Beat golfers nerves and play your best golf
Have you ever felt nervous with your hands shaking before hitting your drive on the 1st tee? Do the thought of 10 people watching you tee off make you feel uncomfortable and a nervous golfer? If you've experienced any of these or similar then you've been feeling golfers nerves.
This is perfectly normal and in fact, most touring professionals will tell you they still experience the same even after playing for years in front of thousands of people.
The good news is these nerves can be managed and you can learn to keep calm and play golf better than you have before.
The Golf State Of Mind Ultimate Mental Game Training Program is part of my mental preparation for golf that helps me play my best.
3 SECRET MOVES I WISH I WAS SHOWN WHEN I FIRST PLAYED GOLF
How your nerves come to be
Believe it or not, the pressure you put on yourself and the resulting nerves are the biggest reason you struggle to play consistent golf and improve. Yes, performing golf swing basics and fundamentals correctly is important, but not as much as you think. Most golfers don't realize that the pressure you feel on the golf course is self-created. You are the one that is making you feel nervous and uncomfortable.
Golf is more mental and emotional than other sports and you probably don't realize you have more control over your mental state than you think.
If you want to reduce your golfer’s nerves and make fewer mental mistakes during a round, you have to understand that the pressure you put on yourself to perform is the worst thing you can do.
This is the biggest contributor to your golfers nerves.
The good news is these mental mistakes can all be easily fixed, just by looking at your game in a different way and becoming more disciplined.
This eliminates the pressure you feel, allowing you to play a more focused and relaxing game.
If you want to get rid of golfer’s nerves, here are five mental golf tips that will help sharpen your mind and stay relaxed on the golf course.
1. Stay loose and focus on swing tempo
When you’re playing a round and start to feel nervous, everything becomes quicker and you tighten up without even realizing it. This tightness causes tension in your muscles, which causes you to hit the golf ball poorly. Whenever you start to feel nervous on the golf course, you should try and slow things down, which means the way you walk and your swing.
You should also loosen your grip on the club a little to reduce your chances of hitting any golf heel shots.
2. Breathe
Breathing techniques have been used as a coping mechanism for stress by medical professionals and other alternative health advocates so it makes sense golfers have started using it as well. According to research, the more nervous a person becomes, the shorter the breath they draw. On the other hand, the more oxygen we have going in, the calmer and focused we are.
If you want to learn how to control your golfers nerves, you have to understand that learning to breathe correctly is the key.
If you feel stressed and nervous during a round of golf, breathing techniques can help prevent any loss of timing associated with the pressure, and help keep you calm and playing great golf.
2.1 How to breathe to beat golfers nerves
Here are a couple of breathing tips recommended to help with the nervous golfer in you. After you've had a bad hole try this technique: Firstly it's important that you don't panic, and instead you should inhale and slowly count to four. After that, exhale for six seconds. Repeat this exercise nine more times.
The exercise helps deliver oxygen to your brain which in turn helps you to focus better.
Counting uses the same side of the brain that worry and anxiety uses, and it is difficult to do both at the same time.
By counting during the exercise your focus will be turned away from your nerves because it is difficult for your brain to count and worry at the same time.
Think good thoughts:
This might sound a little simple, but it is a very effective technique to loosen you up and give you focus.
Think about a couple of the happiest moments of your life, once you have the moments in your head, focus on the joy you felt at the time while you inhale and focus on getting rid of any negative energy when you exhale.
3. Don’t Change Routine
A lot of golfers make the mistake of thinking a change in their routine will fix whatever mental issues they are having on the golf course. However, your routine is a very important part of having a good lower-scoring round. A good golf routine plays a big part in combating golfers’ nerves as it helps keep you in the present state where better golf is more likely to occur.
If you change your routine, you’re likely to play even worse than you currently are, which is why you should have a routine and stick to it even if you’re having an off day.
4. Chill every now and again
When you undergo physical exercise, it is important to take a break to let your body and muscles recuperate from the pain and stress they went through. You should apply the same logic if you find yourself suffering from golfer’s nerves because a break will reduce the amount of stress you’re feeling.
When you come back to the golf course, you'll feel refreshed and ready to play well again.
If you're still a little bit run down after your break, this video shows a great way to overcome 1st tee nerves in golf and get your round started off better.
Watch the video below that demonstrates how to eliminate your first tee jitters:
5. Take every shot for what it is
The first reaction most golfers have when a shot doesn’t go their way is usually anger or frustration. However, those emotions only make you play even worse than you were before. Instead of getting upset if a shot didn't go where you were intended it to, accept the fact that your shots aren’t always going to go where you want them to.
There's nothing you can do about it even if you are the best golfer in the world.
An easy way to learn acceptance is by picturing the shot in your head hitting your target.
But, if you don't pull it off as planned, it's important to remain cool, accept it, and move on quickly.
Your turn to take this to the golf course
You now have 5 powerful techniques to eliminate your golfers nerves and help you play your best golf.
Like everything in golf, it's important to practice each technique until you feel comfortable with them all.
Don't worry if all five seem too great a challenge, just focus on a couple to start with and slowly bring the others into your routine.
Using these as part of your mental preparation for golf is the perfect addition to your golf game to see real improvement.
Don't forget to check out the Golf State Of Mind Ultimate Mental Game Training Program as it provides even more powerful techniques to eliminate the nervous golfer in you.
If you have any questions about these mental golf tips please leave a comment below, and don't forget to share this post with your golfing mates at your favourite social media icon to the left.
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