5 Essential Pre-Tournament Practice Drills Every Junior Golfer Should Master

The practice range is buzzing with junior golfers hitting balls before their tournament round. Some are warming up methodically, while others are frantically trying to fix their swing. The difference? The prepared players have a system.

Tournament success isn’t just about natural talent – it’s about showing up prepared, confident, and sharp. The best junior golfers in the country share one thing in common: they have specific, repeatable practice routines that prepare them for competition.

Here are five essential drills that every competitive junior golfer should master before stepping onto the first tee.

The Problem: Practice putting rarely mimics tournament pressure. When every stroke counts, even three-foot putts can feel impossible.

The Drill:

• Set up five balls at different distances: 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 feet from the hole
• Start with the 3-footer. If you make it, move to 6 feet. Miss it, and start over
• The goal is to make all five putts in a row
• If you miss any putt, restart from the beginning

Why It Works: This drill simulates tournament pressure where one missed putt can derail your round. It teaches you to focus on each putt individually while building confidence in your stroke.

Tournament Application: Use a modified version (3 balls at 4, 8, and 12 feet) during your pre-round warm-up to dial in your putting feel.

The Problem: Most juniors practice by hitting balls to random targets, which doesn’t prepare them for course-specific yardages and pin positions.

The Drill:

• Pick three specific yardages you commonly face on course (e.g., 95, 125, 150 yards)
• Hit 5 balls to each yardage, aiming at specific targets
• Rate each shot: Pin High (3 points), On Green (2 points), Miss Green (0 points)
• Goal: Score at least 30 out of 45 possible points

Advanced Version: Before each tournament, research the course and practice the most common approach yardages you’ll face.

Why It Works: Tournament golf demands precision, not just distance. This drill teaches you to commit to specific targets and evaluate your accuracy honestly.

The Problem: Around the green, junior golfers often practice by hitting random chips without any real consequence. Missing a chip by 10 feet doesn’t matter when you’re just grabbing another ball. This fails to simulate tournament pressure where every chip can be the difference between par and bogey.

The Drill:

Think of this as playing 9 holes of golf, but only around the practice green.

Setup:

• Select 9 different spots around the practice green
• Vary your positions: short chips (10-15 feet), medium chips (20-30 feet), and longer chips (35-50 feet)
• Include different lies: tight lies, normal lies, uphill, downhill, over bunkers
• Each spot becomes a “hole” you need to complete

Playing the Game:

• Chip from your first spot, then putt out
• Par for each hole is 2 strokes (chip + putt)
• Move to the next spot and repeat
• Total par for all 9 holes = 18 strokes
• Keep score like you’re playing a real round

Scoring Benchmarks:

• Under 18 (under par): Elite short game performance
• 18-20 (par to +2): Tournament-ready short game
• 21-23 (+3 to +5): Good, needs refinement
• 24+ (+6 or more): Focus area for improvement

Advanced Version: Play the same 9 spots each practice session to track improvement over time. Aim to beat your previous best score.

Why It Works: This drill creates authentic tournament pressure. When you need to chip close to make par, suddenly that 15-footer feels exactly like it does in competition. You learn to execute under pressure rather than just making practice swings. The scoring system forces you to commit to every chip because it affects your final number.

Tournament Application: Players who regularly shoot 18-20 in this drill develop unshakeable confidence around the greens. When you face a crucial up-and-down in a tournament, your brain remembers, “I do this all the time in practice.” The pressure feels familiar instead of overwhelming.

Progress Tracking: Keep a simple log of your scores:

• Week 1: 24 strokes
• Week 4: 21 strokes
• Week 8: 19 strokes
• Tournament result: Got up and down 6 times out of 8 attempts

This measurable improvement builds confidence and proves your short game is tournament-ready.

The Problem: The first tee shot sets the tone for your entire round, but most practice sessions don’t simulate this critical moment.

The Drill:

• Start with your driver and a specific target (fairway bunker, tree, etc.)
• Take only one practice swing, then hit your shot
• Immediately evaluate: fairway hit or miss
• Repeat 10 times, tracking your fairway percentage
• Goal: Hit at least 7 out of 10 fairways

Mental Component: Before each shot, go through your complete pre-shot routine, including visualization and commitment to your target.

Why It Works: The first tee often has the most pressure and spectators. This drill builds comfort and confidence in your opening shot.

The Problem: Tournament scores are made between 100 yards and the pin, but most practice focuses on full swings from perfect lies.

The Drill: Set up 12 balls at various distances inside 100 yards with different lies and slopes. Your goal is to get each ball:

• Inside 10 feet: 3 points
• Inside 20 feet: 2 points
• On green: 1 point
• Miss green: 0 points

Minimum score to pass: 24 out of 36 points

Course Connection: When you’re browsing tournaments on Hubble, look up course information and satellite images to identify common scoring zone situations you might face.

Why It Works: This is where tournaments are won and lost. Building confidence and skill in the scoring zone directly translates to lower scores.

The week before any tournament, incorporate these drills into your practice sessions:

Monday/Tuesday: Focus on drills #2 and #5 (iron play and scoring zone) Wednesday/Thursday: Emphasize drills #1 and #3 (putting and short game) Friday: Light practice with drill #4 (first tee simulation) Saturday: Tournament day – trust your preparation

As you prepare for tournaments found through Hubble’s database, use our course information and community insights to customize these drills. Other players and parents often share valuable practice tips and course-specific advice that can inform your preparation.

Remember, the goal isn’t perfect practice – it’s purposeful practice. These five drills will help you arrive at any tournament feeling prepared, confident, and ready to compete.

Tournament golf rewards preparation. While your competitors are hitting balls aimlessly, you’ll be systematically building the skills that matter most when the pressure is on.

The difference between good junior golfers and great ones isn’t just talent – it’s the quality and specificity of their preparation. Master these five drills, and you’ll step onto every first tee knowing you’re ready for whatever the course throws at you.

Looking for your next tournament to test these skills? Browse Hubble’s extensive database to find events that match your schedule and skill level. Practice with purpose, compete with confidence.