Dealing with people watching you

[casuk]

I'm ok on a busy medal day if people are about talking ect it's when I go to line up and it gets really quiet I get a wave of nerves knowing there all watching me

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I like a bit of banter on the first tee even in club champs. Keep it loose and swing and let the banter help and show what you can do

 

[Curls]

Hi @3-off-the-tee . It might be nerves/stagefright etc, but maybe not? I mean, if we monitored your heart rate on the first tee with no one there, and again with an audience, would it be higher? Perhaps but enough to cause such mayhem in your swing? If you accept that the problem is in your mind, then consider this.

I had the same issue, but I don't get nervous in front of crowds so realised it was something else. Everyone's senses are wired to alert them to danger, some more so than others. If you hear or see something your minds' eye relocates to that point, because if that becomes a threat it can make your body react (again, subconsciously). Perhaps when you spot a mate or hear the crowd your brain is flitting here and there, and the last place it is is where it needs to be to hit a good golf shot, which is right between your ears. When all is quiet and calm and youre striping drives at the range it is because the distractions of real life, and the jeapodry of the ball in play, are not interfering with the process. Your mind in central, you swing around it, around your spine/sternum and maintain balance while swinging a stick at great speed around that centre.

So next time it happens try that, address the ball and centre your thoughts eliminating the distractions, perhaps even count down from 3 saying to yourself when I get to 1, I'll swing smooth around my centre. It helps fight swaying and promotes a balanced finish too. Worth a try?!

 

[Foxholer]

Does anyone else struggle when there are people watching them off the tee? A few of the places I’ve played recently have had people queuing on the tee which immediately puts me on edge.
I’m bad enough if there is one or two people watching and my first shot is almost certainly a duff one when being watched. You can feel their eyes rolling at you as you trundle off up the fairway.

Is there any way to deal with this pressure as currently arriving at a club and seeing people at the tee box makes me immediately want to turn around and go home.

Further to this, if you are booking a tee time for say mid-day, should you have people around the tee box at the same time? Is it not a protected time so you can get teed off and make some progress before the next group?

One of the things playing Golf should/could be a worthwhile tool to get over such self-consciousness! Do you feel the same (inadequacy/tentertiveness) elsewhere? Eg in your working environment?

Some courses recognise '1st hole issues' and have a relatively benign one as a starter. My club does not - it's an evil Par3 with water lurking for any 'less than perfect' shot!

 

[dronfield]

What we need here is Robin to post his famous air shot from one of the meets, not seen it for ages??

I did an air shot partnering someone I had never met before in a NatWest comp at Woodhall Spa many years ago. It was even more embarrassing because we were playing foursomes & he had to step on to the par 3 tee and play my ball that was still teed up!
After that I can generally cope with first tee nerves!

 

[3-off-the-tee]

One of the things playing Golf should/could be a worthwhile tool to get over such self-consciousness! Do you feel the same (inadequacy/tentertiveness) elsewhere? Eg in your working environment?

Some courses recognise '1st hole issues' and have a relatively benign one as a starter. My club does not - it's an evil Par3 with water lurking for any 'less than perfect' shot!

I wouldn’t say I feel like that in general but I’m certainly very self aware when I’m out and about.
I think the main thing is feeling the pressure of having people watching/behind you and not wanting to hold them up at all.

Thanks to everyone for the pointers it’s really helpful ?

 

[Dando]

I think its a bit like giving a speech, so imagine everyone watching is naked......unless its a fourm meet as that would lead to years of counselling!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

This makes me laugh at a good memory.
It was when I used to coach a pupil who had dreadful 1st tee nerves.

I told him that he was rushing his shots to 'get it over with'.
I told him next time take his time, look around the golf course as if he owned it and all of the people he could see worked for him.
Peg up your ball slowly, stand up, take a couple of lazy practice swings and a couple of deep breaths then try to swing at half your normal speed.

He did exactly as told [I was secretly watching him] and he did overdo it a bit so I feared for the worst outcome.

He nailed a screamer straight down the middle, slowly picked up his tee and strolled down the 1st fairway like a top pro.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have a brute of a par 3 to start at 229 yards with danger all around. SI10 so I know I get a shot and a 4 isn't the end of the world but it still doesn't make it less intimidating. Add some banter and it can be breeze or a nightmarish start. All depends on whether you can cope or see nothing but trouble

 

[ScienceBoy]

I find asking them to turn away helps, or look at their shoes.

 

[Diamond]

When you are confident in your own ability at any sport playing in front of a crowd is a buzz.
However any doubts or lack of confidence and it can be detrimental. Golf isn’t any different.

 

[BrianM]

Played just over 3 years ago at Royal Dornoch for a corporate event, every player got their name said before teeing off (guy in kilt as well) hit a 3 wood about 180 to get going, I was really not comfortable, to put it mildly ??, it was straight though ?

 

[Deleted member 23344]

I’ve been announced twice ... successive years at a charity event organised by Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet at Elton Furze near Peterborough. Both times I just concentrated on getting it safely into play. Both went down the middle thankfully ... not particularly long as I didn’t try to welly it, but that was fine by me. Each time I hit the next drive way off line, but by then only my mates were watching. The event was cancelled this year due to covid, so I didn’t need to worry about extending the run to three good starts ... that might have been pushing it. ?

 

[Slab]

I was watching a social comp tee off this morning with some later players, staff etc

One bloke drew more watchers (birthday boy) & was getting some cat-calls and whistling but he just addressed the ball, gave it a full swing then a wave of his arm as he walked off, clearly he'd striped it........... Hardly anyone was watching him a minute later looking for his ball in left knee high rough

Point being he was the object of attention only for as long as it took to take his shot... but no one really cared how or where it went, they were just watching someone hit a golf ball