Is it Nerves? Tips for Handling Your Nerves on the Course.

I frequently hear golf commentators on TV mention that “nerves” are getting to a player and causing bad shots. Is this true? Does it happen to you? It’s a hard question to answer, and asking players directly usually doesn’t help. Most players won’t admit to their nerves until well after the fact, but every golfer has experienced nervous pressure at one time or another. From the first time playing with your boss or father-in-law, to your first birdie or eagle putt, to breaking 100, 90, 80, or 70 for the first time, to winning the Masters, every player will be nervous at some point on the golf course. If you don’t get nervous, you likely don’t care about the results.

But from the talk of many commentators (most notably Johnny Miller), every time a player hits a bad shot it’s because he or she is nervous—the pressure is getting to them. This can’t be true, can it? I hit bad shots when I’m out playing with friends on the weekend, and we’re certainly not nervous. Swing flaws, weather conditions, fatigue, as well as nerves are all causes of bad shots. There’s no easy answer to how nerves affect each individual player, and certainly nervousness affects some players more than others. But the main reason why people get nervous is because they put themselves AHEAD of the situation they’re presently in. What does this mean? It simply means that players think about the results before they’ve completed the process. Have one of these thoughts ever crossed your mind on the course:

“If I par the last two holes, I’ll break 80 for the first time.”

“If I make this putt, I’m only one shot out of the lead.”

“Don’t worry about making bogey on the last hole; the next hole is an easy birdie.”

In each of these situations, the player himself is applying the pressure. It’s not coming from any other source. And that’s typically the case in golf. You are (mostly) in control of your ball—it’s not tennis, where the opposing player controls where the ball is. So the pressure comes from internal sources. So how do you eliminate it? Focus on the process and let the results take care of themselves. There are multiple variables the factor into successful golf shots and not all of them are in your control. But some things are out of your control (wind, weather, course conditions, and most importantly, what other players do). You can execute a perfect shot, only to have a wind gust take it into a bunker. Or hit a perfect putt, only to have it hit a ball mark and lip out.

So do not get ahead of yourself on the course. Focus on one shot at a time. Do not say things like “I need to make birdie here.” Back up the process and start it from where you are. First focus on making a good swing with your driver—proper posture and alignment and acceleration. Then if your ball finds the fairway, focus on the approach, then the putt. You get the idea. You can’t make birdie with the driver in your hands! And most importantly, don’t worry about the results. Granted, golf is a results / bottom-line game, but if you’ve done everything you can, the results will take care of themselves. And if you’re just played your career best round, and someone beat you by one stroke, there’s nothing you can do but congratulate the winner.

What are your thoughts? What makes you nervous? How do you handle it? Email your ideas to info@FixYourGame.com, or post them on Twitter (@FixYourGamecom) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FixYourGame).

Cheers,

Brant Kasbohm, PGA
Director of Instruction
FixYourGame.com