1st proper comp of the year and comp nerves

I only ever have one aim when playing a round of golf and that's just to enjoy it.

It works for me, I forget when I'm playing in a comp most of the time.

Nobody is going to die just enjoy being out there and take the rough with the smooth.

A bad hole early on is a chance to make up for it afterwards when you nail a shot. Then smile :)
 
Last year I punished myself every comp, with the fear of having to try and play well in order to get my HC down and although I posted within these forum walls that it didn't bother me, in hindsight it blatantly did. The result I had a rubbish year and my HC went up instead of down.

Nerves, a stupid amount of pressure that was self inflicted did not make enjoyable golf.

This year, I don't give a toss, if my HC goes up, so be it, if it comes down, so be it, nerves in comps, pah, it's just a round of golf, I'm playing for fun, it's not like I have to win to pay my bills.

Just go out and swing through the ball, play easy and chill, you rounds in comps, will be what they will be, good or bad it makes no difference.
 
G_Mulligan said:
You are right the just forget it, play for fun, it's only golf type of answers are by and large not of great use when it come to the day and the nerves build up and your heart is pounding.

Couple of things; firstly, breathe. count of three in through the nose count of five out through the mouth. This will lower your heart rate. Secondly, relax. Tension will increase with adrenaline and increase finger pressure and shoulder tension robbing you of tempo, rhythm and flow. Grip the club tight then relax, tense your shoulders and relax. Do this a couple of times and you will see a big difference, then if you feel the tension rising you can recognise it and reduce it.

Lastly I would say go out with a purpose, your purpose should be to be a better golfer and to be a better comp player. This is a long learning experience and see any mistakes as a chance to improve. It is a learning curve. If you miss an important 3 footer smile and plan to spend more time on the putting green, fail to get out of a bunker, shrug and find a bunker to practice in. If these mistakes are more mental than technique you may need to work on some mental techniques perhaps confidence or focus. There are a lot of good books out there (and some not so good) which could help if this becomes are long term problem or feel free to ask me something if it is something specific which is holding you back.

Good luck in the comp and have fun.
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Your website is down.
 
look at it as an opportunity to REALLY see what state your game is in.

Range sessions and friendly matches are one thing, playing in a comp is another. If (when!) one particular part of your game cracks under the pressure, use the intervening period before the next comp to work on it so that you know that next time it will deliver. If you look at it that way, even bad holes or general incompetence first time out can be looked on as an opportunity to improve your game.

I bet Tiger was chipping OK in practice in his 'yard'. It's only when you're under the gun that truth reveals itself.
 
Nerves are a good thing providing you can channel them and not let them get in the way. Trust the work you've done in practice, trust your pre-shot routine and have fun. If it goes well then great and if not, look at what went wrong and learn from it. It's about enjoyment at the end of the day though
 
Darren24 said:
1st proper competition is upon me this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it as I have been playing good and put a lot more practice in. The only thing that worries me is nerves, I find they get the better of me as I have only been playing club comps for 1 season. So I was wondering what do you do to prevent comp nerves. I'm playing off 24 I know and everyone who I play with knows I'm better than this but when it comes to the crunch on comps I just seem to fall apart.

Thanks

Darren
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I used to use this before a big interview...

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/nelsons-rescue-remedy-spray-60082650

Works a treat, once worked a little too well and the feedback I got was that I was too laid back!
 
Honestly? Just back yourself.

A bit more self belief - self confidence will go a long way.

When I started believing I was a better player, I started scoring like one.
 
Just found out it's a team game so at the same time I'm a little disappointed and happy as it's competitive golf with the edge taken off it but I was looking forward to the individual challenge. Well that will have to wait till next week. Will just have some fun on this one.
 
We started playing qualifiers throughout the winter a couple of years ago, although the weather put paid to many of them.
This winter we've been playing a winter league, admittedly off the yellows, but its still a round with an card in your hand and it counts to something. This has helped me get in the swing of competition golf so this weeks Stableford was almost like another league round.
To be fair, I've always played competition golf in the same way I play bounce games - hit it, find it, hit it again, have a laugh about it, move on. I always try to score as well as I can regardless of the scenario.
If you do that every time you play then it will feel no different when you tee up in a medal. Many people treat competitions differently, put more pressure on themselves and fail. Treat it as a normal round and see what happens.
Works for me anyway..
 
Well played my 1st comp today which was a 4 ball best 1 score counts. Played well added 4 pars and 2 bogeys and we ended up 13 under and 8 ahead of the field upto now. My only problem was the back 9 fell apart for me as I think it is down to lac of concentration. This seems to be a thing when I play a good front 9. Is there anything I could do to prevent this?
 
Darren24 said:
Well played my 1st comp today which was a 4 ball best 1 score counts. Played well added 4 pars and 2 bogeys and we ended up 13 under and 8 ahead of the field upto now. My only problem was the back 9 fell apart for me as I think it is down to lac of concentration. This seems to be a thing when I play a good front 9. Is there anything I could do to prevent this?
Click to expand...

Well done on getting the first one out of the way. You need to get in contention regularly to learn how it feels. The biggest culprits of a bad back nine when going well is trying to play too conservatively and trying to steer the ball to keep it safe and in play and getting ahead of yourself and thinking what you need to do on the next, or the next par five etc and what score you can finish with. You have to stay in the present and play the next shot and only worry about that one.
 
Darren24 said:
Well played my 1st comp today which was a 4 ball best 1 score counts. Played well added 4 pars and 2 bogeys and we ended up 13 under and 8 ahead of the field upto now. My only problem was the back 9 fell apart for me as I think it is down to lac of concentration. This seems to be a thing when I play a good front 9. Is there anything I could do to prevent this?
Click to expand...

Could it be a lack of energy? Sometimes I feel a bit more tired on back 9 so usually take with me jelly babies, bottle of coke or something to perk me up for the back 9
 
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