In my years as a PGA Assistant Professional at Isleworth Country Club, I learned many things from my mentors—meaning yes, I did get golf advice from Tiger Woods. I was there from 1998 to 2003, so there was a great deal of incredible golf to witness and discuss with him.

I learned a lot from Tiger’s mentorship, particularly when it came to preparing for tournaments. One of the greatest preparation tricks he taught me was so obvious, I almost missed it.

Tiger’s Golf Advice: Practice Your Par 3 Yardages

Let’s use Augusta National Golf Club as an example. There are four par 3s at Augusta National. Traditionally, these holes play as some of the most difficult ones on the course during The Masters. The brutal 4th hole ranks as the all-time third toughest hole on the entire course, and the famous 12th is ranked fourth!

According to Tiger, you can give yourself an advantage on these holes prior to the tournament. After all, we know each of the par 3s play to a specific yardage. There may be a small range in the yardage, but overall, they’ll require the same club each day. 

If one of the par 3s has a wide tee box length range, then practice from a front and back yardage. That way, you’ll be prepared no matter where they place the flagstick.

Why is this so important? These shots will be the only approach shots you can guarantee you’ll have during the tournament. Since you know what they will be ahead of time, you can make yourself as comfortable as possible on them and improve your whole score.

golfer placing ball on the course

Successful golfers and champions all have strategies that help them triumph on the course. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to take whatever golf advice from Tiger Woods I can get.

Use this lesson to prepare for all of your rounds, not just those with famously difficult par 3s. Grab a scorecard and look at the par 3 yardages when you get to the course. Make sure you use those clubs required to hit those tee shots in your warmup. 

If you have a home course, make those par 3 yardages a part of all your practice sessions. Take it from Tiger, getting comfortable with any shot is difficult. The least you can do is routinely practice those shots you know are coming!

Better Golf Is Possible

It doesn’t matter where you play or how good of a golfer you are, you can always prepare and improve. Let’s face it—golf is hard, so take the advice of a 15-time major champion and practice what you can. Improve your par 3 scoring and there’s no doubt your handicap will go down and your score will be the envy of all your competitors.

Keith Stewart

Keith Stewart is a PGA Professional and storyteller. He has built a unique marketplace perspective through two decades in the golf industry. As a professional, he has worked at many prestigious clubs on the east coast, most notably, Isleworth Country Club from 1998 to 2003, home to Tiger Woods at the time. Currently, Keith uses his talent as the host of the ProShow on ESPN radio across the New York City market. His expertise in the industry blended with a comedic pop-culture filter entertains his listeners. He's a 5-time award winning PGA Professional who brings credibility to any discussion covering the world of sports. Keith resides in Hopewell, NJ with his wife Laurie and their two kids Owen and Abbey. He's a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and an avid golfer.