Practice with purpose.
There are lots of examples, an easy one being that if you want to remove the nerves from 3-footers, make sure any time you practice putting you don't leave the green until you've made 20 in a row.
A few years ago, I joined a league that everyone has to putt it into the hole. In each of the first two rounds I missed a few 2-3 footers. I went to the practice green and putted dozens of 3 footers. Now when I play I imagine I'm on the practice green.
Taking a page from Gary Players eh ? I dig it.
I’d also say, play for money. Play with people you know who are annoying to play with. Anything that gets under your skin, gets in your head. Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Learn to tune it out and conquer your nerves and the rest gets way easier from there.
I wish we had time for this. I barely have time to warm up. It takes it's toll. I used to play almost everyday and I would put in that sort of practice; now, I play once a week and barely have time for that. It takes a lot of time and patience to be consistently good at golf.
I played my first tournament this year, I was so nervous I finished dead last. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, but ya know what, next tournament, I finished second. I put myself in an uncomfortable position and because of it I became comfortable. You can do all the prep in the world, but you won’t be comfortable playing tournaments until you play tournaments. If you play bad, who cares, you did something outside of your comfort zone and that is where growth happens
100% this. What's the talk about Tiger? Aside from injury that he won't ever win again if he isn't out there competing. Even a dude who has won literally everything you can at the highest level of golf has to play competitive rounds to stay competitive.
This is how I do it.. It works for me... I imagine the worst case scenario whether it is duffing a drive on the first or missing a 3 foot putt on the 18th.. I really imagine it accutely and how I might feel... and guess what? It ain't the end of the world, you would just laugh out loud if it happens...
The other thing to remember, is.... no one cares. You might think they do, but they could not give a shit, unless you fall backwards into the pond, and then at least you'll be talked about :) ..
Enjoy yourself, it's a privelage to play this game... if someone who couldn't play, knew you were spoiling your enjoyment and luck, by worrying over nothing, they'd give out to you.
Haha glad you're optimizing something!
When I was a bad player, I think it relaxed me and that helped a lot. Now that I'm a single digit trying to shoot par, drinking absolutely crushes any focus I have and the wheels come off really quickly.
So, basically, if I drink, I'm shooting in the 80's. That can be good or bad, depending on where you are in your game.
Yea but which is more fun? All the scratch players I play with (2)- if they bogey the first two holes they're PISSED because basically the whole round is shit and they're unhappy the rest of the day. I've spouted often that if being that good makes me enjoy it that little I'll take my 12hcp all day instead
Weird. Obviously, that’s no fun to play with, but I don’t know any scratch players that lose their shit after a couple bogies. In fact, it’d be pretty tough to get to scratch with an attitude like that.
I can have fun with both drinking rounds and competitive rounds. I wasn’t really saying one is better than the other. OOP is the one who said he wanted to start competing. He didn’t ask anything about how to have more fun out there.
Oh for sure, but getting a decent social round where I hit sub 90 is more of a focus than hitting a perfect 83 at this point in my life, it’s been a few years since d2 college golf
Fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency.
But seriously, I just practice keeping my thoughts silly… I imagine that I keep a handful of “f*** it” in my pocket and I sprinkle some on the tee box… I tell myself that this is only a practice shot and doesn’t really count anyway… that sort of goofiness. I find that it keeps me in a good place of not taking things too seriously.
One thing that’s helped me is actively working on my mental game. I downloaded an app called Imagine Golf, which I listen to daily. They do 3 minute “daily drives” which simplify everything into digestible bites and I listen to audio books from Dr. Bob Rotella, who has worked with a boat load of golfers on their mental game. For me it’s been about being intentional and finding a few minutes to improve between meetings or when I’m driving. It’s definitely helped me all around. Hope that helps! Good luck!
Dr Rotella is a good audio book buy "Golf is not a game of perfect" Basically says you should not be thinking about your swing on the course ever. You should have an "every swing routine" and a specific target to swing at. When i do this I play better. Thinking about just your target and your routine helps you not think about your swing or other thoughts like "Don't hit it ft off the tee"
Its just repetition. I used to get nervous playing with strangers so I just kept forcing it. Than I would be really nervous playing competitions. My first competition I played in I blew up. Shot a 125. Still just gotta keep showing up and playing. Cant get comfortable doing something if you only do it once a year.
This has helped me quite a bit in my league this year just by learning how to handle staying focused with thoughts rushing through your head during your setup.
Absolutely - it just seems to help keep things calm, confident, and focused on the bigger picture (not worrying about your swing).
Lots of work still to go in that department but already seeing a real benefit!
Three things that helped my all-around:
1. Practice like you play. If you haven’t done a simulated round on the range: go through each shot you’d expect to have. First hole a 410 yard par 4? Practice your drive. If you leave it out right and that hole has trees, practice the punch shot that would get you near the green or into the fairway. Then practice the shot onto the green. Go all the way through your round and can help you mentally refocus on the course as you have a reference point.
2. With putting, it is important to practice lag putting and the seven footers and everything else, but sometimes you just need the barrage of three footers before you leave. Get used to seeing the ball roll in the hole.
3. Nothing preps you better for a tournament than prior tournaments. Force yourself to play more often with nerves, but adjust your expectations and your approach. If you over analyze, try to simplify the process - approach shot at the green: how far to the pin? If you are going to miss, where is the good miss? Those two things alone can give you a simple point to aim for and then try to commit to that. Easier said than done, but again, the only way to do that is to go out and force yourself to do that.
Outside of alcohol being the most obvious answer due to golf being 90% mental and it literally removes that aspect of it…
For me (4 hc), I’ve shot under 70 before - I am capable of shooting 70-75 consistently, I know I have the game. In club tourneys I’d consistently choke, always shooting high 70s low 80s. Especially when I was in my mid 20s, and it was all due to mental choking and fear of just swinging away. Constantly blocking the ball due to scared to just release it, leaving chips short etc..
Then I’d go out with the guys after for extra innings with music and a couple drinks and I’d always play lights out (however there is a tipping point with alcohol and golf)…so I eventually got tired of being a mental pansy in tournament play…like what is there to be nervous about I’m out playing golf with friends in a beautiful area and I’m scared to release a 100 yard swing??
Now in my early 30s I’ve been able to really just let go of the mental and just swing away, they say you play your best golf in your 30s because of this mental maturity aspect. If I go long I go long, if I over release it I miss left…my highest scores have always been from timid play and nervousness, so what is there to lose by just swinging away.
Basically just get comfortable adopting the mindset that golf is golf tourney or not and to treat it the same.
Even though I knew this it for some reason made me think damn that's so simple. Most of the days where I am complete garbage is because I'm too worried about my misses.
The other day I was playing like complete crap off the tee, trying to guide everything because I hit a few wayward shots in my league. Still shot a 39 that should've been like a 34. Cost myself so many strokes worried about messing it up when I should just be sending it and if it misses it misses. Deal with that on the next shot.
Meditation. It sounds stupid but it works. To be nervous you have to be lost in thought. It’s possible to learn to identify that thought simply as something arising in your consciousness and allow it to pass rather than identifying with and getting lost in it.
Experience.
Put yourself out there. Focus on trying to win and not ‘trying not to lose’ and promise yourself you won’t feel bad if you suck the first few times.
I have competed in all sorts of things (none at any kind of serious level) and I’ve felt nerves catch me from time to time. It comes when I’m not comfortable. And I start secretly hoping my opponent does something bad, or that I get a few lucky breaks. It almost never fails that I’m not successful in those moments.
When I have had success is when I feel like the shark and there is blood in the water. Where I’m eager to stick the dagger in.
I.e. you have a 10 foot putt for birdie. “Oh no, hopefully it goes in. If not at least leave it by the hole so you don’t three putt” vs “ha! Watch this! I’m gonna bury this fucker and break his back.”
The most difficult thing to do in golf is to accept that you are going to hit bad shots. Even tour players hit bad shots.
So, you need a pre shot routine. Focus on where you want to go and how you intend to achieve it. And when the bad shot happens, be happy you got that shot out of the way and move on to the next.
Having won my club championship more than a handful of times, I always had the mentality, I'm gonna be a nervous. It's human nature, and it may cause a bad shot. But when that shot happens, I always say to myself, "at least that's out of the way; now I can play golf."
No there isn't a way other than practice and doing it.
If your swing has flaws, its going to come out in tournament rounds and you're going to revert to whatever is comfortable, even if thats flawed.
Practice how you are going to play and don’t be afraid to go for it on a couple shots, that’s how we improve, it’s also just golf missing or making a bad shot is not real pressure sports are fun 🇺🇸
Just play every shot like nothing else matters except for that shot. Do this when you practice, do this in casual rounds, do this when you have $1 on the line….every shot has to be played like it’s the only shot that matters at all.
You’ll be ready for tournament golf pretty quick.
I guess I don’t take golf that seriously to the point where I’m ever affected by nerves. I play with three friends every Friday and the routine with us is 18 holes and then beer and wings. It never gets serious.
Nobody on the planet gives a crap about what I hit. No one at all. So why would I ever be nervous.
We all get nervous. Even Xander admitted he was nervous. The more one plays the easier it becomes. Once one plays in 5, 10 etc compitition rounds it becomes common place. Just treat it like another round.
I recently played in a money league. At first, I was very nervous. After a few rounds the nerves went away. Now I thrive. I no longer feel any pressure.
A bigger issue for me is when I'm between clubs and the wind is a factor. Most of the time I fuck up the shot because I'm not committed.
You're overly concerned with scoring when it's a competition. With strangers, ultimately your score is still meaningless.
You just have to do it. You can do pressure drills on the range which helps some but there's still no real penalty associated with messing up like there is in a tournament. Play more tournaments and the mental aspect will develop.
You need to be focused on playing within your ability and the opportunities to score will present themselves. Some days will be about grinding pars, and some days you'll be playing lights out and can play more aggressive.
Play the course beforehand and develop a strategy for every hole. You can take an immense amount of pressure off of every shot simply by knowing more about the course.
Take your bumps. Don't put yourself under such pressure every shot that you end up blowing up on holes. If you have to lay up on your approach on a par 4, so be it. You can still get up and down. You can't save par if you self-impose pressure on yourself to hit a ball outside of your skill and bomb it into the woods.
So, if you're nervous about being in a competition, you are not framing it correctly and are putting WAY to much emphasis on how you think others are going to respond to your outcome. Unless you are a top elite pro playing on TV on the weekends, the reality is that no one cares how you do in a competition-- whether it's at your club/home course, a local USGA tourney, etc. Its all in your head that "everyone" will notice you making a bad shot or posting a "bad" score. The reality is the other players are busy/consumed with their own game, your friends and family will only have a mild passing interest and will want to know "How did you do?" and everyone else for the most part won't give two thoughts about it. So, if you frame it that way, the only thing you have to do is play to your own best ability and have fun...what's to be nervous about in that??
Been playing competition for 21 years now, one very subtle thing that helps in conquering nerves is a CONSISTENT pre-shot routine. I do the same thing on the first tee that I do when I'm on the last hole of an extremely important tournament, that consistency helps me feel really comfortable all the time.
I was my club champion for an interclub league one year and my kids were each sick in succession for a total of three weeks. I couldn't even go to the range except for a few times on the weekends. Finally, the day before the championship, all three kids were in school and I went to the unfamiliar course for a practice round. In those three weeks I envisioned being on the tee with my driver in my hand and hearing the announcer say, "on the tee ...... From x club". Then I teed up my ball, took a breath, and swung. In my vision I saw the ball fly up and straight into the fairway. And do you know what? It actually happened! I was so relieved. My playing partner, not so much.
I found the following helpful to certain degrees: mindfulness techniques, deep breathes, concentration on the sounds around you to help clear your thoughts. A rock solid pre shot routine that you need to focus on helps to block out unwanted thoughts. Finally a mantra that you can repeat in your head like “I expect nothing, I am capable of greatness” which is about diminishing the focus on outcome of winning (the stressful part) and embracing the moment (the joy of playing).
The chasing scratch podcast guys talked about staring at a candle for five minutes… I haven’t tried that one haha
Just remember that in a short while, everyone you're with and watching will be worm food. It's not that serious. Unless you doing something absolutely insane like 2 hand slashing your caddy with your driver, nobody will remember you or how you played 10 minutes after they see you.
Just slow down during tournaments and really visualize each shot. Embrace the competition as well. As I’ve gotten older I absolutely love the competition I get from high stakes tournaments. I love a crowd and people betting against me. I can’t do the sports I once did anymore, so golf is a great outlet for that competitive sports need. Embrace it and have fun with it and you’ll train yourself to perform your best when it matters
Read Dr Bob Rotella. The simple mental mind set he teaches is easy to follow and DOES make a difference.
The first and most affective step is still to practice. Confidence to trust yourself is the most important thing.
Playing in a league with genuinely good guys. Some very good golfers& some not. Just out to have a nice time and a few drinks on a weeknight, no judgement and a lot of laughs.
Box breathing.
Slowly count in your head 1-2-3-4 over and over as you breathe in through your nose over 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, out through your mouth 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I can't speak for a lot of golfers, as many truly care about their game and score every time they tee it up.
But my Department groups have guys that are so chill that I forget to care about it. I just walk up with a "f\*\*\* it" attitude and just swing. Mud ball in the fairway? Clean it. Standing on the cart path for your shot? Move it far enough that you don't blow a knee slipping on the pavement.
We play for fun exclusively.
Be good off the tee. Nerves come from inexperience or incompetence. Confidence comes from competence and experience. If you’re nervous off the tee work on your tee shots. Or try hitting iron off the tee. It’s not a dick measuring contest even if it can feel like it with your buddies or randos.
I love teeing off in front of people because I’ve learned how to pretty consistently pipe the ball off the tee, even if/when I’m hitting iron off the tee, which I do fairly often. For me the nerves always come up on the greens, those 4-8 footers for par (or birdie) I am very lucky to hole out 1 per round.
Just gotta practice more and play more
We're always going to have issues with our own mind in golf. Just the nature of the beast, standing stationary over a ball and people watching. Keep practicing to find a swing you are confident with, and play a lot. Key is to normalize the situation, become familiar, just a routine, nothing special, no big deal. My best shots are because I don't hold back. Relaxed with almost indifference to the outcome, just enough care to focus on intentions of flight and trajectory.
Get high maybe. I have a shank issue and no matter what i do cannot cure it . I even watched myself and realized why I do it and I still think it has to do with my hands but it doesnt. Man its a battle. 10 days ago I hit my irons absolutely pure for 3 days and then poof one lunch break and its gone. - golf is fun!
Stick to your process, but don't play slow. I also get too competitive sometimes, so I play better in a competitive setting when I go in with the mindset that I'm just playing golf in a random foursome.
Something that’s helped me, is playing holes in my mind on the range. I pick a course I know well and pretending I’m playing it minus putting. It’s not perfect but it really helps with more than just hitting the same club 20 times in a row.
I don’t know that I have conquered golf nerves during competitive rounds but not sure I want to. It helps me to think of nerves as just being “excited.” I’ll talk to myself under my breath and actually say “this is awesome” or something like that. Simplifying preshot routine with no practice swings over the ball (outside of chips and putts) and backing away to start over if I have any doubts or distracted thoughts also helps me.
Focus on breathing. Like completely on breathing. Try to actively lower your heart rate with just your mind. Don't even think about golf, your job is to think about breathing the entire round.
You’ll be nervous your first time. It’s normal. It’s golf and it’s hard. You’re going to hit bad shots. Use your most reliable shot and play to avoid hazards. Think like a golfer instead of a weekend hacker.
I did competitive golf while younger, and do a lot of skins golf these days. The more you play this kind of golf, the more you get used to it.
In team skins matches, it sucks missing a 20$ 5 ft putt. It sucks even more letting down your playing partner. And for me, it sucks the worst when that playing partner is my dad because I know he would have made it lol.
Just play more golf with a purpose, and things will feel ”normal” eventually.
I call myself a driving range hero. If you saw me on the range you would think I was a scratch golfer. I can shape shots, control flight, bomb driver, etc. But when I get on course I tend to over swing. So in situations when I really need to hit a good shot, I just tell myself "you're just a the range." I even played yellow golf balls for a while to really instill the whole range feeling. I'm not a great golfer by any means but now my misses don't really come from nerves its the l.o.f.t.
I heard a long time ago (just heard, never actually verified) that the simple act of saying something out loud like "I'm excited to be here" or "I'm not nervous, this if fun"....etc somehow gets rid of the nerves. Apparently it's been tested and there is a non-trivial boost in performance.
Apparently it doesn't have to be genuine at all, just the mere fact that you say it out loud is supposed to help.
I've been doing it for a while, and it actually seems to really help. So, give it a shot and see if it works for you.
Practice with purpose. There are lots of examples, an easy one being that if you want to remove the nerves from 3-footers, make sure any time you practice putting you don't leave the green until you've made 20 in a row.
A few years ago, I joined a league that everyone has to putt it into the hole. In each of the first two rounds I missed a few 2-3 footers. I went to the practice green and putted dozens of 3 footers. Now when I play I imagine I'm on the practice green.
Taking a page from Gary Players eh ? I dig it. I’d also say, play for money. Play with people you know who are annoying to play with. Anything that gets under your skin, gets in your head. Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Learn to tune it out and conquer your nerves and the rest gets way easier from there.
I wish we had time for this. I barely have time to warm up. It takes it's toll. I used to play almost everyday and I would put in that sort of practice; now, I play once a week and barely have time for that. It takes a lot of time and patience to be consistently good at golf.
It's possible to practice short puts at home. Not as good as on the green but better than no practice at all
True. I do putt in the living room on occasion. :)
You mean bring a sleeping bag?
I played my first tournament this year, I was so nervous I finished dead last. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, but ya know what, next tournament, I finished second. I put myself in an uncomfortable position and because of it I became comfortable. You can do all the prep in the world, but you won’t be comfortable playing tournaments until you play tournaments. If you play bad, who cares, you did something outside of your comfort zone and that is where growth happens
100% this. What's the talk about Tiger? Aside from injury that he won't ever win again if he isn't out there competing. Even a dude who has won literally everything you can at the highest level of golf has to play competitive rounds to stay competitive.
Nobody cares if you suck so no need to be nervous
In fact, your competitors prefer if you suck!
This is my mantra.
This is my mantra.
This is my mantra.
This is how I do it.. It works for me... I imagine the worst case scenario whether it is duffing a drive on the first or missing a 3 foot putt on the 18th.. I really imagine it accutely and how I might feel... and guess what? It ain't the end of the world, you would just laugh out loud if it happens... The other thing to remember, is.... no one cares. You might think they do, but they could not give a shit, unless you fall backwards into the pond, and then at least you'll be talked about :) .. Enjoy yourself, it's a privelage to play this game... if someone who couldn't play, knew you were spoiling your enjoyment and luck, by worrying over nothing, they'd give out to you.
3 pints before and 1 on the turn.
This helps you be less nervous, but it doesn't make you more competitive.
Untrue, my performance only improves (and then rapidly declines after a breakpoint) it’s about optimised drinking
Haha glad you're optimizing something! When I was a bad player, I think it relaxed me and that helped a lot. Now that I'm a single digit trying to shoot par, drinking absolutely crushes any focus I have and the wheels come off really quickly. So, basically, if I drink, I'm shooting in the 80's. That can be good or bad, depending on where you are in your game.
Yea but which is more fun? All the scratch players I play with (2)- if they bogey the first two holes they're PISSED because basically the whole round is shit and they're unhappy the rest of the day. I've spouted often that if being that good makes me enjoy it that little I'll take my 12hcp all day instead
Weird. Obviously, that’s no fun to play with, but I don’t know any scratch players that lose their shit after a couple bogies. In fact, it’d be pretty tough to get to scratch with an attitude like that. I can have fun with both drinking rounds and competitive rounds. I wasn’t really saying one is better than the other. OOP is the one who said he wanted to start competing. He didn’t ask anything about how to have more fun out there.
Oh for sure, but getting a decent social round where I hit sub 90 is more of a focus than hitting a perfect 83 at this point in my life, it’s been a few years since d2 college golf
Fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency. But seriously, I just practice keeping my thoughts silly… I imagine that I keep a handful of “f*** it” in my pocket and I sprinkle some on the tee box… I tell myself that this is only a practice shot and doesn’t really count anyway… that sort of goofiness. I find that it keeps me in a good place of not taking things too seriously.
Well I do declare
One thing that’s helped me is actively working on my mental game. I downloaded an app called Imagine Golf, which I listen to daily. They do 3 minute “daily drives” which simplify everything into digestible bites and I listen to audio books from Dr. Bob Rotella, who has worked with a boat load of golfers on their mental game. For me it’s been about being intentional and finding a few minutes to improve between meetings or when I’m driving. It’s definitely helped me all around. Hope that helps! Good luck!
Dr Rotella is a good audio book buy "Golf is not a game of perfect" Basically says you should not be thinking about your swing on the course ever. You should have an "every swing routine" and a specific target to swing at. When i do this I play better. Thinking about just your target and your routine helps you not think about your swing or other thoughts like "Don't hit it ft off the tee"
My mantra is “look at the target. Look at the ball and swing.”
Its just repetition. I used to get nervous playing with strangers so I just kept forcing it. Than I would be really nervous playing competitions. My first competition I played in I blew up. Shot a 125. Still just gotta keep showing up and playing. Cant get comfortable doing something if you only do it once a year.
READ ZEN GOLF!!
This has helped me quite a bit in my league this year just by learning how to handle staying focused with thoughts rushing through your head during your setup.
Absolutely - it just seems to help keep things calm, confident, and focused on the bigger picture (not worrying about your swing). Lots of work still to go in that department but already seeing a real benefit!
Transcendental meditation does wonders for the golf nerves. It puts things in perspective.
Three things that helped my all-around: 1. Practice like you play. If you haven’t done a simulated round on the range: go through each shot you’d expect to have. First hole a 410 yard par 4? Practice your drive. If you leave it out right and that hole has trees, practice the punch shot that would get you near the green or into the fairway. Then practice the shot onto the green. Go all the way through your round and can help you mentally refocus on the course as you have a reference point. 2. With putting, it is important to practice lag putting and the seven footers and everything else, but sometimes you just need the barrage of three footers before you leave. Get used to seeing the ball roll in the hole. 3. Nothing preps you better for a tournament than prior tournaments. Force yourself to play more often with nerves, but adjust your expectations and your approach. If you over analyze, try to simplify the process - approach shot at the green: how far to the pin? If you are going to miss, where is the good miss? Those two things alone can give you a simple point to aim for and then try to commit to that. Easier said than done, but again, the only way to do that is to go out and force yourself to do that.
Beta blockers, CBD, mental coaching, and reps. Other than that… MTFU and be the dude your dog thinks you are!
Just have to keep trying. Comes with experience. I was nervous as hell my first few times, but now it doesn't bother me.
Outside of alcohol being the most obvious answer due to golf being 90% mental and it literally removes that aspect of it… For me (4 hc), I’ve shot under 70 before - I am capable of shooting 70-75 consistently, I know I have the game. In club tourneys I’d consistently choke, always shooting high 70s low 80s. Especially when I was in my mid 20s, and it was all due to mental choking and fear of just swinging away. Constantly blocking the ball due to scared to just release it, leaving chips short etc.. Then I’d go out with the guys after for extra innings with music and a couple drinks and I’d always play lights out (however there is a tipping point with alcohol and golf)…so I eventually got tired of being a mental pansy in tournament play…like what is there to be nervous about I’m out playing golf with friends in a beautiful area and I’m scared to release a 100 yard swing?? Now in my early 30s I’ve been able to really just let go of the mental and just swing away, they say you play your best golf in your 30s because of this mental maturity aspect. If I go long I go long, if I over release it I miss left…my highest scores have always been from timid play and nervousness, so what is there to lose by just swinging away. Basically just get comfortable adopting the mindset that golf is golf tourney or not and to treat it the same.
Even though I knew this it for some reason made me think damn that's so simple. Most of the days where I am complete garbage is because I'm too worried about my misses. The other day I was playing like complete crap off the tee, trying to guide everything because I hit a few wayward shots in my league. Still shot a 39 that should've been like a 34. Cost myself so many strokes worried about messing it up when I should just be sending it and if it misses it misses. Deal with that on the next shot.
Bob Rotella
Dr. Bob
Meditation. It sounds stupid but it works. To be nervous you have to be lost in thought. It’s possible to learn to identify that thought simply as something arising in your consciousness and allow it to pass rather than identifying with and getting lost in it.
Experience. Put yourself out there. Focus on trying to win and not ‘trying not to lose’ and promise yourself you won’t feel bad if you suck the first few times. I have competed in all sorts of things (none at any kind of serious level) and I’ve felt nerves catch me from time to time. It comes when I’m not comfortable. And I start secretly hoping my opponent does something bad, or that I get a few lucky breaks. It almost never fails that I’m not successful in those moments. When I have had success is when I feel like the shark and there is blood in the water. Where I’m eager to stick the dagger in. I.e. you have a 10 foot putt for birdie. “Oh no, hopefully it goes in. If not at least leave it by the hole so you don’t three putt” vs “ha! Watch this! I’m gonna bury this fucker and break his back.”
While we’re talking about this, can you imagine needing to sink a six footer to walk off win a major like Xander yesterday? Fucking cajonés
The most difficult thing to do in golf is to accept that you are going to hit bad shots. Even tour players hit bad shots. So, you need a pre shot routine. Focus on where you want to go and how you intend to achieve it. And when the bad shot happens, be happy you got that shot out of the way and move on to the next. Having won my club championship more than a handful of times, I always had the mentality, I'm gonna be a nervous. It's human nature, and it may cause a bad shot. But when that shot happens, I always say to myself, "at least that's out of the way; now I can play golf."
Once I realized that I dont care what others think it helped me a ton. Ask yourself why you care so much.
Confidence in your swing/ball striking helps but there are always some nerves. I try to stick to my normal routine like it was any other day.
No there isn't a way other than practice and doing it. If your swing has flaws, its going to come out in tournament rounds and you're going to revert to whatever is comfortable, even if thats flawed.
Exposure therapy. Just keep doing it until it's normal and not nervy
Practice how you are going to play and don’t be afraid to go for it on a couple shots, that’s how we improve, it’s also just golf missing or making a bad shot is not real pressure sports are fun 🇺🇸
Lots of tournament golfers used to eat Beta blockers before rounds to keep the heart rate steady and calm the nerves.
1st tee nerves do a half swing to get you out, nothing crazy. Loose goosey maroochy
Just play every shot like nothing else matters except for that shot. Do this when you practice, do this in casual rounds, do this when you have $1 on the line….every shot has to be played like it’s the only shot that matters at all. You’ll be ready for tournament golf pretty quick.
It's just golf it's just golf it's just golf nothing different
Plus competing. My first league round I shanked it all over the first four holes then settled down because oh it's just golf have fun
I guess I don’t take golf that seriously to the point where I’m ever affected by nerves. I play with three friends every Friday and the routine with us is 18 holes and then beer and wings. It never gets serious. Nobody on the planet gives a crap about what I hit. No one at all. So why would I ever be nervous.
We all get nervous. Even Xander admitted he was nervous. The more one plays the easier it becomes. Once one plays in 5, 10 etc compitition rounds it becomes common place. Just treat it like another round. I recently played in a money league. At first, I was very nervous. After a few rounds the nerves went away. Now I thrive. I no longer feel any pressure. A bigger issue for me is when I'm between clubs and the wind is a factor. Most of the time I fuck up the shot because I'm not committed.
You're overly concerned with scoring when it's a competition. With strangers, ultimately your score is still meaningless. You just have to do it. You can do pressure drills on the range which helps some but there's still no real penalty associated with messing up like there is in a tournament. Play more tournaments and the mental aspect will develop. You need to be focused on playing within your ability and the opportunities to score will present themselves. Some days will be about grinding pars, and some days you'll be playing lights out and can play more aggressive. Play the course beforehand and develop a strategy for every hole. You can take an immense amount of pressure off of every shot simply by knowing more about the course. Take your bumps. Don't put yourself under such pressure every shot that you end up blowing up on holes. If you have to lay up on your approach on a par 4, so be it. You can still get up and down. You can't save par if you self-impose pressure on yourself to hit a ball outside of your skill and bomb it into the woods.
Deep breathes work for me as well as a consistently used preshot routine.
So, if you're nervous about being in a competition, you are not framing it correctly and are putting WAY to much emphasis on how you think others are going to respond to your outcome. Unless you are a top elite pro playing on TV on the weekends, the reality is that no one cares how you do in a competition-- whether it's at your club/home course, a local USGA tourney, etc. Its all in your head that "everyone" will notice you making a bad shot or posting a "bad" score. The reality is the other players are busy/consumed with their own game, your friends and family will only have a mild passing interest and will want to know "How did you do?" and everyone else for the most part won't give two thoughts about it. So, if you frame it that way, the only thing you have to do is play to your own best ability and have fun...what's to be nervous about in that??
Been playing competition for 21 years now, one very subtle thing that helps in conquering nerves is a CONSISTENT pre-shot routine. I do the same thing on the first tee that I do when I'm on the last hole of an extremely important tournament, that consistency helps me feel really comfortable all the time.
I fucked up so many times with something on the line that I no longer care if I got $1 or $1,000 on the line. Not affected
I was my club champion for an interclub league one year and my kids were each sick in succession for a total of three weeks. I couldn't even go to the range except for a few times on the weekends. Finally, the day before the championship, all three kids were in school and I went to the unfamiliar course for a practice round. In those three weeks I envisioned being on the tee with my driver in my hand and hearing the announcer say, "on the tee ...... From x club". Then I teed up my ball, took a breath, and swung. In my vision I saw the ball fly up and straight into the fairway. And do you know what? It actually happened! I was so relieved. My playing partner, not so much.
Conquering golf nerves. Does that really happen?
I found the following helpful to certain degrees: mindfulness techniques, deep breathes, concentration on the sounds around you to help clear your thoughts. A rock solid pre shot routine that you need to focus on helps to block out unwanted thoughts. Finally a mantra that you can repeat in your head like “I expect nothing, I am capable of greatness” which is about diminishing the focus on outcome of winning (the stressful part) and embracing the moment (the joy of playing). The chasing scratch podcast guys talked about staring at a candle for five minutes… I haven’t tried that one haha
Just remember that in a short while, everyone you're with and watching will be worm food. It's not that serious. Unless you doing something absolutely insane like 2 hand slashing your caddy with your driver, nobody will remember you or how you played 10 minutes after they see you.
Just slow down during tournaments and really visualize each shot. Embrace the competition as well. As I’ve gotten older I absolutely love the competition I get from high stakes tournaments. I love a crowd and people betting against me. I can’t do the sports I once did anymore, so golf is a great outlet for that competitive sports need. Embrace it and have fun with it and you’ll train yourself to perform your best when it matters
Read Dr Bob Rotella. The simple mental mind set he teaches is easy to follow and DOES make a difference. The first and most affective step is still to practice. Confidence to trust yourself is the most important thing.
Don't worry about what other people think becuase they couldn't care less. Everyone else is thinking about their own crappy shots, not yours.
Playing in a league with genuinely good guys. Some very good golfers& some not. Just out to have a nice time and a few drinks on a weeknight, no judgement and a lot of laughs.
Box breathing. Slowly count in your head 1-2-3-4 over and over as you breathe in through your nose over 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, out through your mouth 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I can't speak for a lot of golfers, as many truly care about their game and score every time they tee it up. But my Department groups have guys that are so chill that I forget to care about it. I just walk up with a "f\*\*\* it" attitude and just swing. Mud ball in the fairway? Clean it. Standing on the cart path for your shot? Move it far enough that you don't blow a knee slipping on the pavement. We play for fun exclusively.
Be good off the tee. Nerves come from inexperience or incompetence. Confidence comes from competence and experience. If you’re nervous off the tee work on your tee shots. Or try hitting iron off the tee. It’s not a dick measuring contest even if it can feel like it with your buddies or randos. I love teeing off in front of people because I’ve learned how to pretty consistently pipe the ball off the tee, even if/when I’m hitting iron off the tee, which I do fairly often. For me the nerves always come up on the greens, those 4-8 footers for par (or birdie) I am very lucky to hole out 1 per round. Just gotta practice more and play more
I feel fine until someone is watching
Get used to it. Put yourself in these situations often and it’ll come naturally
My wife says I’m an attention whore …. So 😂
You guys get nerves?
We're always going to have issues with our own mind in golf. Just the nature of the beast, standing stationary over a ball and people watching. Keep practicing to find a swing you are confident with, and play a lot. Key is to normalize the situation, become familiar, just a routine, nothing special, no big deal. My best shots are because I don't hold back. Relaxed with almost indifference to the outcome, just enough care to focus on intentions of flight and trajectory.
Get high maybe. I have a shank issue and no matter what i do cannot cure it . I even watched myself and realized why I do it and I still think it has to do with my hands but it doesnt. Man its a battle. 10 days ago I hit my irons absolutely pure for 3 days and then poof one lunch break and its gone. - golf is fun!
Beta blockers
Stick to your process, but don't play slow. I also get too competitive sometimes, so I play better in a competitive setting when I go in with the mindset that I'm just playing golf in a random foursome.
Just play more tournament golf. Each subsequent tournament you will be a little less nervous.
I tell myself, it’s those nerves that give you the superpower to do something great. Let’s go! Might work if you’re wired that way. Won’t for others.
There are winners and there are losers in life. You've gotta choose which you're going to be. Mind over matter.
experience
BETA. BLOCKERS.
If you’re like me, do NOT think, just hit the damn thing lol
CBD
Practice mindfulness regularly. Read Zen Golf.
Put pressure on yourself all the time, and in all games, so that you are used to tryharding.
Something that’s helped me, is playing holes in my mind on the range. I pick a course I know well and pretending I’m playing it minus putting. It’s not perfect but it really helps with more than just hitting the same club 20 times in a row.
See a sports psychologist
I don’t know that I have conquered golf nerves during competitive rounds but not sure I want to. It helps me to think of nerves as just being “excited.” I’ll talk to myself under my breath and actually say “this is awesome” or something like that. Simplifying preshot routine with no practice swings over the ball (outside of chips and putts) and backing away to start over if I have any doubts or distracted thoughts also helps me.
Focus on breathing. Like completely on breathing. Try to actively lower your heart rate with just your mind. Don't even think about golf, your job is to think about breathing the entire round.
You’ll be nervous your first time. It’s normal. It’s golf and it’s hard. You’re going to hit bad shots. Use your most reliable shot and play to avoid hazards. Think like a golfer instead of a weekend hacker.
do the 18/18/18 it works every time. 18 hotdogs and 18 beers in 18 holes
I did competitive golf while younger, and do a lot of skins golf these days. The more you play this kind of golf, the more you get used to it. In team skins matches, it sucks missing a 20$ 5 ft putt. It sucks even more letting down your playing partner. And for me, it sucks the worst when that playing partner is my dad because I know he would have made it lol. Just play more golf with a purpose, and things will feel ”normal” eventually.
Purposeful practice. Build pressure on yourself during practice. Measure your results.
I call myself a driving range hero. If you saw me on the range you would think I was a scratch golfer. I can shape shots, control flight, bomb driver, etc. But when I get on course I tend to over swing. So in situations when I really need to hit a good shot, I just tell myself "you're just a the range." I even played yellow golf balls for a while to really instill the whole range feeling. I'm not a great golfer by any means but now my misses don't really come from nerves its the l.o.f.t.
I heard a long time ago (just heard, never actually verified) that the simple act of saying something out loud like "I'm excited to be here" or "I'm not nervous, this if fun"....etc somehow gets rid of the nerves. Apparently it's been tested and there is a non-trivial boost in performance. Apparently it doesn't have to be genuine at all, just the mere fact that you say it out loud is supposed to help. I've been doing it for a while, and it actually seems to really help. So, give it a shot and see if it works for you.