I teach a lot of golfers and a common refrain is that they won’t play well for the first couple of holes due to nerves and, in particular, they dread the opening tee shot. The first thing to remind yourself is that, while there might be a few people there, they won’t be watching you very carefully, if at all.
How often have you hit a poor shot and spun around, thinking there will be a load of eyes on you, and nobody is paying you any attention? It’s time to break that cycle and start playing good golf right from the off…
Stick to your routine
Developing a consistent golf pre-shot routine is an essential part of overcoming nerves on the golf course. It’s just as important, if not more so, as working on the basics like honing the perfect golf grip or finding the perfect ball position for every club. Once in place, don’t be scared to stick to it on the first tee. You might be dreading the moment and just want to get it over and done with but that’s not giving yourself the best chance of hitting a great shot.
Something simple like this can work wonders. Take a couple of practice swings, pick a very specific target and think of something simple and beneficial in your swing. If you have a trigger don’t suddenly remember it halfway down the first – have it ready as you’re standing over the ball.
See a positive target
We’ve all heard about using visualisation as a tool. It’s one of the things tour players do religiously but it remains underutilised by amateurs. Instead, a lot of golfers focus on the trouble facing them, which increases the likelihood of hitting a bad shot.
Visualise the shot you want to play and where you want the ball to go
(Image credit: Future)
So, as part of your routine, pick a target and visualise where you want the ball to go, ensuring you’re committed to the club you’ve chosen for the job, rather than thinking of the endless possibilities of where it might not go. From there, don’t take too long over the ball. The longer that you stand still, the more you might freeze and overthink things.
Bonus tip
You don’t have to get…
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