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INSTRUCTION

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Prepare Yourself

Successful course management requires discipline, trust, confidence and commitment.

By SANDRA PALMERPublished: July, 2007

All players need a plan when they play a round of golf.  Approach your ball from behind. Look down the fairway and pick a target. Visualize every shot, and expect good results.

But most of all, be committed before swinging the club. As my former teacher Harvey Penick said: Indecision is the biggest killer on the golf course.

Begin a round by trusting your game and yourself. Eliminate dumb mistakes and play one shot at a time. Keep a good attitude and never give up on a hole.

Course management begins with preparation. It requires discipline, trust, confidence and commitment. A vital part of preparation is controlling your tension. Stay cool, calm and collected.

Even if you're not playing a competitive round, those attributes will help you when you do play in a tournament or have to sink a 5-foot putt in front of your buddies.

Practicing on the range and taking it to the course is crucial. The more you play your home course, the more you should learn how to play it. You should know the greens and how they break. You should know how the ball bounces when it's dry and how to play a shot when it's damp.

As a professional on the LPGA Tour, I only had one or two days to learn the course before the tournament started. That's why I made notes for each hole when I was preparing for an event. Most professionals do this, but you should, too. Spend most of your time on and around the greens. Very seldom do you hit every green in regulation.

Practice and preparation might sound boring, but there's nothing like the great feeling you'll get when all that hard work pays off.  SG

Sandra Palmer is director of women's golf at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo. She won 30 professional tournaments worldwide during her playing career, including three major championships. She can be reached at (949) 305-5100.