Tips For Tournament Golf From Frank Bensel

When Frank Bensel talks about winning golf tournaments, we should all listen, take notes, and study them over and over. The assistant pro at Century Country Club has so many trophies he needs a full-time staff just to polish them. Bensel offered some practical advice at the Met PGA Spring Forum on how to prepare for tournament play.

"Get your body ready for the tournament," he urges "You have to have stamina when walking several days in an event so it is helpful to walk on the course in practice rounds or just at the club carrying your bag." Bensel says he works on his own flexibility far in advance of playing a tournament. "I have to do a series of exercises on my hamstrings, hips, back, and shoulders that I can't stretch the day of a tournament."

Bensel also reminds us to have our clubs and equipment ready. "Make sure you have the correct set makeup for the course you will be playing," he advises. "If you need to add a hybrid or an extra wedge, be sure to have them ready."

When it comes to practice, Bensel says we should prepare specific aspects of our game for particular courses. He cites the need for an accurate driver and long irons for Bethpage Black, for example, or the ability to put on fast, undulating greens when playing Deepdale. "I try to play more prior to a tournament rather than beating balls," he says.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf