Calming your nerves

Snickerdog

Team THP 2019 Grandaddy Alumni
Albatross 2024 Club
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I always get nervous when am going to play an event or a competition. Once I get started and past the first tee box I am usually fine. I have learned/taught myself to just look around and take in the scenery and that will generally calm me down.

So do you get nervous and how do you handle those nerves?
 
I've learned to accept that first tee jitters in a competitive round are normal and I embrace them. I also almost always hit 3 wood because it has proven to be a fairway finder even under pressure.
 
Music. I listen to it right up to the start and finish the play list in my head through the first 30m or so. This is what I used to do when competing in bowling and what I do now when I'm playing golf with people I don't know.
 
I definitely nervous. Recently, I've been teaching myself to go back to a simple swing drill to bring that familiar feel before a shot. I also let my mind drift to my personal highlight reel to remind myself I can hit great shots. This game is SO mental.

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I always get nervous when am going to play an event or a competition. Once I get started and past the first tee box I am usually fine. I have learned/taught myself to just look around and take in the scenery and that will generally calm me down.

So do you get nervous and how do you handle those nerves?

Morgan Cup nerves are real!! Ha-Ha! 30+ people all standing behind ya on the 1st tee while JB is announcing your name and recording the entire process. Nerves!! I've learned over my THP event time and other events I play in today to have a good shot routine. That helps in keeping the thoughts to golf and should help in getting over that hump if it occurs.
 
Looking at scenery, taking control of your breathing, and even something as silly as finding 5 things that are engaging your senses. Anything to keep your mind busy with something else.
 
Morgan Cup nerves are real!! Ha-Ha! 30+ people all standing behind ya on the 1st tee while JB is announcing your name and recording the entire process. Nerves!! I've learned over my THP event time and other events I play in today to have a good shot routine. That helps in keeping the thoughts to golf and should help in getting over that hump if it occurs.

I think the most nervous I've ever been was at The Morgan Cup at The Patriot Club. The tee box was on a cliff overlooking the fairway which can make your nervous enough but then everyone watching and it being recorded just added to it. It's a heck of a memory though!

The thing that seems to work best for me is to just tell myself to take a slow backswing. That one thought distracts me a bit and gives me something simple to cling to.
 
Combat breathing. Seriously.


You know I didn't even think about this because it was so engrained in my day to day from a previous life.
 
I am a wreck for the first hole. Then, if it goes really really poorly, it bleeds into the second hole. I have lost many competitions on the first hole. Learning to trust my game and accept less than ideal results has helped a lot. Still nervous on the tee. But, much less so.

I actually read a Bob Rotella book last year that was pretty good. Not that it's a cure for nerves. Just reinforces the trust in your own game.
 
Ive been nervous before. Not so much lately as I haven't had to play in any real competition this year.

I used to not know what to do, but actually during my first THP event in Vegas, the second day I was having a rough morning after evening activities and while I was a little nervous, I figured, who cares, just swing at the dang ball. So now that is what I do when I am nervous.

I stand behind the ball just to see the general direction I want it to go, make sure I align my feet roughly to that area, and swing all out/hard at it. Usually works out to be a good hit, although sometimes it doesn't go as planned haha. The nice thing with that swing though is that the miss is consistent. Usually leave the face open and i hit a block right.
 
Typically there are some nerves, but I just to remember that there's nothing critical hanging on this particular shot. That tends to help most of the time. :)
 
I think majority of golfers get nervouse given different situations outside of their normal round or routine. Golfers are creatures of habit, just look at the recent British Open where Rory was out of his comfort zone on the 1st tee and couldnt recover his round.

For me it's breathing, i will take slow breaths in and counting to 5 on the inhale, hold it, then exhale while counting to 5 as well continuously that way the inhale and exhale are the same slowing the heart rate and helping calm the nerves. If there is a particular shot or hole during the round that makes me uncomfortable I will do this as well.
 
looking around at the scenery helps me, instead of looking at the hole layout and thinking of all the bad stuff that can happen. i also find that a little smile helps lighten things up.

probably the most nervous i've been in recent memory was on the first tee of last year's morgan cup, even though we were one of the later groups. i'm not usually nervous that i'll embarrass myself in front of everybody because let's face it none of us is very good at this game and we've all hit crappy shots. my nerves come from the anticipation that has been building for so long, and once it finally arrives it has an effect on me. but by the second shot, all of that goes away and it just becomes another round.
 
The times I have competed in an event I had to drive out to our starting hole, so I used that time to enjoy the surroundings and just breath easy and relax a bit. Then I tell myself once I step off the cart, it's go time and let's focus.
 
Having a set routine for every shot is a big help. No matter how nervous I get, once I start that routine it's just time to take a golf shot. If it goes poorly the key is to move on quickly and understand it's just one of a few poor shots that I will hit today, instead of making it out to be a bad one for the round.
 
Breathing... absolutely... similar to the combat breathing deal posted earlier: i inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 7. I find that lengthening the exhale slows my heart rate.
 
Alcohol works wonders for me. I even drank 2 beers before every test or essay in college; it helps with calmness, clarity and even confidence.
 
A bloody mary or cocktail in general helps but I have only been nervous golfing two times and that was at THP events with partners/teammates. Just didn't want to let them down. If it was only me competing I wouldn't be nervous because it's all fun at that point.
 
headphones on the range warming up and fresh new tee in my mouth, between my front teeth but stepping up to the first tee to help manage any jitters.
 
Having a set routine for every shot is a big help.

I hope it's quick. Sorry, low hanging fruit given some other discussions today.

Unless I've played a course several times and know the guys in the game that day, I'm nervous. How nervous depends on the setting.

My tendency when I'm nervous is to get really quick whether it's walking, speaking, or swinging a golf club, especially when there is a lack of familiarity. I try to slow down but don't always do it. After the first tee shot, I'm usually good to go, or as good as I'll be that day.
 
I don't get very nervous much anymore. Have played in a lot of competitions so that has helped to get used to it. Think one of the main keys is to just try to stick to your usual game, meaning pace, personality, rhythm etc. Don't change all of that just because its a tournament.
 
Understanding that golf is nothing to get nervous about has been the big one for me.

Edit: since I don’t compete, I can only offer my view.
 
Nerves of steel. After a couple of seasons of basketball, nothing shakes me. Imagine standing at the foul line with 40-50 fans in front of you, waving noodles and shouting at you to miss. After that, golf is easy. Nothing in front of you but fairway and trees. Ignore everything else.
 
Everyone gets nervous. Rory admitted to being nervous on the 1st tee at the Open Championship. Johnny Carson did his monologue for a years and said he got nervous before doing each one.

Take a deep breath, accept the nerves, and believe in yourself.
 
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