Coping with Pressure or first tee nerves

Some would say nervousness is simply excitement. In fact, many players reframe nerves in their minds as excitement. Nervousness can easily lead you to focus on what you don’t want: a slice, a bad shot you recently played, or that double bogey you just made… and guess what? You tend to get what you focus on, so here comes more failure.

Some players, however, are able to reframe nerves (so long as they are aware they are present in the first place — acknowledgement is important!) and tell themselves that they are actually very lucky to be in this situation. They become grateful for the opportunity to play, perform, or compete, and in that instant their mind decides that being excited is a better feeling to have.

How lucky am I to have the opportunity to hit this great shot with so much at stake?

Quite often, the outcome is more positive.

Now, whilst that sounds easy — just telling yourself to think differently — the reality is that when you’re under pressure, nerves can be overwhelming, to the point where you can’t think straight or even breathe properly.

Three Steps to Try When This Happens

1. Change your physical state

Take long, slow, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, breathe out for a count of eight, then hold your breath for four seconds. Repeat.

2. Change your mental state

You have to be in a happy place to be relaxed. Wherever that happy place is for you — a beach in the Caribbean, at home in front of the fire with family — find it and immerse yourself in the scene as deeply as possible.

Feel the sun on your face. Hear the sounds — maybe your favourite relaxing track or birds singing. Feel the sand between your toes and the sound of the waves. The more you immerse yourself, the more effectively you transport yourself there.

3. Step back into the shot

See only the target and visualise the shape of shot you want. See it land and stop exactly where you want it to. You could even visualise yourself making the swing needed to hit that shot — as if you’re a drone floating above yourself, looking down on a perfectly executed swing.

Don’t hang around now. Step in and pull the trigger.

Give it a go — you never know, you might surprise yourself. Your unconscious mind, which you’re connecting with here, doesn’t know the difference between something you vividly imagine and something you physically do.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on.