Handling the pressure?

[pokerjoke]

We can only imagine what pressure the Ryder cup players will be under on the first tee,and needing a 3ft putt on the 18th for a half.My legs on the first tee at beau were shaking ,and really theres no pressure but we tend to put pressure on ourselves even though thers only a few watching.Of course there will be people that say they dont feel pressure,but those of us that do will want to know how you deal with it.Myself i blow all the air out of my lungs before hitting the ball.How do you handle pressure and what do you do to compensate for tension.

 

[jeardley]

try hitting yer second shot into 18 at the old course st Andrews with a town full of tourists watching you
I'll never forget that

like you say mate just gotta control your breathing.Trust your swing and make sure you commit to the shot as if you were on your own or just with a mate.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Handling pressure\nerves used to be something I didn't deal with very well but I worked out that the only pressure I've ever been under on a golf course is pressure I put on myself.

I now try to play every shot as if I don't care about the result - it isn't really important after all.

Yes I'm desperate to get cut and I don't like losing but no amount of pressure I put on myself to make that 3 footer on 18 for a PB is gonna make it go in. I'm very much a que sera sera kind of guy now.

Yes I get frustrated, yes I'm a bit pi$$ed off if I have a bad finish but putting pressure on myself is pointless.

I haven't yet played a round of golf that really matters to anything except my desire to be the best golfer I can be.

 

[jammydodger]

Handling pressure\nerves used to be something I didn't deal with very well but I worked out that the only pressure I've ever been under on a golf course is pressure I put on myself.

I now try to play every shot as if I don't care about the result - it isn't really important after all.

Yes I'm desperate to get cut and I don't like losing but no amount of pressure I put on myself to make that 3 footer on 18 for a PB is gonna make it go in. I'm very much a que sera sera kind of guy now.

Yes I get frustrated, yes I'm a bit pi$$ed off if I have a bad finish but putting pressure on myself is pointless.

I haven't yet played a round of golf that really matters to anything except my desire to be the best golfer I can be.

Couldnt have put it better myself , excellent post Hawkeye

 

[JustOne]

The more often you put yourself in a pressure situation the more used to it you will feel. I'm happy teeing off first in front of 100 people if necessary and more than happy to take responsibility for a putt to win on the last.

If you get a bit weak knee'd or a few butterflies then that is EXCITING and should be enjoyed

Smile, think to yourself "What a rush!" then put a decent swing on it.

 

[freddielong]

Pressure does not actully exist its something we do to ourselves just undo it

 

[USER1999]

I mainly handle pressure by melting like a snow man in the sahara. Works for me.

 

[viscount17]

the pressure shot for me (at the moment anyway) is our first in a medal and that's because I've cocked it up too often this year. got to force myself to chill and to not over hit it when there is no need. (which I failed to do at beau and dumped the tee-shot into the trees)

 

[VAgolfer]

You must first ask yourself whether you enjoy pressure?

Handling pressure isn’t learned (to a point), it’s not a process. Success is irrelevant. Deep down when the knees loose their feeling and everything in the world becomes silent, at that moment you know if you truly enjoy pressure. If you enjoy that moment, you don’t have to teach yourself how to handle it. You long for that moment, you lust for pressure and the primordial yet euphoric feelings in that moment. Are their steps involved that help in the process, sure! Target – Deep Breath – World Goes Silent – Right Foot – Left Foot – Waggle and Fire. But at the core, even a routine can’t save you. Whatever level you’re at, when you put the tee in the ground and play for all “your marbles”, do you enjoy that? Pressure has made a fool out of each of us, but in those moments, there is till a deeper question: Do you enjoy it?

R7 TP W-6 ProjX6.5
Maltby 5-3 ProjX6.5
Vockey 52, 56, 60
Taylormade Spider
Ping I15 9.5
Nickent 17 Hybrid
hcp +2

 

[Parmo]

I don't think the guys at the RC will do nervous, more.excitement. these guys live for that 10 foot putt on the last, its what makes them the best players in the world.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

That 5 footer to win was the main reason Monty and the VC's went for Harrington as they all thought ifi ti came to it he was the man they wanted.

I think it is like everything in life though, you only learn through experience. If you don't manage to challenge regularly in a monthly medal or stableford and suddenly have a great day, the pressure can lead to mistakes. However if you've been there before (maybe won a few) then you know how it feels. A solid pre-shot routine is a great help. Do the same thing everytime. However at our level certainly the only real pressure comes as Hawkeye says from ourself. I was rubbish before this year at having a clear mind and not getting worked up over my technique, my score or what I needed to finish with to get a cut. This year, its been more about hitting it, finding it and hitting it again.

OK I still get frustrated if I hit it poorly but try to keep the frustration for the 19th or when I get home and not carry it around with me from hole to hole.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

the pressure shot for me (at the moment anyway) is our first in a medal and that's because I've cocked it up too often this year. got to force myself to chill and to not over hit it when there is no need. (which I failed to do at beau and dumped the tee-shot into the trees)

So is the only time you ever fcuk up a shot on the 1st tee? Is the 1st shot more important than any other?

It's just another shot, it carries no more value than any other shot so just try to treat it the same.

I recently went on a golf society weekend and was 1st off out of 30, all standing watching. I ripped the tee shot straight down the fairway and made a regulation par. On the 2nd tee with no one watching but my 4 ball I blocked my drive into the trees - sh!t happens.

As amateur golfers we're gonna hit bad shots, it might be on the 1st hole, it might be on the last, it will definately be somewhere in between. Just try to treat the 1st shot as you would any other, don't put pressure on yourself to hit it well, just make sure you're prepared and warmed up and hit the ball. If it goes wrong it goes wrong

 

[Imurg]

I played in the Lombard Trophy comp years back. Each club played qualifiers and the winners played a regional final and the winners of that went to Portugal to play the Grand Final. It was a Pro-Am. I won our qualifier and went along to Enfield with our Pro.
We were paired with a Pro and Am from Clacton I think and off we went to the 1st.
They had an announcer!!

Holy Mary - I have never kacked myself so much ever!!!! But I handled it better than the other Am. He was shaking so much his Pro had to place the ball on the tee - the shaking hand kept knocking it off. Anyway he hit it sideways, I parred and we carried on.
They ended up winning the whole thing - but the Am didn't produce on any holes at all, it was all down to the Pro. If he'd pulled himself together they'd have walked it easily.

 

[USER1999]

John Findlay knows about first tee shot pressure. First off, in front of the forum guys, with a starter announcing name and club, every one waiting for the first blow to be struck, and he was absolutely magnificent.

All the way up to the moment he topped it past the ladies tee.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

that 5 footer to win was the main reason Monty and the VC's went for Harrington as they all thought ifi ti came to it he was the man they wanted.

Are we talking about the same Paddy Harrington who's scored something like 1/2 a point is his last two Ryder Cup appearances?