Intentional preparation helps athletes manage distractions, maintain emotional composure, commit to strategies, and prioritize time effectively. What has been more interesting to observe is how noticeable it is when a player is distracted versus when they are composed and prepared. There is an aura of confidence around players who are comfortable and ready to perform. 

The common denominator amongst successful student-athletes is their unique preparation. Why it is such an integral part of their success is due to the trickle down effect it can have on other aspects of their lives.

Tournaments are often a crunch time with more to pay attention to than just the event. Many players still have school work to do between rounds and occasionally must write exams when they are travelling. There is nothing a student-athlete can do about that but prepare a strategy ahead of time to manage all the commitments they must juggle. 

In my time as a coach here are the five pointers I recommend every student-athlete consider in order to be prepared to play. 

 

Prepare for external distractions

University is a time full of distractions—both positive and negative—as student-athletes navigate newfound independence, academic pressures, and social opportunities.

Each relationship we have can either supply us with energy, provide a boost, or take our energy away by requiring time and conscious effort to socialize. When away at a tournament, players need to focus as much of their attention on preparing themselves for competition and minor distractions can add up quickly. Imagine after the first 36-holes you are in contention. All your friends and family have sent you messages of congratulations and of encouragement. You could spend hours responding to messages and replaying and describing the best shots of the day to everyone you know. That would drain your energy in the long term even if it feels great to continue to relive your successes in the short term. Be intentional about who you are communicating with while you’re travelling and identify a plan that works best for you to make sure you can manage the external distractions. 

The players who have managed the off-course distractions are the ones who arrive on site with the most energy and ability to focus their attention on competing. They often have more energy throughout the event and are able to manage their intensity throughout the day more effectively. They are able to be fully present. This is crucial especially when it comes down to completing rounds with as much energy as they started the day with. 

 

Prepare for travel

NCAA golf takes you to incredible places. This fall semester for example our team competed on the Big Island in Hawai’i. Traveling to compete is a privilege but takes a physical and mental toll. The environment inside of a plane or a car during a travel often sees people not drinking or eating enough; although you may not feel hungry and thirsty in the moment you could be setting yourself up to start the tournament in a deprived state, dehydrated and underfed. 

Plan ahead to pack snacks and keep track of how much fluid you’re intaking. In most cases it will be to prevent dehydration rather than to quench thirst, but you’ll be better prepared to compete at your full capacity. 

 

Prepare for Internal Distractions

Managing your internal distractions are not as obvious compared to external. Distractions could be a lack of discipline with golf course tactics, or in your physical and mental preparation before a round, and most frequently expectation management. 

No player has ever been perfect, in her book, Golf Annika’s Way, Annika Sorenstam wrote that golf is not just a game of great shots, it’s a game of bad shots too. Champions hit fewer poor shots and are smart enough to keep the bad from becoming terrible. You need to be prepared to deal with positive and negative and if you are unable to manage internal distractions you will be significantly disadvantaged when the negatives come up. Create a plan and be disciplined in your execution, in my experience that’s the most effective way to manage the internal distractions.

 

Prepare a training plan

Training is different for everyone as each athlete will prioritize different aspects of their mental, physical, technical and tactical skills. All four components must be maintained and developed but there are times throughout a season where it is more effective to prioritize training in one of the four components. It is the responsibility of the student athlete to determine which component to prioritize to best impact their performance and reach out for the support they need. No coach will be able to see all of the hours that you put in training; however, it will be really clear whether or not you are prepared once the tournament begins. 

 

Prepare to play

There is a key component of performance that is incredibly overlooked and in my opinion it’s having fun! When you are finally at a competition it is your opportunity to demonstrate how much effort and dedication you have put into your training, this is your opportunity to finally enjoy and just go perform. If you have prepared in an effective way you will be in a place where you can prioritize your performance and let go of all the external noise and just play. The emphasis on having fun as well is when you compete you go play golf. You don’t white knuckle grip all your clubs and hate your life every second of it. 

 

As a coach it is remarkably obvious who is playing well and who isn’t. You can see it in their body language and in the attitude that they present to the world. Once your round is complete then have a plan to assess what went well, what areas you could improve and how you will go about changing those pieces to improve them. Be prepared to always be learning and growing and you will do exactly that.