Which Golf Shot Gives Tiger Woods and Amateurs The Jitters

While scanning through posts on a Google Plus golf community, I came across an interesting question which I address here, on our Golf for Beginners blog.

Originally posed by Michael Breed, host of The Golf Fix on Golf Channel and posted by Adam Young from Turnberry Performance Academy, the multiple choice question was...

Which golf shot gives you the most pressure?

For most golf beginners, almost every shot comes with its hair-raising moments, from setting-up to standing over the ball and then taking the shot, but there is one time which most players agree gives them that extra shudder.

Choices for most anxious-laden shot included:

Opening Tee Shot
Shot Over Water
Pitch Over a Bunker

Can you guess which golf shot was selected?

Yes, it was the dreaded drive on the first tee. Why would this shot cause more stress than flying your shot over water? Perhaps it's the pressure while people are watching or not knowing that you have visualized the shot properly - and would you believe that even the former number one golfer in the world steps up to the tee with reservations?

Tiger Woods definitely has first-tee jitters, says former teaching pro Hank Haney. "He has no problems finishing, but he's had problems starting, Most players are the other way around."

If, as Hank Haney states, golfers have the most trouble finishing a hole, it would be safe to assume that putting offers almost as much anxiety as driving the ball.

In my opinion, putting or finishing out the hole, can lend itself to a yip or two with about three hundred thousand mentions of "The Yips" on Google. Putting to save par or when you have the opportunity to make birdie or even EAGLE, can bring out a cringe or two in almost any level of player.

What can be done to help you relax before your shot and relieve some of that "in-the-moment" angst?

Visualizing your shot and focusing on your game, hole-by-hole, instead of your score with your mental thoughts being "one shot at a time" can take the worry out of a round and help you perform with confidence.

Taking a deep breath before you're ready to "pull the trigger" definitely helps, writes Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Director of Instruction Jerry Mowlds, and having confidence, knowing that you are going to make a great swing, is another way to help calm the nerves as you start your round.

Performance anxiety is a normal part of any sport; it's how you rise to the challenge which will determine how you finish. Believe in yourself and your score will take care of itself.

How do you deal with golf course jitters? Let us know on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

photo: DailyMail.uk

Can You Really Have A Mistake-Free Round of #Golf?

Navigating a golf course using the five-and-a-half inch space between your ears is quite a task, even for professional golfers. Golf is a game of recovery. Can this game be played mistake-free?

Golf for Beginners, with the help of Robert K. Winters, PhD and his new book "Mistake-Free Golf - First Aid for Your Golfing Brain" hope that, by identifying consistent mental errors, they can be corrected leading to a better state of mind and less frustration. Will you suddenly drop your handicap to +1 and score a 59 in every round? Highly unlikely but what might happen is that you will learn from your mistakes, "treat the afflictions" and move forward.

A world renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Winters offers readers a look at the negatives which plague players on the golf course, on the driving range, putting green and even in real life from lack of commitment to lack of execution.

Mike Hulbert, PGA Tour and Champions Tour professional states in the book, "My greatest mistake is to start thinking too much into the future...I just can't make the mistake of not staying in the moment." This is true for anyone, not just a golfer, in order to stay committed to any task yet it is so difficult to do!

Here are a few Tips Which Players Should Be Aware of in order to have a better round of golf:

1. Don't Replay the Past - Stay in the Moment. "This is a new moment, this is not the past. Let go of your past and focus on the shot for what it is, not for what it means to you in personal recognition."

2. Who's Watching Me? Feeling uncomfortable? Sometimes, when I get set up on the tee box to take my shot, I feel that I have an audience and "all eyes are upon me." No hurries, no worries - don't be anxious and don't worry about what others think of you. Chances are their eyes are on you but their minds are on their next shot.

Question Mark Shape Donald Trump Golf Course Aerial Balmedie Aaron Sneddon

As the great Sam Snead said, "Forget your opponents; always play against par."

3. Let go of Huge Expectations. The example that Dr. Winters offers in his book is of golfer Michelle Wie and her unrealistic perfectionism was stopping her from success. "I probably placed too much emphasis on results and score." Instead of thinking score, think about executing each shot the way you want to and let the score take care of itself!

There are many more tips in "Mistake-Free Golf", many of which you will agree with as you read the book but it is good to have this refresher on your shelf to remember that golf is a game of dealing with disappointments, fear and commitment. In some ways, this book is a manual about life.

Golf is not just an exercise; it's an adventure, a romance... a Shakespeare play in which disaster and comedy are intertwined. ~Harold Segall

If you wish to hide your character, do not play golf. ~Percey Boomer

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