getting ready for club champs

Question
QUESTION: hi there eddie,

my name is lee, 28 years old, playing golf for 5 years.  i am going to play my first club champs this year in august.  over the last 5 years i have been busy one of the days clubs champs has taken place but this year i would like to compete.  last year i played 8 rounds(2008).  

this year playing allot more since feb 09.  in march i won the B division of our monthly medal.  i was very happy with this result shooting 79 in very windy and cold conditions. it was crazy, didn't stress too much, didn't make worse than a bogey.  i think there was 1 hole i had to play well to save bogey.

since then i have been working hard on my game.  playing 6 rounds a week, chipping and putting after my rounds.  analyzing my game and working on the necessary.  from when i started, mid April, working towards club champ, i was shooting mid 80's. since then i have played about 18 full rounds.

i really havent taken too much notice of handicap, as i always just wanted to add up my score and see what i shot on the course.  i know this is important to rank players and gain entry into tournaments etc.  

i would like to find out how i can get better.  how i can play the best golf i can play.  i am shooting mid 70's. hitting 10 greens, about 30 putts on average.  todays round was particularly baffling.  i played 16 great holes and 2 not so good holes.  hitting 13 greens, up and down 3/5. 29 putts.  i was 1 under thru 8 holes then double on the 9th.  the hole immediately after making the double, i made birdie.  then in a good spot, -1 with 4 holes to play.  double.

how do i get better in order to be ready for club champs
thanks
lee

ANSWER: Hi Lee:

Welcome to the world of golf!  The ups and downs are amazing in this game.  You are starting to see how it works, especially in competition.  To get better, you must get good instruction, you must practice more and you must play in every tournament you can get into.  How you improve is by working at it.  You have to play a lot of golf as well as practice.  You must compete to improve.  You will need to work extremely hard on your short game (chipping, pitching, putting and sand play).  Basically from inside 125 yards, you will have to great to compete and win.  If you are good, you'll fall into the category of good players who never make it.  And if you are just OK in that area, forget about golf and get a good paying job, you'll need it.  You sound serious, you sound like you have made great strides in improving your game.  You'll need to work on mastering the fundamentals of the game, practicing the short game until you are a wizard with the wedges and then learning how to compete and win.  You'll need to explore the mental side of golf, learn how to think and respond under pressure.  You're blowup holes you speak of are nothing more than losing your concentration and getting defensive, trying not to make a mistake.  Can't play that way.  You need to finish each round of golf, stay commited to what you are doing and stay confident in your abilities to play well.  There is much to learn Lee, you are just starting, but it sounds like you are on the right track.  Good luck and stay positive.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i was looking for something a little more specific.  prac more, short game.  is there something more specific with regards to improving my game.

Answer
Lee:

Sure.  Work on your short game 70% of the time, your long game 30% of the time.  Practice 6 days per week, minimum 4 hrs. per day.  Play twice per week.  When you work on your long game, hit 300-500 balls per day, always check your alignment.  When working on your short game, practice one segment at a time (example Putting) per day.  Practice putting for 4 hrs. that day.  Focus on 3-6 footers and distance control (lag) putting.  Play minimum of 9 holes twice per week.  If you're that devoted, you will improve rapidly.  Good luck.

Eddie