The same sequence every round — built so a streaky, competitive kid arrives calm and trusts the swing he already has instead of trying to find it on the first tee.
Bag checked — balls, tees, glove, water, snacks, a rain layer. A real dinner, in bed early. One sentence about tomorrow, then let it go.
Early enough that nothing is rushed — rushed is where first-tee nerves live. A real breakfast, water starting now.
- A few lag putts to feel the day's green speed, then a handful of three-footers to see some drop.
- To the range: wedges first (the clock lengths), up through the irons, a few drivers and the go-to 3-wood.
- End on a club he trusts — never walk off the range after a blocked driver.
- Two minutes of putting speed before the tee.
He doesn't need to find his swing here — he needs to warm it up and trust it.
One swing thought, not five
Pick one feel to carry — this season it's usually the wedge tempo or "stay in the chair." One thought is a reminder; five is a lecture that tightens him up.
A full breath, pick a specific target (not "the fairway" — a tree, a bunker edge), one look, and go. The routine is the point: the same steps on the first tee and the eighteenth.
After any bad shot, the cue is short: pick a target, one breath, next shot. His game lives or dies on the hole after the bad one — the routine protects that.
Why the sameness matters: Cole's scores wobble when the day feels big. A routine he's run a hundred times makes a tournament first tee feel like a Tuesday range ball. That's the edge.
