Preparation

Why Preparation Determines Excellence

Success in competitive golf is not something that should be left to chance. The difference between good and great often comes down to systematic preparation—a methodical approach to developing skills, habits, and routines that deliver consistent performance when it matters most.

Preparation encompasses three fundamental elements that work together to create excellence: Goals, Plans, and Habits & Routines. Goals provide the clear direction and motivation that drive your journey. Plans transform these aspirations into actionable steps and schedules. Habits and routines make excellence automatic, creating the daily behaviors and competition sequences that ensure consistent, high-level performance.

Setting Goals That Drive Performance

Your competitive journey starts with crystal-clear goals. Understanding how to structure these goals makes the difference between wishful thinking and achievable results.

Outcome Goals:

These define your competitive targets and range from your ultimate long-term goal to those that are more immediate in nature. Your ultimate goal might include things such as earning a college golf scholarship, winning a state or provincial championship, or turning pro.

More immediate goals might include things such as reaching key performance benchmarks (score or placing), ranking achievements, obtaining a desired scoring average, or qualifying for an upcoming event.

Process Goals:

These are the daily actions that build excellence and help you to achieve your ultimate and immediate goals. They are the baby steps that take you from where you are to where you want to be and might include things such as:

• Targeted training (deliberate practice) designed to work on current limitations or maximize current strengths
• Dedicated short game practice sessions (60-90 minutes, three times weekly)
• Daily mental game development (15 minutes minimum)
• Regular competitive rounds against quality opponents
• Working with a fitness trainer twice weekly to improve leg and core strength to gain power

Express your goals with absolute clarity. If you can’t easily explain your goal to someone else, it needs refinement. Vague goals lead to vague results.

Building Your Performance Plan or Blueprint

Excellence requires deliberate preparation. Structure your approach around these key areas:

Season Planning

Your season plan serves as your competitive roadmap. Start by identifying your major tournaments and work backward to create a comprehensive development schedule. Include specific training blocks focused on different aspects of your game, ensuring peak performance aligns with your most important events. Build in recovery periods and account for academic or work commitments that might impact your training. Your season plan should outline clear progression markers, from technical skills to physical conditioning, allowing you to track improvement across extended periods. For guidance on this check out our recent blog on the topic

Weekly Focus

Each week represents a building block in your larger season plan. Your weekly focus should balance improvement with preparation for upcoming events. Start each week by reviewing your season goals and identifying the three most critical areas that need attention. Consider your current form, upcoming events, and any patterns from recent performances. Create a structured practice schedule that allocates specific time slots for technical work, physical conditioning, and mental game development. Include at least one competitive practice session to maintain tournament readiness.

Daily Execution

Daily execution transforms your plans into reality. Each day should have a primary focus that aligns with your weekly objectives. Create a detailed schedule that includes specific drills, practice formats, and performance targets. Track key metrics that indicate progress and maintain a practice journal to identify patterns in your performance. Include time for both deliberate practice (focused skill development) and competitive practice (simulating competition conditions). End each day by reviewing your execution and adjusting the next day’s plan as needed.

Developing Essential Habits & Routines

Create systems that make success automatic through consistent daily practices. Ideally these routines become as automatic as brushing your teeth. Following are suggestions on a few of the critical routines you should be developing. 

Morning & Evening Routines

Your morning routine sets the foundation for peak performance. A morning routine can be comprised of many things, but we recommend it cover the following: 

• A consistent wake up time, 
• Immediate hydration (you’ve been without water for 7-9 hours),
• Some form of meditation or visualization to get mentally focused, 
• A review of your plan for the day (goals, schedule, nutrition),
• Some type of movement to reinforce golf-specific patterns or address areas of tightness 

The evening routine is crucial for both recovery and preparation. Here are a few suggestions to include in an evening routine: 

• Prepare for sleep by eliminating screen time at least 1 hour before bed,
• Assess your day – where did you succeed? What needs more work?,
• Plan for tomorrow by identifying priorities and mapping your schedule,
• Do physical recovery such as rolling, stretching, or hot/cold treatment,
• Meditate to calm your nervous system, 
• Take 5 minutes to visualize your wins from the day and how you want to perform in the future  

Pre-Shot & Post-Shot Routines

Your pre-shot routine is your anchor for consistent performance. It should be repeatable under any conditions and take 30-40 seconds maximum. Your routine should help you establish a clear intention, focus and mind-body connection to allow you to execute your shot. Your routine should include elements of information gathering (conditions, target, etc.), clear decision and commitment to the shot, rehearsal of the shot (mental, physical), and creation of a strong mind/body connection before initiating your stroke or swing.

Your post-shot routine is your opportunity to assess what just took place and deal with the results whether you had the best shot of your life – or the worst. This routine should enable you to reinforce positives related to your process and execution while learning from anything that didn’t go according to plan. A proper post-shot routine will let you close the loop on any thoughts, good or bad, before moving on to your next shot or putt, allowing you to conserve energy and stay focused on the right things at the right time.   

Pre-Competition & Post-Competition Routines

Doing well in competition is more than just having a good warm-up, it requires taking care of critical elements of performance in the days and weeks leading up to competition. 

The week before is critical for ensuring you are physically and mentally healthy, fully energized, and distraction free for your event. Too many competitors make the mistake of training more and more in the days leading up to an event – it is not the time to try and learn new skills. This is the time to put greater focus on recovery to ensure you have 100% of your energy available to compete. Pre-competition preparation needs to include a focus on things such as: 

• Quality sleep, nutrition and hydration
• Managing distractions – school, work or relationship
• Tapering activity to preserve mental and physical energy
• Planning i.e. arrival times, warm-ups, meals and how you will handle recovery post training and play
• Mapping and reviewing your course strategy for each hole 
• Using the practice round to learn what you need to learn
• Building confidence by remembering past great moments and mentally rehearsing the successful execution of your game plan for the event

Effective post-competition protocols drive continuous improvement and ensure future readiness to play. This analysis should be completed within 24 hours of the competition while memories are fresh, but the first priority should be on starting your physical recovery. Your post-competition routine should include: 

• Eat, hydrate, and stretch / roll post round and post event, 
• Enter your stats and analyze your performance metrics using a tool such as the One Iota App, 
• Review your course management decisions and mindset during key moments,
• Identify three specific strengths along with three areas that need attention based on your preparation and performance,
• Create a specific action plan to improve in preparation for your next event and long-term goals 

Preparation is a Practice: Learn, Adapt, Improve

Preparation isn’t a destination—it’s a continuous journey. Stay curious, be willing to adjust your strategies, and view every experience as a learning opportunity.

Remember: The golfers who succeed aren’t necessarily the most talented, but those most committed to systematic, intentional preparation.

Final Thoughts

Your golf performance is a product of your daily choices. By embracing preparation as a holistic approach—covering mental, physical, technical, and tactical aspects—you’re improving more than just your golf game. Setting goals, creating plans, and adopting positive habits and routines are life skills that will serve you far beyond the golf course.

Stay prepared. Keep improving. Perform at peak.