1st Tee Nerves

Use a club to put it in the fairway. Hit an iron off the tee if you have to. Just put it in the fairway... Get it behind you and then enjoy your round.

^^^^^^ i'm more confident with a driver than i am with any other club in my bag, and i rarely miss that many fairways in tournaments. also, i often tee off with long irons and i feel just as nervous.

The nerves go away with time. And you have plenty of it...

^^^^^ yeah, i'm gonna play in about 15-20 more tournaments this year and i also have my high school matches, so hopefully, by the end of the year, the 1st tee won't be an issue.

btw, i have done pretty good in the tournaments in the last year, and that's when i've noticed that i'm getting really nervous. it seems like the worse i hit my 1st tee shot, the better i do. :) a couple weeks ago, i had my 2nd best ever 36 hole event and duck, snap hooked it off the 1st hole both days.

My best advice is to think that you are by far the best player in the tournament. Having almost a cocky persona in your head(don't act cocky to others) will minimize your nerves. Just think "There is no point in myself being nervous because these guys can't beat me"....hope that helps

Hey there...I've got a few suggestions for you. In my experiences, my nerves have always led me to think that I will hit that first shot poorly, just like you describe. In trying to figure out how to start my rounds off on the right foot, I've found that the most effective thing for me is to replace those bad thoughts with some other thought just before swinging, instead of trying to remove my nerves completely (which just seems impossible in my opinion). Specifically, some thought that serves as a swing trigger has always worked well. So, something like counting to three (one one-thousand, and on) and then swinging right after that third second always keeps me, at least within those few final seconds before swinging, from thinking anything negative about that coming shot. Thinking about a positive swing thought in those last seconds has works for me as well. This way, even if I'm very nervous going into a round, I'll be thinking about something else when it matters (during the swing).

The other thing I always do is take my most comfortable club, make sure my grip is loose and tension free, and focus on making a smooth swing. Just try to keep things simple, and you'll do okay. Hope you find something that works for you, and play well out there...good luck in those tourneys.

If you have a practice range available to you before the round leave a few balls at the end of your warm up for whatever shot you're gonna be hitting off the first tee. That way when you're standing on the tee you know you can hit the shot because you just did it.

It's all a matter of perspective. If you can accept the fact that your not going to win or lose the tourney on the first hole it should get easier.

Personally I think its good to be nervous on the first tee, it shows you care. I've found there's no "good" way to deal with it other than finding a swing that you know will put you in the fairway. For whatever reason I found that shot. My natural shot is a slight draw where I aim down the right center and just make sure to release the club. However when I'm nervous I block shots so on the first tee I aim down the left and trust my normal tendencies. When I say block I don't mean a 30 yard block. Tournament golf is knowing your game and your swing and being able to trust yourself under the gun.

thanks for all the great help guys. i have another tournament on the 12th. (this friday). hopefully, i'll find a way that really calms me down on the 1st tee. keep the advice coming as i need all the help i can get. i know my confidence won't be great on the tee if i have to hit driver because i am switching back and forth between two drivers right now and can't decide which one i like better.

Had the same problem. Started singing my favorite song in my head or think of a great joke. Even used a pink tee once, just to get a laugh.

Good luck!

Here's a tip I use on tight driving holes. Find a blemish on the tee box about 15 to 20 feet ahead of your tee markers. Working from your shot destination backwards, tee up your ball in a direct line with your destination and the blemish. This way all you have to do is focus on squaring up to the blemish that is well within your vision without raising your head. Settle in and let it go. This should work just as well on a first tee.

A nice steak dinner at the Watermark Grill the night before tourney's certainly couldn't hurt either.

Find something to get your mind off of it. Chew gum, bite on a tee, or just think of the best tee ball you have hit recently. It was a problem that i worked on this year. You just have to relize that it is any other shot and you have done this before. Just relax and hit the ball.

Take a few deep breaths and relax.

Hello, I am 14 years old and I'm recently starting to play in 36 hole tournaments and the nerves on the 1st tee are really getting to me. :bad: I've been playing 18 hole shot-gun jr. tournaments for about 3 years, and I don't get nervous in those. But, when there are tee times and I get announced on the first tee, my nerves go crazy and I have no idea how to control them. I thought after a few big tournaments, it would get better, but, it seems to get worse each tournament. In fact, I've played 4, 36-hole events this year, and I haven't hit a single fairway off the 1st tee yet. I just want to know how you guys deal with nerves or if there is anything that I can do to help with this. Thanks. :help:

Let 'er rip!

It's worked for me so far in my extremely minimal tournament experience. Being aggressive on the first shot can set the tone. You will probably commit more to the strike if you commit to just letting one go instead of trying to play safe!

Whenever my tee time is, I practice until there is about 6 or 7 minutes before my tee time. I then go, find a bench, put my iPod in and I have a certain song on my iPod that calms me down and I just relax and clear my head. I remember it all started about 2 years ago, I was looking for a way to calm myself down before stepping up to the first tee. Tried listening to music and ultimately found this song...no, I won't tell ya'll what it is, you'll laugh at me :) ;)

focus on a small target in the distance you want to aim the ball at.

As soon as you step on the tee dont take your eyes off it until you go in to hit the ball.

Pre shot routine keep your head up looking at the target.

Pull the trigger.

hey, thanks for all that. what i will try to do now is to get distracted a little, (iPod, gum, etc) relax, breath deeply, and just have fun with it.

Deep breaths, joking with your the people around you, yawning it is one of the biggest reducers of stress because it provides lots of oxygen to the brain, a pre shot ritual. I have found these help.

I don't play tournament golf, but I love the first tee. You haven't made any bad shots to make you mad or dissapointed yet. You have a perfect round going at that point. I guess you have to think of it, like would you be nervous say on hole number 10? Probably not. But still, sometimes nothing works and you just have to sort of accept it.

I usually get the 1st tee jitters, but have realized that I don't want to fight them, so just let it happen.

I know it sounds stupid, but you may never get over the fact that you will be nervous.

Breathe easy and forget about what the starting marshall is saying, stay within yourself and focus on the first tee shot

good luck

If you're struggling with first tee nerves, the value of a good pre-shot routine can't be overstated.

You need to develop a consistent routine that allows you to approach a shot, in times of stress, and to blank out any distractions or nerves in favour of following a set of actions that's automatic. It needs to start at the moment of selecting a shot, and a club, and last right up to the point that the ball's in the air. You'll still be nervous, but done properly it will allow you to ignore the effects of nerves and concentrate on the shot at hand rather than the possible consequences of a mishit or a poor shot if your mind's allowed to wander.

I get nervous like anyone else, but I focus my nervous energy into making the best job I can of hitting that first tee shot. It's almost a case of thinking 'wait until they see this one' as I approach the ball, in the full knowledge that I'm going to be able to make a good job of things because I'm on autopilot and, effectively, just reproducing one of the dozens of solid shots I hit out on the practice ground.

My advice is to re-read Mat562's advice.

But let me add this:

There's not a chance in the world that you can make a record-breaking mistake on the first tee. It's all been done before. So feel confident in the knowledge that you are free from that pressure. And that everyone with any golf experience watching you knows this to be true.

I used to feel exactly as you do. I played on my high school golf team a hundred years ago and hated the fact that the other players were watching me on the first tee. One day the tournament was supposed to be cancelled due to rain, and I didn't bring my golf shoes to school. At the last minute they decided to play, and I was on the wet grass of the first tee wearing loafers with leather soles.

I swung, missed, and my feet went out in front of me and I fell on my butt.

It turned out to be a blessing. By the time a few weeks had gone by I realized things would never be that bad for me again. On the first tee from then on I felt free. You are welcome to use my flop as your personal proof that you are going to be just fine in comparison.

If you have a practice range available to you before the round leave a few balls at the end of your warm up for whatever shot you're gonna be hitting off the first tee. That way when you're standing on the tee you know you can hit the shot because you just did it.

This is great advice.

Sawgrass, as unfortunate as your experience was, it's about the best anti-nerves tale I've ever heard. And your reaction to it is the sort of thing that sports psychologists are dining out on. Talk about turning a negative experience into a positive mindset.

It could also result in you getting some royalties as there's no doubt that as soon as that story hits a wider audience it'll be re-made as one of those Dr Pepper - What's the worst that could happen.... television adverts. :D

A lot of great tips here. I do somewhat of a combination of things previously stated. I go through my warm-up routine ending with whatever I'm going to play on the first tee. My nervousness doesn't usually get going until my name is called. But, I take it as me being excited more than scared of what might happen. My mentality gets me in the thoughts of, "Watch this guys, I'm about to rip one and you're going to have to watch this all day." After this, my pre-shot routine goes into motion and it's all over from there. I've done the routine, hit the shot, etc thousands of times so it's no big deal. Also, I pick the smallest target possible. A particular shingle on a house in the distance, a tree limb, a sign, whatever it may be. That way, my miss isn't as bad as say, my target was the right side of the fairway, and I pushed it, so now I'm in the rough. You'll be surprised to see how you can eliminate big misses with this technique.

slow your swing down. just think about doing your thing....no funny business ...and defintley dont give yourself tips during your swing

1st tee jitters get much easier with experience, the more tournaments you play. If you don't have a definite pre-shot routine that's the first thing you need to do. You should get to where you have your routine down so well that you could tell me EXACTLY what you do before every shot, and duplicate it every shot. That way, your thinking more of the process of your pre-shot routine (unconsciously) rather than your nerves or the outcome of the shot.

Other than that I wouldn't try to do anything different, except for maybe your mentality. Like someone above said, you should be thinking your the best one there and you don't give a damn what anyone thinks about the result of your shot.

know your shot, get up, execute, walk.

once u hit your first fairway, you will never think of this again.