Playing in Pro-Am in May '09. Any advice?

Ruleschamp · December 10, 2008

You won't be playing from 7,100 yards at the Nelson. I've played in the pro-am of the Nelson for 10 of the past 12 years. You'll play from approximately 6,500 to 6,700 yards, and if you keep it in play you'll be surprised how much more yardage off the tee you'll get compared to most courses you've played.

Stay out of the rough. Even though the Nelson rough pales by comparison to a lot of tour venues, it can be pretty deep compared to your local muni or country club. The bonus is that you'll get to play greens that a basically tour speed. Also, aim for the bunker a time or two just so you'll get to play out of one. You'll quickly understand what it's like to play in perfectly manicured sand compared to what you would normally play. Yes, these guys have immense talent, but trust me when I tell you that it is 50 times easier to play out of bunkers in the perfect conditions they play compared to the weird lies you get in muni/country club bunkers.

Overall, just relax and have fun. It's a crapshoot on what kind of playing partners you'll end up with. Some are great, some are asses. Kinda like everyday life.

f123acez · December 11, 2008

Just play one shot at a time. Don't worry about hitting the bad shots because not everyone is perfect. Pro's realize that you won't always hit a perfect shot. Don't worry about the yardage, all it you need to know is club selection. Instead of hitting like an 8 iron into the greens, just hit a 5 iron. If the yardage is too long for you like you say, work on hitting longer clubs into the green. I.E. 4 irons and 5 irons etc. If it is super long, just work on your short game so that if you have to lay up, you have the option to. On the greens, all you need to worry about is pace. When you go to play, spend your time practicing, but make sure you putt the greens for practice at different times. If you ahve an early tee time that day, make sure you are comfortable with the greens covered in dew. If you have a late tee time, be comfortable with trampled greens from all the previous players.

To summarize it:

Make sure your pace is good at different times of the day for the greens.

Just work on club selection, not the yardage of the course.

~~f123acez~~

TAZMAN · December 12, 2008

You will most likely playing a team game.

Best advise is if you are out of a hole pick up your ball,dont hole out for a 6/7 pro's dont like waiting around for you to make a 6.

Don't keep bugging the pro for tips,dont forget they are practiceing there game.

Make sure you are set up.Balls/Markers/Tee's have them all ready in your pocket so you are not wasting time on the tee looking for the odd tee on the floor.

Apart from that have fun.

Most pro's i have played with have been great and offer advise all the time,most of the best advice i had was from they caddie's,as they watch good golf all day.

No matter who you play with remember that you are there boss'es you pay your money for them to play golf,so dont ever think that you should not be there.You will remember the day for a long time to come,so dont worry.

And don't forget if you see a Circle T in there bag just pull the "Look over there" line. ;)