7 Ways To Banish First Tee Nerves Forever

Getting the 1st tee shot away with style and finesse is something every golfer dreams of. Most pray they make half decent contact and the ball goes forward. There is definitely a mental build-up to that first shot of your round.

Whichever level of golf you play, the dreaded 1st tee nerves can be damaging to both your enjoyment levels, as well as your score. Feeling like you’re in control of the moment could be the answer to you actually enjoying the experience a bit more. Here are 7 ways you can ensure the 1st tee isn’t a place of nightmares.

Take The Pressure Off

Golfers place a huge importance on this first shot. Getting off to a good start is often deemed to be the pinnacle of a golfer's round. It sets the benchmark and can really create momentum, or simply release pressure on the player.

The first thing we have to do is not attach too much importance to this first act. A messy start doesn’t mean disaster, Rory McIlroy went on to win his first green jacket at Augusta after a pushed drive found a fairway bunker and resulted in a double bogey at the 1st hole in his final round. Following his win he said that he felt the double took the pressure off. It let the air out of the can of nerves he’d been feeling going into that final round.

So remember that a nervy start can in fact take the pressure off the round and release tension you may be carrying. Don’t pin too much on it and vocally remind yourself you’ve got to start this round somewhere so embrace it.

Reassess Your Expectations

In the car on the way to the course, take a moment to remind yourself why you play this game. What is today’s game about? This goes hand in hand with the previous point, but it’s important we acknowledge what we want from golf at this moment. Today, what do I want golf to give me?

This is something I do in the car on the way to a game. I assess my life at that moment and how realistic it will be to play my best golf. The noise of life can be turned up to a fairly full blast at times, and when it’s like that golf needs to be an escape, not another challenge to add to the mounting pile of already existing challenges.

Decide in the car that you’ll take a few great drives, a few great putts, you’ll enjoy the company and the course and breathe in the fresh air. Manage your expectations and the 1^st tee will soon become less of a big deal.

Once you’re on the tee, stop worrying about (and talking about) all the things that can go wrong and talk to yourself and others about where your ball is going to go. Focusing on what you want to happen can overpower all those nightmare scenarios and see you fear less and enjoy the whole experience.

Breathe It Out

Learn to breathe in a way that can calm your nerves. Allowing tension to escape your body (like you’re letting steam out of a boiling saucepan) is a skill you need to practice. I use this not just in golf but in life. Being able to quieten the butterflies in your stomach using breath work is magic.

There are a few ways I do this. Rectangular breathing works well with golf. There are plenty of rectangles out on the course. The scorecard, bench by the tee, windscreen of a buggy, tee markers. Simply use the short side of the rectangle to breathe in, hold that breath for a couple of counts then use the long side to let out a long extended breath. Repeat a few times and you’ll soon find you feel in control again.

Learning to breathe well is a skill I gained from years of yoga, but especially from pregnancy yoga… not that all the men reading this need to hop along to a class. But breath is used as pain relief in labour, so it’s a pretty powerful tool.

Adrenalin Is Power

The greatest athletes of all time use adrenalin as a tool to help them. They use it to fuel the moment. Remembering this will also allow you to embrace it rather than fear it. Too much and you’ll find you physically shake, so use some of it before you tee off by going through a good warm-up routine. Swinging the arms around the body, warming up the hips, some squats and stretches, and you’ll soon find you feel a little more in control.

A few butterflies can be your friends, so invite them in and use that energy to commit to a full uninhibited swing where the ball gets in the way. We all remember Charley Hull’s debut tee shot in her first Solheim Cup, that was sheer power and adrenalin used in the right way.

Follow Your Own Instructions And Use A Pre-Shot Routine

What do they say? Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail! Preparation is key if you want to rely on your drive. Having a pre-shot routine before every shot will give you a trusted recipe to follow on the first tee when the nerves can get the better of you.

Practicing the routine when you’re on the range as well as before every shot on the course will make your auto-pilot take control. If you’ve done it religiously in both practice and play you’ll learn to switch on sharp focus and the distraction of people watching or noise around the 1st tee will simply melt away.

Routine: tee your ball up behind an old divot or tee peg that is lying on your target line. This way alignment is sorted before you’ve even started. Stand behind the ball, look up to the horizon and visualise the shot. With feeling and commitment, rehearse the best drive you’ve ever hit.

A simple whiff of the club in the air will not suffice here, we rehearse to repeat the action on the ball. This is a reason some golfers never finish their swings because they’ve only waggled their club at the ball as their practice swing. Give it the full Monty and really finish the swing.

I like my practice swing to clip the top of the turf and even make a few sparks. Like fireworks going off at Wembley before a big game! Point your club to a spot on the horizon, breathe a smooth slow breath out (this gets rid of any tension you’re holding onto) and walk into the shot. Repeat the rehearsal, clip the tee and swing over the mini target to a full finish.

Be Assertive In Body And Mind

Your posture needs to be confident when you stand on the 1st tee. The fear of the shot can be physically evident when you watch some golfers tee off. They’re crouched over the ball as if cowering from the very idea of having to be there.

Stand tall behind the ball during your pre-shot routine. Look up beyond the fairway and to something on the horizon. Lifting your gaze and focus to something beyond your target can really help open up your chest, and this in turn will make you feel more in control.

Your posture over the ball needs to be ready for action and balanced. Give your heels a little pulse to make sure you’re in balance before you commit to the finish.

Fuel Yourself For Success

Waltzing onto the 1st tee after a heavy night out, having had no breakfast and five coffees will likely see your swing quite literally have the jitters. A good protein rich breakfast is great fuel for a steady performance off the 1st tee.

Being hydrated isn’t just a life essential, it will ensure that your vision is sharp and that you are thinking clearly. Drink a glass of water before bed and when you wake up. All of the essential components to executing a tee shot in control are hampered if you're hanging and starving. Get smart with your fuel and make sure there’s enough in the tank to ensure your anxiety levels are kept to a manageable level.

So that’s your 1st tee shot fail-safe guide. A few hints to help you look forward to teeing off. Success and enjoyment won’t happen overnight, try and practice some visualisation when you’re away from the course.

Sit calmly, close your eyes and imagine teeing off on the 1st at all the courses you’ve played, especially those you play regularly. When you first try this, it will likely result in all your nightmares coming to the surface, but persevere. You’ll soon succeed in your imaginary first tee shots and before you know it you’ll be able to use this as fuel for your pre-shot routine on the course next time you play.