Standing on the first tee of a tournament with a clear mind and confident swing doesn’t happen by accident, it’s the direct result of smart, intentional practice in the days and weeks leading up to the event. This guide will walk you through a timeline-based practice plan, shifting your focus from broad swing mechanics to the sharp, specific skills you’ll need to play your best when it counts. We will cover the what, when, and why of effective tournament preparation.
Two weeks before your tournament is the time for any significant repair work on your golf swing. This is your last chance to work on mechanics without disrupting your rhythm and feel right before the event. Trying to make a major swing change three days before a tournament is a recipe for disaster. Your goal here is to iron out any major kinks so you can spend the final week sharpening your skills, not rebuilding them.
If there’s something in your swing that’s been bothering you - a persistent slice, a shaky takeaway - this is the window to address it. Ideally, you’d book a lesson with your coach to get another set of eyes on it. If you’re self-correcting, use video to diagnose the issue. Don’t get lost in trying to fix five things at once. Pick the one thing that’s causing the most trouble and dedicate your range sessions to it.
A great drill for this phase is the 9-to-3 drill. Without taking a full backswing or follow-through, swing the club from hip-high on the way back to hip-high on the way through. This condenses the swing and forces you to focus on proper body rotation and impact dynamics. It exposes flaws quickly and helps you feel the correct sequence without getting overwhelmed by a full-speed swing.
Perfect golf shots are rare, even for professionals. Success in a tournament comes from managing your misses. Use this time at the driving range to chart your ball flight patterns. You’re not just hitting balls, you’re gathering data.
With seven days to go, the focus shifts sharply from how you swing to how you play. The technical work is done. Now it’s about preparing for the specific course and the specific shots you’ll be required to hit. This is tournament course management 101, and it starts before you even get to the course.
If you can, get a copy of the scorecard and look at the course layout online. Many courses have a hole-by-hole flyover on their website. As you go through each hole, ask yourself a few questions:
Your range sessions this week should directly reflect your course mapping. If your analysis showed that you’ll be hitting a lot of 100-yard wedge shots, dedicate a significant portion of your practice to dialing in that specific distance. Go to the short game area and practice the exact types of shots you anticipate needing. Will you need to hit creative shots, like a low-flighted punch from under trees? Practice a few of those. Your goal is to feel comfortable and prepared for the shots the course will ask you to hit.
Every golfer needs a "fairway finder" shot - a reliable, high-percentage tee shot you can turn to under pressure. For many, this is a 3-wood or a hybrid with a three-quarter swing. Spend time this week cementing that shot. Hit it over and over until you feel total confidence in it. Knowing you have a go-to shot in your back pocket is an immense comfort when you’re standing on a tight hole in the middle of a tournament round.
During the final few days, your practice should be less about hitting a high volume of balls and more about sharpening your touch and feel, especially around the greens. Long, grinding range sessions will only tire you out. Keep your practice short, focused, and geared toward scoring.
Most shots in a round of golf happen within 100 yards of the green. This is where you can save par and avoid costly mistakes. This is the time to live at the short game area.
The day before the tournament is all about conserving energy and building confidence. Your practice session should be light and brief - no more than 45-60 minutes total.
On the morning of the tournament, your goal is to activate your muscles and find your rhythm, not to practice or tinker. Arrive at the course with enough time to warm up without rushing.
A good warm-up routine looks like this:
Meaningful tournament preparation is a process, not a last-minute scramble. It’s a funnel that starts broad with swing mechanics weeks in advance and narrows to the fine point of putting speed and mental confidence just before you tee off. By following a structured approach, you replace anxiety with a sense of calm readiness.
That on-course confidence is what we built Caddie AI to deliver. When you’re developing your strategy the week before a tournament, you can ask us for help planning your way around difficult holes. And if you're standing over a tricky lie during a practice round, unsure of the play, you can get instant, expert advice on how to handle the shot. We remove the guesswork so you can trust your preparation and focus on execution - which is a great frame of mind to have on tournament day.
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