If this sounds like you, and believe me you are not the only one, then do you expect to play well? Or do you think that bad round was just one of those days?

Preparation is key if you want to play golf to the best of your ability. Someone once said "Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail" They were right. Rushing into any endeavour without prior thought is a sure fire way to fall flat on your a**. Do you think Tiger just turns up? No, he plans a golf match with military precision, everything he can do to eliminate errors, he will do and that's why he's number one.

We are not all gifted with the time or facilities to prepare like Tiger but that is no reason why we cannot do our best to rid ourselves of some of those silly errors that can wreck a score card. How do we prepare for our best golf?

Arrive at the golf course in plenty of time. Eliminate haste as you should be relaxed and ready to play your best golf.

1) Stretch; stretching calms and relaxes the body and mind as well as helping to prevent injuries to stiff muscles. Stretching allows the body to work to it's best so making your swing smoother and more consistent. Stretching should not be confined to the start of the round but continued throughout the game.

2) Spend time on the practice putting green. This green will be similar in condition to the real greens and time spent here will give you valuable information on the likely speed of your putts so making it easier to get it right when you need to.

3) Allow for some chipping practice also, your flexibility and speed varies and so practice here will let you gauge your shots on to the greens and remember a chip should be considered a putt with a hop. Go for the hole every time.

4) Finally bang a few balls down the driving range or into the nets, this will open up your chest and really allow you to swing into those 300 yard drives.

Stroll to the first tee and take a couple of deep, calming breaths as you watch your playing partner pull out his clubs and scramble to the tee. Give these simple tips a try and see how your golf game improves. Most importantly, golf is not a race, enjoy it.