Anxiety before playing?

[jhawker23]

How many of you get anxiety before playing? I get nervous about going to the course and I have no idea why. I love to play, I don't mind playing with strangers, I play fairly well. Just nerves before going out.

[DaSportsGuy]

If I'm playing a new course or playing with someone for the first time/people I'm paired with I usually get a little nervous.

But just going out for casual round I'm usually pretty calm.

[westcyderydin]

are you worrying too much about how you are going to score?

[jhawker23]

I don't know what it is. I don't have confidence in my iron shots right now as I'm changing my swing. But, even playing alone, I still get the nerves before going out there. Its odd.

[Uber$winG]

May I suggest an anti-anxiety cocktail before the round:
1.5 mg of Xanax and 12 oz of Absinthe

That should do the trick...

[drglew]

I think nerves before/during a round are common enough, especially if you're goal-oriented (like i am!)--i.e. "i want to shoot in the 80's" or "i want to beat my playing partner".

It's enough of a concern that the PGA includes beta-blockers on their illegal drug list (they can reduce stress-reactions like rapid heartbeat/shakiness without making one loopy/sleepy like Xanax / Valium etc) even though they're in no way "illegal" drugs, as they're also commonly used for high blood pressure.

[clg82]

I get nervous as well! The worst is when I'm playing by myself....I do absolutly horrible! I don't know if it's because I am concentrating too much, or what it is. I feel more relaxed and play better when i'm with buddies, and we're just bs'ing and then I do great!

[jhawker23]

I'll cut the Xanax down to 1.5 and sub Absinthe for the vodka.

[danieldrieberg]

I get a bit of anxiety but controllable. Makes me more alive.

[WUTiger]

For many people, this centers on the first hole. Take a look at No. 1, and "play it" mentally with a few balls on the practice range.

When you get to the first tee, focus on alignment and get off the shot quickly. Otherwise, you may think yourself into a bad first shot.

[ks8829]

The more you play the more you become relaxed on the first tee. Do you have a pre-shot routine that you used to help make things comfortable for you on the first tee and other shots?

[killerduck]

I usually do get quite a bit edgy on the first hole, especially over the first putt, but now that I think of it I'm not as bad as I have been. I don't think there's anything you can do about it, but I don't know if you'd really want to.

Watching the LPGA yesterday I hear Rankin talking about being so nervous she didn't think she could actually play. Good thing the pro's have a caddy to talk to... We just gotta suck it up and get off the first hole with nothing worse than bogey!!

[The Recreational Golfer]

A lot of times I'll put my clubs in the car and say, "What am I doing this for?" But then I get to the course, hit a few balls to warm up, and I'm fine. That's just me, though. I used to sing opera. Waiting in the wings, I was as nervous as a cat, but a soon as I got in front of the audience, no problem.

[Golf Hypnotist]

Personally, I feel that if I’m not nervously shaking when I get near the end of a seriously good scoring round or close game of match play then I might as well give up golf and go and do something else that excites and inspires me. Jack Nicklaus knew that if you didn’t feel nervous at the end of a tournament you’re trying to win then there’s something wrong with you – he thrived on it. It’s said that he stopped winning golf tournaments when he no longer got so nervous in competition. And you don’t have to be winning to get that feeling, just competing hard in some way. If you watched the duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson during the last round of the 2009 Masters, you’ll know just what mean.

The important thing to remember is to channel that nervous energy into an enhanced state of focus. Using self-hypnosis or simply just breathing deeply a few times will certainly help.

[Shanker]

I use to be the same way...however I did notice in the past I didn't have a preshot routine, so now I just stick to that without much thought and hit the ball...If all hell breaks loose, some cold beer will also do justice :)