:04Yeah, and if you can just get away with making even a double bogey, you might find yourself
04:09picking up shots on the field, and just that little bit of prep before you can go out to play
04:14can make a big difference.
04:21Right, so as you can see, we've made our way up to the green, and if you're about to play in your first
04:25golf competition, you're going to face long putts like this, and actually, as anyone who's played
04:30golf for a while, we'll know three putts really do kill a score. They kill your momentum and your mood.
04:37So, Alex, what's your advice when putting from long range?
04:39Now, when we've got a putt of this length, we see on TV, we saw the highlights,
04:43them draining putts from this distance, 25, 30 feet, when really, we're not expected to,
04:49so if we watch that, we run the risk of trying to be too aggressive at this point. I mean, of course,
04:54we could hold a putt, but we run the risk of hitting it three or four foot past, got a knee knocker coming
04:58back. Yes, so what should we be aiming for then? I like to use the kind of bin lid method, so if we
05:04can get the ball around the bin lid, we keep it stress-free, we've got a better chance of maintaining
05:08that score, keeping that momentum, like you said. Yes, so just take a little bit of pressure off
05:12your own shoulders. Just try and get the ball, as Alex said, within that kind of bin lid around the hole,
05:18you'll be taking three putts out of the equation, won't you? Exactly, exactly.
05:21Go on then, show us how it's done. No pressure.
05:28Okay, so for the next one on the list, you can probably guess what we're about to tell you,
05:44that is the importance of warming up. Alex, people know that it's important to warm up before they go
05:50and play, but what should they be doing? I would firstly research a few stretches that you can do
05:55online, just to basically get mobility through back, through spine, and just get us generally
06:00warmed up, ready for exercise. Okay. Then, I would make sure if we hit a few golf balls,
06:05don't treat it like a practice session. Don't treat it like a practice session.
06:09All right, we've all done it. Yeah, it's very, you hit one bad one, you pull one, then suddenly you're
06:14like, well, maybe I did this, maybe I did that. You start tinkering.
06:16So what do you do in that scenario? You hit a bad shot, how do you put that to your back in mind?
06:19I mean, you're always going to want to tinker a little bit. What I'd do is I would go back to
06:23either my last lesson, my rules of thumb, what I've been working on in general,
06:27and trust that that's going to come through. Okay, fine. Let's say you've done your
06:31stretches. You've hit how many balls? 25, max. You've hit 25 balls. What's the
06:38sort of routine? What's the kind of timeline between arriving at the golf course and stepping onto the
06:43first tee? A lot of people finish on their putting as the last thing they do before they go on the
06:47first tee. Now, generally that probably is because of putting means near the first tee,
06:51but if we can, my absolute ideal scenario is stretching, putting, a few wedges, mid-irons,
06:58and lastly finish on about five drives, straight to the first tee, we're ready to go. Off you go.
07:04Okay, so what happens if that last drive you hit, what happens if you carve it off to the right-hand
07:09side? It's not a great image to have as you step onto the first tee, is it?
07:12No, it's not, but you could argue if your first tee shot of the day is a bad one,
07:15then that could set the tone for the day. What I would say is, literally look at the warm-up
07:20as a way of just getting your body loose, body ready, and don't judge the last shot as what's
07:25going to happen on the first tee, because you're in a completely different environment.
07:28Yeah, I mean, the truth is, you can't really expect to play well if you haven't done some form
07:33of warming up before you step onto the first tee. If you haven't got the ability to hit balls before
07:37you go and play, because that's not always the case, then at least do the physical stretches
07:41that you can, do a little bit of putting, get to the first tee and some degree of readiness
07:46so that you can go and shoot a good score.
07:53Okay, so Alex, the next one on the list is a really simple one. It's got nothing to do
07:57with technique or even strategy, but it actually can make a difference to you on the course, and that's
08:02related to where you put your bag when you're putting on the green.
08:06Definitely, and just in terms of speed of play, I mean, I've got a prime example here. I just hit
08:10the front edge. Now, the flag is at the back of the green. The next tee is actually over the back
08:15of the green. Over there, yeah.
08:16Now, this would be an absolute killer for me to leave my bag here, put out, have to then walk back,
08:22collect my bag, off to the next tee. Your plane partners you're playing with are not going to like
08:26you, and especially the guys behind. Actually, it's one of those things that can create a sense of
08:32pressure on your own shoulders, because you can feel like you're actually holding people up.
08:35People are looking at you as if to say, come on, get a move on, and actually, you're just trying to
08:39do your best, aren't you?
08:40Exactly, and especially if you're then first on the next tee, you're then running over,
08:43it could actually affect your next shot.
08:45Yeah, so actually, Alex, come over here, because in actual fact, your best bet, both of us in this
08:51scenario, is to pop both the bags over here, and then walk back to your golf ball, and then go on
08:58from there, isn't it?
08:59Exactly, so we're straight off to the next tee.
09:07Okay, so the next one is, Alex, a really important one, isn't it? It's course management. If you want
09:12your first competition to be a good one, if you want to shoot a good score, you need to think about
09:16this stuff really closely. What's your advice, generally speaking, on course management, Alex?
09:22Most golf courses either have a course guide, or people have a digital device, or even, in fact,
09:27on each hole, they have a visual of what you can see. My kind of rule of thumb is, one, look at the
09:32visual. Where's the trouble? Is the bunkers? Is the water? Is the trees like there is here at
09:37Fox Hills?
09:38Yeah.
09:39I would then think about, have I got a shot on this hole? Because having a shot on this hole
09:43might mean we can take a little bit less risk from the tee and plan our way down the hole a little bit
09:47better. Okay, so are you identifying where the big trouble is? So you're just basically plotting
09:53your way through saying, that's a kind of card wrecking area over there, I can't hit it. Exactly,
09:58and I think if we are a higher handicapper, if we avoid a card wrecker and we, say, if we're off 20
10:03and we accumulate just a run of bogeys, we're going to be under our handicap. It's when we have those
10:08sevens and we turn those sevens into nines, that's when it can be really bad for our game. Okay,
10:13so specific scenario we've got here. This is 170 yards, slightly downhill, wind off the left.
10:20You can see that the flag is sort of tucked a little bit behind that bunker on the right-hand
10:24side. What is your advice to, I guess, different golfers and different abilities from a place like
10:30this? So if we are a better player, so single figures potentially and we have a bit more confidence
10:35in our game, I would like you to kind of base the flag on a colour code system. So green being one you
10:40can attack, that might be one in the middle of the green here. Amber being one if we feel like
10:45it's a good win, it's a good shot shape, it's accessible for our game, that's when it comes
10:50into one that maybe go for. Yes. And a red would be potentially this scenario behind the bunker,
10:55over water, where it could be again a card wrecking situation. Yeah, okay, so for me,
11:01what's this one? I would think for you, because you said on the start of the video stock shot was a fade,
11:06this one might be an amber for you. Okay, yeah, fine. Amber to red, depending on how we feel and
11:11the stage of the game. Now, if you're a higher handicapper, my rule of thumb is if we hit the green
11:16and the centre of the green every single time, we're not going to be far away. No. Okay, fine.
11:22And I guess, how much are you thinking about where to miss? Because a shot like this, if you miss this
11:26particular shot, short left, you're absolutely fine. Exactly. But if you miss it short right, you're in a bad
11:32position, aren't you? Are you thinking about that stuff? And if you are, how are you blocking out
11:37sort of bad thoughts from kind of causing you to make a bad swing? I think you're never going to
11:42block bad thoughts, and potentially they will come in, but I always think you can't plan for a bad shot.
11:47You know the trouble's there, you use a colour code system almost as a way of weighing up the trouble,
11:53but not almost highlighting the trouble. Okay, fine. And then we plan to hit a good shot. Like, for example,
11:58here, we'll be planning to hit a nice fade into the flag. I wouldn't want you thinking, well,
12:02I can miss it short left, I can miss it short right. Right, fine.
12:05Because that's just going to give you bad underlying thoughts.
12:07Okay, good. Well, I'm going to give this a go then, Alex.
12:10All right, I want to see the stock shop.
12:11Okay, fine. Yeah, well, you've asked for it, so I'll have to do it. Okay.
12:28Go. Oh, no. Guess where it's gone, people. It's in that trap short right. I got a little bit greedy
12:36with it, didn't I? I thought it was going to be all right for a second, but the wind just held it up there.
12:47Okay, so the next one on our list relates to swing thoughts. Now, I guess most golfers have swing thoughts,
12:53things in their golf swing they're looking to achieve. Alex, a question for you, how many is
12:58a good number of swing thoughts to have, do you think? Before I give that answer, I want to know,
13:02how many do you have? One. One. Okay, so I'd say you're generally probably not the norm.
13:08Oh, really? Most people that come for lessons have
13:11sometimes upwards of five swing thoughts. Right, so like grip, posture, whatever.
13:15Exactly. Right, fine. My tip for that is, because we're always going to have,
13:18if we're new to the game of golf, and it's our first competition, we're going to have something that we
13:22need a bit of a checklist. Yes. I kind of like to separate that into pre-swing, so grip, stance,
13:27all those aspects. Okay, yeah. So we can throw them away once we've done it.
13:30Fine, so you do all of the groundwork that you know you need to do to get yourself in a good
13:34position over the ball. Exactly.
13:35Then once you're there- I tend to have, hopefully, no more than one, potentially two,
13:40one back swing and one trigger thought. Okay, so what is it for you then?
13:44I like to feel that the club goes wide on the way back because I get a little bit narrow is my
13:48bad swing thought. On the way through, I'm an absolute bugger for keeping my head down.
13:53Okay, right. So it stops me to rotate through,
13:55so I like to feel like I call it anacrit. That's literally my only thought on the way through.
13:59Okay, right, yeah. So I try and work on a role model that I can copy and almost
14:04create the same thing as what I visualize and see. Okay, that's good. Well, I have, as I say,
14:09I have one, and my one is because I tend to get a bit snatchy from the top. I just like to just feel
14:16as if I'm just not pausing, but just there's a bit of time at the top of the backswing. Just don't
14:22rush the start of the downswing. You're on one of them, maybe like,
14:24Matsuyama to the top and then go. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It doesn't
14:27always look like that. I'm sure anyone who's seen any of our videos in the past will know it
14:30doesn't always look like that. But for me, I know it's a swing thought that's worked well for me.
14:34I guess, Alex, the point is that it's different for different people and different golf swings,
14:39isn't it? Exactly. But the one key thing is, between me and you, it's simple.
14:42It's not a specific position. Yes. It's a simple thought and a feeling to work to.
14:48Okay. Good. Shall I have a hit? Let's have a hit.
14:53Right. I've got to really try and pause at the top now, Alex. Yeah.
14:55A little bit overfade, but it's okay.
15:13So, as you can see, the next tip we've got for you is about alignment. And we've chosen alignment
15:17because it's something that everyone can get right. It makes a big difference if you do get it
15:22right. But equally, it's something that we all get wrong from time to time. Certainly, Alex, I'm
15:26somebody that can often stand quite close to the ball at a dress. I'm the same. Why is it important
15:30to get your alignment sort of rock solid? I think the main aspect is, is the fact that a lot of
15:35people's bad shots and bad swings just stems from poor alignment, like you were saying about yourself
15:40there. Okay. So, having a routine to stick to on the first tee is absolutely key to assure you've
15:45got good alignment. Yeah. So, I mean, we're talking here about how to handle your first competition.
15:50And one of the big challenges of playing competition golf is that you can get a bit
15:54scrambled at times. And these are the sorts of things that can fall by the wayside. How do you
15:58make sure that doesn't happen? I would visualize exactly what we've got down here. We've got two
16:03alignment sticks, one down the ball to target line, and then a parallel one for our feet line.
16:08Okay, fine. So, how are you building that stance then? So, straight away, I'd do this and I'd make
16:12this as part of every single shot, whether it be the first tee shot, whether it be the last shot into the
16:1718th green. Fine. And even if it's your first round, I would make sure you build this into a
16:22good thing, which happens every single round. Okay, good. So, behind the golf ball, establish
16:27your ball to target line, and that would be where we want the ball to finish. Yes. So, I don't then
16:32tend to make it like a thin line. I like to feel like an alignment channel. So, that's going to be our
16:37outside alignment stick. I would then, once I've got a strong visual of the outside one, I highlighted it,
16:42I would bring in a second one, which feels like my feet line runs parallel to that. From that,
16:48I can build my stance around it, my hips, my shoulders, and then I'm ready to go.
16:51Yes. So, two parallel lines, that's the key. Obviously, you can't put shafts down like this
16:56in competition. Just remember to get those two parallel lines set, get yourself set properly
17:01over the ball. If you do, you are more than halfway to making a good swing.
17:05Okay. So, the last one on the list relates to your scorecard. Actually, we're talking here,
17:15Alex, about what you do after a round, because you might think that you've finished your round of golf,
17:19nothing can go wrong, but actually, before you hand your card in, something can go wrong.
17:23What do people need to do? What do they need to look out for?
17:25So, first point of call, we've got to have the gross scores correct.
17:29Okay. Yes.
17:30So, I know we talked about playing in a stable third, and we have a tally of points that we get.
17:34Now, if they don't add up correctly, it doesn't matter, and if they're not the correct points,
17:37that doesn't matter. The main thing is, as long as your gross scores for each hole are correct.
17:41Yes. So, I would go through my card, and I'd check what I'd put you down for,
17:46against what you've got on your card. We just make sure that the scores on both cards tally up,
17:51right? Exactly.
17:52And then, if they do?
17:53Two things you've got to do then. Okay.
17:55Number one, make sure you sign it, but the one I find a lot of people forget is the playing
17:59partner's got to sign it too. Yeah. Okay. So, get that right, hand your card in,
18:03and you'll be good to go. So, there you have it. That was our list of the 10 best tips
18:09to handle your first golf competition. Guys, what did you think? What did you think of Alex's tips?
18:13Is there anything that you've done, playing under pressure, playing in competition,
18:16that's really helped you out? We'd be really interested to hear your thoughts.
18:20But for now, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.
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