you’ve officially booked a session to test a gaggle of drivers you’ve been eyeing for the last few months. The level of excitement is palpable as you count down the days until the big day. This is going to be the year you find a driver that turns you into Iron Byron off the tee.

We know the feeling and want you to embrace your inner kid on Christmas morning. In the midst of all that excitement, just remember to follow one simple tip from two of the biggest names in sport (Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods) to maximize your testing session: Make sure you’re swinging well before you test.

I once asked Tiger W during a one-on-one interview when he typically tests equipment. Some elite golfers choose to test during the offseason; others will test throughout the year. Tiger, on the other hand, will only test when his swing is in a groove.

“I’ve always tested, though, when I’m actually hitting well,” Woods said. “I don’t want to test when I’m hitting poorly because then I think you can find a club that’s going to Band‑Aid it, and you really don’t know what truly is going to happen when your game turns around.  And so I would push off testings until I worked on my game.”

Like Tiger, Rory is another high-profile name who prefers to dial-in his gear and conduct testing when he’s feeling it. It’s one of the reasons why he didn’t mind testing TaylorMade drivers at Colonial when he noticed his spin rate was slightly down.