39 replies to this topic

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

I have my highschool golf tryouts next month an I don't know what to do. I am a freshman and am a pretty good folder for my age. I have to be able to hoot a 52 on 9 for Jv and a 45 on 9 for varsity on a course I am not familiar with. I have a friend who belongs to this course so I can play it once or twice. Right now I am shooting about a 48 regularly on a course the same as the course I will try out on. Living in New Jersey it is difficult to practice in January. If anyone could help with a plan for how to approach the upcoming month please help! Thanks!

[KILLEDBYASHANKEDWEDGE]

Putt every day. Work on your short game every day. Set foot on that course as much as humanly possible. Make a yardage book and develop a strategy that fits your game. Then go putt and practice your short game some more. After you think you have reached a point where you are comfortable with your play, double down on your putting and short game. Amateurs practice until they get it right, Pros practice until they can't do it wrong. Good luck!

[belh22]

just out of curiosity where are you located and whats the course?

[Tyler08]

Short game practice is best.

Play a round as practice be honest with yourself. No gimmes, finish all holes including your 10 inch tap in's.

Count your putts. See where your losing strokes. Driver missing fairway?  Alot of 3 putts?

Go from there

[Mr. Herbert]

Mrstealurgurl6969, on 07 January 2013 - 11:13 AM, said:

I have my highschool golf tryouts next month an I don't know what to do. I am a freshman and am a pretty good folder for my age. I have to be able to hoot a 52 on 9 for Jv and a 45 on 9 for varsity on a course I am not familiar with. I have a friend who belongs to this course so I can play it once or twice. Right now I am shooting about a 48 regularly on a course the same as the course I will try out on. Living in New Jersey it is difficult to practice in January. If anyone could help with a plan for how to approach the upcoming month please help! Thanks!

I was a pretty good folder when I was your age as well.  That's how I got that cool job at Abercrombie & Fitch.  It never helped my golf game though.

[Colby327]

KILLEDBYASHANKEDWEDGE, on 07 January 2013 - 11:21 AM, said:

Putt every day. Work on your short game every day. Set foot on that course as much as humanly possible. Make a yardage book and develop a strategy that fits your game. Then go putt and practice your short game some more. After you think you have reached a point where you are comfortable with your play, double down on your putting and short game. Amateurs practice until they get it right, Pros practice until they can't do it wrong. Good luck!

Lots of good advice here.   In addition you could try reading some books on the mental aspects of the game.  I know books aren't for everyone, but they'd give you something to do on the days its too cold outside to practice.  

Good luck!

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

I can't really answer that for privacy reasons but I play a couple public courses and caddy/play for a local country club.

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

Thanks for the advice. I could probably try to golf once or twice a weekend and go to the range once a week. Is it too close to tryout to make any equipment changes? If not when should I stop making equipment and swing changed and start relying on my game?

[belh22]

privacy reasons? from nj and was just gonna try and help you out if i knew the course and what to prepare for on it

[rymail00]

Mrstealurgurl6969, on 07 January 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

Thanks for the advice. I could probably try to golf once or twice a weekend and go to the range once a week. Is it too close to tryout to make any equipment changes? If not when should I stop making equipment and swing changed and start relying on my game?

dont buy new clubs, your shooting an average of 48 with clubs your used to playing. i think that changing clubs might hurt your chances (LOL I should take my own advice sometimes)

Edited by rymail00, 07 January 2013 - 01:44 PM.

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

A big part of the 48 shots is rushing putting/short game because my playing partners are very slow golfers. I'll have to take my time during tryouts.

[Kadin 25]

KILLEDBYASHANKEDWEDGE, on 07 January 2013 - 11:21 AM, said:

Putt every day. Work on your short game every day. Set foot on that course as much as humanly possible. Make a yardage book and develop a strategy that fits your game. Then go putt and practice your short game some more. After you think you have reached a point where you are comfortable with your play, double down on your putting and short game. Amateurs practice until they get it right, Pros practice until they can't do it wrong. Good luck!

^ About some it up! My best tip, during your tryout control your breathing in 5 seconds, hold 5 seconds exhale 5 seconds rinse and repeat. This will keep your heart rate down and keep you calm...good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

Will do!

[LaBraeGolfer]

Kadin 25, on 09 January 2013 - 02:04 AM, said:

KILLEDBYASHANKEDWEDGE, on 07 January 2013 - 11:21 AM, said:

Putt every day. Work on your short game every day. Set foot on that course as much as humanly possible. Make a yardage book and develop a strategy that fits your game. Then go putt and practice your short game some more. After you think you have reached a point where you are comfortable with your play, double down on your putting and short game. Amateurs practice until they get it right, Pros practice until they can't do it wrong. Good luck!

^ About some it up! My best tip, during your tryout control your breathing in 5 seconds, hold 5 seconds exhale 5 seconds rinse and repeat. This will keep your heart rate down and keep you calm...good luck and let us know how it goes.

I agree with everything in this post above I was in the same boat as a freshman golf enthusiast several years back, I figured that I was going to make the team with ease then I got to practices (we had a few before tryouts) and I realized there were more golfers that could compete with me for the 5 and 6 spots. I was so nervous on the first tee that I was using a brush tee (will never use one again) and the ball fell off the tee during my down swing and I then hit it as it was off the tee headed toward the ground I duck hooked it into the driving range (which wasn't out of bounds talk about nerves trying to find the ball) Anyway I have had to learn the hard way from my experiences, but as long as that short game isn't rusty thats how you pick up strokes and never try to play the hero shot I have made many doubles and triples when I could have played had a par because I tried to go for greens that I could only reach one in 100 times never be a afraid to play 3 from the fairway on a par 4 (or the likes), but course strategy and short game will definitely be the key to picking up a few strokes on your field.

[dms181]

I agree with everything too. Just work on your weakness and improve that. 45 for varsity seems a little high though. Where I'm from the V team's best player had a +1.4 cap for the season. Shows though, he's goin to Wake Forest next year! Good luck and have fun in 2013.

[cardoustie]

working on putting, chipping and driving

A good drive usually means no worse than a bogey.  If you miss greens and can chip and putt you can hang with anybody

My university coach always said .. short game, short game, short game.  I like to add in the driver.

[MadGolfer76]

I am a HS golf coach. The biggest thing I see with my crew is that they make stupid mistakes out there and try to force par when they get in trouble. In so doing, they bring huge numbers into play. I once had a kid think he was going to hit through a grove of trees so that he could make par - by luck. Just...NO. Take your medicine, hit the ball back into play and look to make a putt. Not saying you do any of this, but you should look for the stupid easiest shot to be played ALL the time.

The other thing is to keep the ball in play throughout the round. You have no idea how many kids are going to be pulling driver on every hole and blasting shots away into the junk. You will see some kid hit a huge drive or two and start thinking you have to do the same, but I can almost guarantee that kid is going to miss one or two off the planet at some point or other. Don't let that sway your decision making. You don't always have to be in the fairway, but keep yourself in play and make sure you have a shot to the green even if you have to pull an extra club to get there.

That, and no 3-jacks.

Edited by MadGolfer76, 11 January 2013 - 05:12 PM.

[HoosierHacker89]

my best advice while you are learning the game and getting better is to play your shots consistantly. if you have to pull out a hybrid and hit it 200 yards then hit a 7 iron 150 into a 350 yard hole do it. also don't try to get fancy with a 60* wedge. learn to chip with a 56 and add the 60 later. 60* are great if you know how to play them, but they have little margin for error.

work on lag putting too. If you can 2 putt all the time you are ahead of the game. and work on putting inside 4 feet. I am weird in that i never practice 8-15 footers, but i don't see the point. If i can lag putt from 25 feet close ill two putt from 3 feet all day.

[lilmike24]

My coach would always make me hit wedges from 50, 75, and 100 yards until i hit the flag..

Also when you practice your chipping, make sure you hit a certain chip shot until you chip in. Not only will it give you a lot of practice on the chips that you struggle with, but it gives you an incentive to try your best on every shot.

Hope this helps.

[mrikking]

Hopefully you already have a score card. Understand the hole handicaps, pick 2-3 holes to master and have great info on these holes  (distances, yardage markers, angles). My 2¢

[Mrstealurgurl6969]

Thanks everyone it really mean a lot and ill let you know if it works out!

[ricar1610]

I, too, am a HS golf coach and I agree with the earlier post about making the big numbers. We already had our season here in AZ, but I worked hard with my guys this year on making better decisions and thinking their way around the course. And as others have said, we worked on our short games A LOT...

Most of our practice time, after warming up, would be to just play 3-4 holes, but play as many practice shots as possible, and from many different situations - i.e. bunkers, behind trees, flop shots - and then spend 10 minutes on each green chipping and putting from all angles. We have the "advantage" of playing in the afternoon when it is 116* and no one else is dumb enough to be playing golf - so the course is ours. However, the point is practice real golf situations.

Don't be intimidated. It's golf. Everyone has good days and bad days. Hang in there and don't give in. Being a freshmen, you have the advantage of 4 years left to play golf in HS. I hope you make varsity, but if JV is where you end up, be happy and just get better. Show the coach you are there for the long haul.

Good luck!!!

[Arizonalefty59]

Stay calm brother, I was in your shoes 4 1/2 years ago and I was wicked nervous.

[Golfer1995]

Mrstealurgurl6969, on 13 January 2013 - 11:23 PM, said:

Thanks everyone it really mean a lot and ill let you know if it works out!

are you from north jersey?

[jdmorris1980]

All the advice so far is very good. How well do you know your yardages? What's your go to club? Figure these out and play to your strengths. Manage the course, at my course long is no good so I generally try to club accordingly to keep from being in those bad spots but still play aggressively.  Just an example there, but the point is you won't put yourself in a spot of extreme pressure. Be confident and make the team, and enjoy yourself while your doing it.

[bruinsPATSirish]

Arizonalefty59, on 14 January 2013 - 08:13 PM, said:

Stay calm brother, I was in your shoes 4 1/2 years ago and I was wicked nervous.

Fellow Mass guy? Maybe NH?

To the OP, you can get a leg up on your competition by doing one thing, play smart!  Almost every kid on the HS team I helped out with last year had tons of potential but NO course management!  Figure out when to hit driver and when not to.  Can you get a hybrid or long iron into the 150 yard range?  Do you really need to go right at that pin when it is tucked and protected by a hazard?  You can shave quite a few strokes off your score on any given day just by going for the middle of the green rather than trying to snag the course record.  Play smart and make pars!  Goodluck!

[Cobras7]

Having played highschool golf too, i couldn't agree more with the past posts. First of all, trust your swing! You've developed a swing that you know you can repeat, don't try to change it mid-round because you might get 5 more yards of the tee. Next, keep your tempo. When people get nervous they start to get away from that long fluid swing and start to jab at the ball, that's not going to work. Remain calm and have confidence in your swing.

Also take into consideration what the coaches posted above! If you get into the trees and have a small window to go through, don't be stupid! Just take your medicine and punch it out. You can go from there once you've punched out and try to save par from the fairway if not make sure bogey is the worst thing you will score, not a triple! Finally, when you are putting from 40 feet, don't try to make it all the time. Give it a solid roll with the correct speed and make sure that worst case scenario you have a tap in. The last thing you want is to blow it another 6 feet by and have a knee knocker for par!
You will do fine and JV isn't as bad as it sounds. The coach will see how hard you work on JV and that could really affect your chances next year too. Good Luck and tell us how you do!

[bshovers]

I was once there in highschool too.  Instead of thinking par is 36 think of it as 45.  Make a 5 on every hole and you shoot 45....bogey a par 5 just make a 4 on a par 3 so on and so on.  Practice putting putt 6 balls around the cup a putters length away and make them all in a row....if you miss one restart the drill you will make 3 footers more consistently.  As far as equipment change....its the indian not the arrow....

[NoobOutTheSand]

My Frosty Year, I praticed keeping the ball in play, and chipping more than anything. Those two things help me shot my first 80, and first 70 . I am going for first seed in Varisty as a Junior. I pratice daily , rust is bad !

[yumbrownies]

Lots of solid advice here. If you do get a chance to play the course, even just once, make the most of it. Keep a scorecard for reference and take some notes--where are the trouble spots where you definitely don't want to miss? Which holes should you keep the driver in the bag? Little things like that could end up saving you several strokes. I got cut from a high school tryout once because (in part) of an unfamiliar course--since it was a private club, pretty much only the kids whose parents were members had a chance to practice there ahead of time and they had a distinct advantage.