Confidence / Nerves

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BrianM

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Playing tomorrow at a new members event and it's fair to say I'm a bit apprehensive, I've only ever played with friends and family before.
Its only 10 holes, but I'm dreading it in case I make a complete fool of myself, hopefully I can erase the negative thoughts and do myself justice.
If I have a couple of bad shots, it normally effects me for a few holes, I know it's all in the head, but I'm struggling to overcome these thoughts.
Does anyone else ever feel like this before a competition or playing with people they don't know and how do you deal with it.

Any advice appreciated.
 
I felt like this before I played my first competition, but everyone I have played with has been very encouraging. As it's a new members event there will be people of all abilities and don't worry about hitting some (or many) bad shots. Golf is not an easy game and it's all about enjoying your time on the course.

Use the event as an opportunity to meet some new people and the golf is almost secondary. Of course, we all like to play our best, but don't worry if you don't.
 
BrianM said:
Playing tomorrow at a new members event and it's fair to say I'm a bit apprehensive, I've only ever played with friends and family before.
Its only 10 holes, but I'm dreading it in case I make a complete fool of myself, hopefully I can erase the negative thoughts and do myself justice.
If I have a couple of bad shots, it normally effects me for a few holes, I know it's all in the head, but I'm struggling to overcome these thoughts.
Does anyone else ever feel like this before a competition or playing with people they don't know and how do you deal with it.

Any advice appreciated.
Click to expand...

It's really hard Brian. I'm slowly finding that wanting to do well / not show myself up doesn't work well on the golf course.

I try not to have any expectations other than to have an enjoyable few hours out on the course.

Of course you try your best every shot but there's little point getting overly upset about a bad shot or fretting over your next.

Golf isn't as easy as it looks on TV. You'll only play your best every now and then and your best is only as good as your practice/ natural talent.

Most golfers understand this and won't think anything of how you play either way. The ones who don't aren't worth getting worried about!

Have a great day out :thup:
 
Come what may. You cant win. If you have the ten holes of your life and score 30 points you will be a bandit. Enjoy the day and have a laugh and a joke. Good luck me man.
 
BrianM said:
Playing tomorrow at a new members event and it's fair to say I'm a bit apprehensive, I've only ever played with friends and family before.
Its only 10 holes, but I'm dreading it in case I make a complete fool of myself, hopefully I can erase the negative thoughts and do myself justice.
If I have a couple of bad shots, it normally effects me for a few holes, I know it's all in the head, but I'm struggling to overcome these thoughts.
Does anyone else ever feel like this before a competition or playing with people they don't know and how do you deal with it.

Any advice appreciated.
Click to expand...

Turn up a bit earlier and have breakfast/coffee with some of the other people playing and you'll likely find out that a) they're a decent lot of people and b) not bothered re the standard of the golf.
 
Watch from the clubhouse and see how other people drive off from the first tee. It will reassure you I'm sure. Failing that rescue remedy is brilliant. Oh, and enjoy:)
 
get there early and hit the range ,proper warm up is essential to playing well.
when you get to the first tee hit the club you are the most happy with to hit it down the middle ,dosent matter if its a seven iron or your driver ,but whatever you use if you are confident with that club use it. you will be down the middle and playing from the short stuff.
first tee nerves get to everyone so you wont be the only one feeling it ,make sure to have a chat on the tee before you hit it will help you relax a little ,and dont try and over hit ,just put your normal swing on it and you will be fine .
good luck and let us know how you get on .
 
Try and tee off first in your group if you can. Get to the course in enough time to warm up etc., cos you don't want to be rushing to the first tee. First and foremost, have fun.

I remember being nervous for my new members day. I'd only been playing for a couple of months so I was pretty apprehensive about the round. All nerves disappeared after my tee shot!
 
Thanks for the replies.
Teeing off in the third group, it's 4 of us.
I've always been pretty decent at sport but golf is by far the hardest.
 
Play within your ability. The first comp is not the one to go all out.

When you have more experience you can make more of your competition card with some calculated risks.

Card some decent scores within yourself and you will get the confidence to take more risks in the future.

Better to have left shots out there for next time!
 
Warn your F/Cs before you tee off that you're nervous and playing absolutely terrible at the moment, then hope you play well :whoo:. or say i told you so :D
We've all been there, so don't worry.
Best of luck.
 
Last edited:
I'm nervous every time I play. Friendly or comp! So I try and get to the course as early as I can to warm up and practise - chipping putting and on the range. Also, don't pull out the driver on the first - it's the hardest club so why put yourself under more pressure? Take a rescue, 3 or even a long iron. Get the ball in play and play to your handicap. Just try and relax and enjoy the day.
 
I feel the same every time. I need one good tee shot and then I'm okay but until then I'm squeezing the life out of my clubs. I do find getting there early and having a coffee helps to settle the nerves a tad so I try to do that.

People tell you to relax, it doesn't matter etc but that is easier said than done. Unfortunately you just have to get on with it. I'm going to try and play more comps this year in an effort to overcome this, hoping that having a card in my hand becomes normal rather than exceptional.

Best of luck mate but trust me, there are plenty out there who feel the same so don't feel like the odd one out.
 
Tashyboy said:
Come what may. You cant win. If you have the ten holes of your life and score 30 points you will be a bandit. Enjoy the day and have a laugh and a joke. Good luck me man.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. Firstly try and enjoy playing, golf is a sport first and foremost; remember everyone started sometime! At least you don't rely on it for your pay!
 
Just enjoy it afterall it's a game you can't control what just happened but you can control how you approach your next shot. The past is done forget about it. As for playing in front of other people, I suppose you get used to it, I play off 1 so have played with loads of different people and quite enjoy playing in drawn competitions as it I like playing with different people. It just comes with playing lots of competitions I suppose
 
Enjoy being out on the course and meeting new people. Don't worry about bad shots everyone has them. It's a learning curve - once you have played 3 or 4 comps you'll know what you are doing and the nerves will be gone. Most club golfers couldn't care less what you score so don't feel under pressure to shoot low. When you get to the clubhouse after your round you'll soon realise very few people actually play well! Most folk are their for the banter/social side.
 
The reason pretty much every amateur has a handicap is because they make mistakes. Even the best amateur will make mistakes.

Also, unless you are playing matchplay, people often don't care if you hit a bad shot. They like to see good shots but they aren't bothered if you duff a shot. And certainly they'll have forgotten your bad shots long before you do. By the time they go to bed they won't even remember your score.

Lets think about how many mistakes a 20 handicapper will make. If they play to their handicap they will make more than 20 mistakes, recovering a few with an up and down. And just how many 20 handicappers will play to their handicap on any given Saturday? Pretty much every single player will make a mistake every single Saturday.

Whilst you're thinking about your last shot, you're not thinking about your next shot. Let it go, you can't do anything about it.
 
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