Nervous?

[fpuagolf]

I am playing in the Florida Boys' Junior on Tuesday, Wednesday, and hopefully Thursday if I make the cut.

IDK why I am nervous.

When your nervous, what do you think???

[Especially my first tee shot (10th hole, tight fairway, water left, island green!)]

[uttexas]

Being a little nervous is normal. It means you care about performing your best. I don't know if you are able to play a practice round tomorrow on the course, but if you can, do so, to get familiar with the course. If no practice round is available, practice with your coach or by your self.

Tomorrow night, eat a healthy dinner and take rest knowing that you have prepared. I liked to watch a movie the night before a big competition to take my mind off things. Get a good night's sleep. Eat a healthy breakfast. Stay hydrated.

[uttexas]

On the tee, think about your immediate target (middle of the fairway). Trust your swing and take dead aim.

[ks8829]

Everyone gets nervous it only normal. It how you handle your nervousness. A pre-shot routine will help to make you comfortable.

[enarhi]

Assuming you can afford to, hit an iron off the tee. Or a hybrid, or whatever you're most comfortable hitting that will still leave you a reasonable shot at the green. This will accomplish two things: it will make the first shot easier to hit and less likely to find trouble, and a solidly struck starting shot with a comfortable club will do well to eliminate your nerves and give you the confidence you need for the approach.

PS: Its at Bear Lakes CC, right? Just looked at the hole--looks like a layup short of the right trap off the tee would leave you about a 7-iron in (assuming from the handicap that you're distance is solid).

[Shindig]

I think of a joke from a Leslie Nielsen movie:

"Nervous?"
"A little."
"First time?"
"No, I've been nervous many times."


Also, if there's a shot that I know I have to face that will make me nervous, I pre-plan what I'm going to do (club, shape, etc) and I visualize myself playing the hole. I don't mean immediately beforehand (although that may happen), but maybe the night before or morning of. The more vivid you can make your visualization, the better. Smell the grass, feel the air, etc. And, of course, make your shot (in your mind) go the way you want it to go. Then, when you get to that tee box, you get a feeling of deja vu; you've already hit the shot successfully in your mind, now you just have to do it again.

[CG031]

Well, you're quite a good player, judging by your handicap so you should be fine. Like everyone said, it's normal to be nervous. I've played in a bunch of tournaments now as a Junior and I still get pretty nervous...you just have to try to focus ONE shot at a time (very tough to do for some, especially me...I always get caught up in score) and also to not think about your golf swing too much...don't overanalyze your swing while you're out there...keep it to minimum thoughts in that aspect.

Otherwise, you should be fine...I mean you've obviously played a lot of golf if your a + handicap, so just go out and play your game.

[Nick88]

I find taking a deep breath before shots helps calm me down!
Dont think about the tournament or the people around you forget they're there and just go through your pre shot routine!

[shades9323]

It depends on how old you are!

[Creestoff]

my dad is a big fan of hitting an iron off that first tee. I'm starting to think the best think you can do is just get up there and rip that first drive as quick as you can (within reason). The more you stand there, the more tight you get.

[cougar978]

I've been in your shoes in the past - my advice to you would be to not hit an iron off the first tee, especially if there's any sort of distance requirement, simply because a wood gives you much greater margin for error. Notice I said wood, not driver. Hitting driver off a first tee when you're shaky is a recipe for disaster (see: Ricky Barnes at the US Open). I would go with an easy 3-wood - if you miss, chances are you're still in play, and you're looking at bogey at worst.

As for being nervous during practice, the best thing to do is forget about everyone around you. If you have an mp3 player or inno, use it. Even though the tournament may have a rule banning these during play, they're fair game during practice. If all else fails, think about hooking up with one of the good-looking cart girls, that should ease the pressure :).