What I Learned From My First Golf Competition: The Unexpected Importance Of Preparation

Fiona Campbell began her golf journey at Winchester Golf Academy, taking group lessons with PGA Professional Emma Booth to guide her through all the steps you need to take before heading out onto a golf course for the first time.

Within a year, having learned basic golf rules and etiquette and feeling confident in her playing ability to submit a scorecard, Fiona played in her first competition at Abington golf course. Now an avid golfer, playing 5 times a week, here are Fiona's 5 tips for new competition players.

Turn Up Early

At least 30 minutes before you tee off. It’s surprising how long the simple things like getting your clubs out of the car, signing in and collecting your scorecard in the pro shop and so on will take.

You’ll probably get distracted and want to chat to a couple of friends. All the more reason to leave extra time. And don’t forget to be stood on the tee ready to play five minutes before you tee off so that you don’t miss your tee time.

Warm Up

It's important to loosen your golf muscles before you play, as it's both beneficial for hitting the ball better and also essential for injury prevention.

There are some very simple stretches you can do quickly and easily before you tee off such as arm circles, leg swings and hip openers. If your club has a practice ground, hitting a small basket of balls is a brilliant idea, if not a few shots in the net, getting your hand-eye-ball co-ordination going.

Practice Putting Pace

As a beginner, with so many things to think about, the speed of the greens is not usually one of them. But, the speed varies day-to-day, week-in, week-out. If you don’t roll a few balls on the practice putting green then you’ll arrive on the first green clueless about how hard to hit your putt and will be guessing.

A simple drill to get the pace, take two balls, rolling the first to a point anywhere on the green and then try to roll the second to reach it, precisely.

Listen And Learn

It’s your first ever golf competition, you are bound to be nervous, but if you are new to golf then the chances are you’ll have a lot to learn. Don’t worry, the women that you’ll be playing with have all been there too, they know that there are a lot of rules to learn, etiquette to understand, so don’t be afraid to ask if you are uncertain about anything.

For instance, the etiquette for putting is to let the furthest player from the pin go first, but in the interests of speed of play and if you are ready to putt, always ask if you may go first.

Have Fun!

The final piece of advice may sound obvious, but remember that you are playing golf for fun. It is just a hobby (for most) so don’t sweat the small stuff. If you have an air shot, just laugh it off. If you miss a short putt, don’t chastise yourself. Enjoy the walk, take pleasure from those good shots, and chat to your playing partners.

Don’t worry about your score. Good scores will come in time. You have to start somewhere and once you’ve completed your first scorecard you’ll feel so satisfied.

Don’t be embarrassed about asking someone to show you how to score the Stableford points (if you are playing this format, which would be a sensible choice) and also show you how to input your scores into the computer in the clubhouse (or an app like IG on your phone if you are using it) afterwards.

It will take you a few rounds of golf to get used to these things, and don’t forget to sign your scorecard and that of your playing partner!