Mental Toughness Training for Golfers: How to Conquer Pre-Game Jitters
The first tee shot can often make or break a round because it sets up your performance on the first hole, which can have a bearing on your attitude and score on the opening holes. Retief Goosen, who won the US Open, said that most good players get the first tee jitters and a good shot can settle you down quickly.
Goosen stated, "Well, you're always nervous on the first tee. Today with the way the wind was playing, you had to hit driver while the other three days I hit 2-iron off the tee. Those first tee nerves are always the hardest to get over, and it was nice to get off to a great tee shot and obviously making a birdie." Even the best players in the world get nervous, but they still can perform.
Players can experience two different types of jitters. The first is the friendly kind of butterflies characterized by excitement and anticipation. This is a good feeling of anticipation of the start of the round. You feel excited to play and ready to get going. The second kind of jitters is the type that makes you have a sinking feeling in the pit of your gut. Your mind races, heart rate accelerates, palms sweat, muscles tighten, blood pressure increases, and you get an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach. In addition, you worry about topping the first shot or hitting it in the woods.
Players of all levels experience pressure, even the pros when playing in the US Open. The pressure you feel to win a match is self-induced and can hurt or help your play depending on how you react to it. When Goosen was asked about the most pressure he felt trying to win the US Open, he replied that putting was the most difficult, but not unexpected. "When you stand over a putt you are nervous. You are shaking on the inside like any other player does, and Tiger does, too. It's just how you've learned to play under that sort of pressure, and in a way it sort of becomes natural in a way that you feel like I can only play my best golf when I'm really under pressure," Goosen said.
Now that's a different perspective about pressure-pressure is a natural part of sports and you need to feel it to play your best golf! How a player perceives the pressure determines if he will react well or poorly to it. Players who choke are afraid of the feelings that come with pressure, whereas golfers who win embrace the feelings that come with pressure. Pressure is only bad if you see it as harmful, but it can actually help you perform better if you use it to your advantage.
When you are under pressure, the physiological activation increases and you are in an excited state. Some of this is very positive as it can help you focus better when you need to. Champion golfers worry about not having enough intensity and focus to play their best. I know many golfers who can only get excited (and thus focused) when they are on the leader board or have a chance to win and if they are on the bottom of the field, they lose intensity and focus. Goosen states, "Sometimes when you're not under pressure, your focus is not there, and you might not make the putts. But when you're sort of under pressure, it's sort of a must thing; you must focus and you must make the putt, and that's what I feel when I stand over it."
One of your objectives when you begin to feel the pressure is to interpret it as a way of getting you focused and giving you the shot of adrenaline you need to perform well. Welcoming the nerves as a natural part of golf is how many pros deal with nerves when trying to win a golf tournament. Focusing too much on the uncomfortable feelings only heightens the tension. When you feel nervous, do not bring more attention to the knot in your stomach or a rapid heartbeat. Accept that your body is preparing you to perform your best in competition.
Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is a master mental game coach who works with athletes of all levels including amateur and professionals. Visit Peaksports.com to gain access to over 500 exclusive mental game articles, audio programs, and interviews with athletes and coaches to enhance your athletic potential: http://www.peaksports.com/membership/ or call 888-742-7225.
To become a mental game coaching professional, visit: http://www.mentalgamecoachingpro.com
Latest News
 Telegraph.co.uk | Kim, Villegas lead charge for PGA Tour's young stars USA Today - Actually, Garcia arrived on golf's grand stage at 19 when he nearly chased down Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship and a month later was 3-1-1 as the ... In His Absence, Woods Has New Challengers Teeing Off PGA Tour Commissioner Finchem to appear on Golf Channel tonight Golf Channel HD Kicks Off With PGA Tour |
 Slippery Brick | How Can a GPS Help Your Golf Game? Ask Garmin PC Magazine - The only thing caddies have to do is carry the bag. by Craig Ellison LAS VEGAS—If you want to slice a few strokes off of your golf game, Garmin's new ... New Garmin GPS unit helps your golf game Garmin® Goes Golfing with Approach™ G5, New Touchscreen GPS Device ... |
Disc golf referendum might face legal question MSNBC - CHICO -- A referendum seeking to keep disc golf courses in upper Bidwell Park faces a legal issue that could potentially allow the Chico City Council to ... City Council Changes Mind About Disc Golf City Council Votes To Restore Disc Golf In Upper Bidwell Park Council takes on disc golf again |
Xerox Golf Classic Won’t Run This Year 13WHAM-TV, NY - (Rochester, NY) – Xerox has decided to drop its sponsorship of the PGA this year, and move those marketing dollars into other areas. ... Xerox Classic golf tournament goes on hiatus Xerox Classic goes on hiatus for lack of sponsor |
Troubled Collins Hill Golf Club open, but with ‘skeleton crew’ Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA - By PATRICK FOX The Collins Hill Golf Club is still open, but things are no better than they were last month when the governing board asked the county to ... |
 GolfDigest.com | Golf-Recovering Seve targets return as Royal Trophy captain Reuters.uk, UK - BANGKOK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Seve Ballesteros is planning to return to golf next year as captain of Europe's Royal Trophy team after starting rehabilitation ... Olazabal: European skipper Olazabal wary of Asian threat in golf showpiece Europe urged to win for Seve |
Golf tips for Barack Obama Los Angeles Times, CA - Barack Obama, a southpaw, will be the 15th US president to play golf, but Obama's game is nowhere close to being an amateur version of lefty Phil ... |
 Reuters | Golf-Hawaiian delight for Els after tortuous flight Reuters.uk, UK - By Mark Lamport-Stokes KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan 7 (Reuters) - It took Ernie Els 26 hours to fly to Hawaii for this week's Mercedes-Benz Championship but he is ... What they said: Ernie Els |
When a Tolerable Solitude Turns Intolerable, Help Arrives New York Times, United States - “I can’t even look at my golf clubs in the closet,” he said. So instead he looks at pictures of his family that are taped up on the armoire above the little ... |
 BBC News | Some golf clubs may cause hearing loss WFIE-TV, IN - Twenty years ago the impact of wood on golf balls generated a healthy click on the range. Now is something akin to a small sonic boom. ... New golf clubs causing hearing loss Study on golf driver sounds more a bust than a sonic boom Loud Golf Clubs May Damage Hearing |
Resources
-
The Simple Golf Swing
Unlock Your Hidden Potential by Discovering the Golf Swing that is Delivering Consistent, Accurate Distance to thousands of golfers world-wide.
-
Golf Options: Hit Fairways Your Way.
New Golf System that Explains How Setup and Swing Factors Affect Ball Flight and Solutions to Common Golf Problems.
-
Golf Fitness Book - Golf Exercise Guide - Golf Training Workouts
Golf fitness exercise training book providing Golf workouts,Golf stretches,Golf exercises and Golf swing tips to improve Golf swing.
-
Golf Tips, Golf Lessons and Golf Instruction- Guide On How To Break 80
How to Break 80 is an instructional guide for golfers looking to get Golf tips, Golf lessons and Golf instruction.
-
Golf FREE At Golf Courses And Get Paid!
Discover the secret to playing free Golf at Golf courses anywhere and make up to $897 a week for playing Golf.
-
The Dave Way.
Destroy your Golf Slice in a matter of Minutes using this Revolutionary New System! Success Guaranteed. Sports & Recreation.
-
ShopUntilYouDrop.net - Get paid for shopping, eating out and more...
Get paid for shopping and eating out. Shop at your favorite stores, eat at popular restaurants, see the latest movies, shop the internet. Even your purchases are free!
-
Golf Fitness Experts provide comprehensive guide to better Golf
Golf exercises, mental strategies, and swing instruction from 7 leading Golf experts.
-
Play Golf For FREE And Get Paid To Play...
PaidToGolf reveals how to play FREE Golf and get paid to play.
-
Golf Game Method Book Putting Scoring Clubs Teeing Off Golf Instruction Ebook To Score In the 70s Im
This Revolutionary New Instructural Method is So Simple So Easy to Learn So Effective Golf putting Golf book shooting in the 70