Module 2: Pre-Round Mental Prep / Lesson 1 of 5

The Night Before: Setting Your Intention

Lesson 1 of 5

What To Do

Most golfers start their round on the first tee. Good players start it the night before. JJ puts it simply: preparing for a tournament involves a strategic process. Every player has a different routine, but there is a method to their madness. What you eat, how you sleep and what you think about in the hours before a round set the tone for how you react to the first good shot, the first bad bounce and everything in between.

In this lesson you will build your own night-before routine using JJ's tournament prep list, set an intention for the round, and finish the day with the same mental rehearsal JJ used when he played full time. An intention is not a score. It is a short description of how you want to carry yourself and how you will respond when things do not go your way.

You do not have to be playing a tournament for this to matter. As JJ tells his players, it is all relative. If you are competing against your friends in the weekend skins game, that is a tournament for you.

How To Do It

Step 1: Fuel and hydrate

JJ's list starts with proper nutrition the day before and the morning of: hydrate, eat carbs and protein, and plan simple foods like bananas and eggs. Then make a meal plan and load your bag with the food you will eat on the course so your mind stays focused on the back nine.

Step 2: Do your normal practice, not a cram session

The day before, do your normal practice routine. This is not the day to rebuild your swing. If you can, play a practice round and map the course: where to aim off every tee, where the miss is safe, and which parts of the greens to avoid.

Step 3: Pick one word for the round

Choose one word that describes how you want to play. Patient, committed, smooth and free are good examples. This word becomes the theme of your round and you will say it on every tee.

Step 4: Write your response plan

Write one sentence about how you will respond to a bad hole. Example: "After a bad hole, I will take one belly breath, say my word, and pick my next target." Golf will give you bad shots. Deciding your response the night before means they do not catch you by surprise.

Step 5: Read your Yard Card and rehearse 10 putts

Read your Performance Yard Card out loud: your affirmations, your performance cue and your motto. Then do JJ's putting rehearsal. When he was playing full time he picked 10 putts he had made that day, no matter the distance, and rehearsed each one in his mind before bed. He did 3 sets of all 10, for 30 putts total. If you did not play that day, use 10 putts you made recently.

Step 6: Sleep

JJ calls the proper amount of sleep very important. Put the phone down early, keep the room dark and cool, and go to bed at the same time you would for any big day at work. Lay out your gear and know your tee time so there is nothing to think about in the morning.

Read this the night before every round

Performance Yard Card

Your affirmations, one performance cue and your motto on a card that lives in your yardage book.

Open the form

Everything you save here is stored in My Playbook.

When To Use It

The evening before any round that matters to you
The day before a tournament, league match, member guest or skins game
Any time you notice yourself worrying about a round ahead of time

Common Mistakes

Setting a score goal and calling it an intention
Cramming a long practice session the day before and changing your swing
Replaying your last bad round in bed instead of your 10 made putts
Skipping dinner or breakfast and running out of energy on the back nine
Leaving everything until the morning and rushing to the course

Practical Exercise

Wind-Down Breath: 4-4-4-4 in Bed

Do this lying in bed after your putting rehearsal. Put one hand on your belly and use the belly breath from Module 1, Lesson 1. Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4. Let each breath out get a little softer and slower.

Pattern: 4-4-4-4 seconds, 6 cycles. The voice counts each second for you.

Ready