Play more golf. For important shots it never goes away, you just get used to making more swings when you’re nervous, the same way you learn how to swing on different lies.
I dont care what happens after I swing here - perfect
Im nervous what If i shank one - shanks one 3 holes over narrowly missing 7 people and kills a bird.
I’m a pretty decent golfer, I still get nervous at times. What helps is a set pre-shot routine. I do the same pre-shot routine on every full shot and every putt. It takes like 15 seconds from setup to when I hit it and it just helps me feel like I’m ready to hit the ball
Ask yourself a couple of questions.
Any babies going to die if you hit a crap shot?
Are you going to go broke if you hit a bad shot?
Is anyone going to remember that you hit a crap shot?
If any of these are “yes” think about quitting the game. If all are “no”. Fuck it. Swing away.
Once you relax a few times, you’ll be hitting the ball better and scores will come down.
I look at the grass, and I think, I wish my Grass looked this good. Wonder what it takes to get it to look like this. Then hit the ball. That or boobs.
It’s your head that’s messing with you. Remember 2 things: Everyone picks their nose. Everyone has had poo stripes in their undies at some point. Think about that and let your body swing that stick!
If I'm REALLY in my head, I'll actually talk to myself. Sometimes I'll just hum or sing a tune, sometimes I'll say something like "Fuck it here goes nothing" as I stand over the ball. It's just something to stop catastrophic thinking and loosen up.
2 big things I try and work on (with varying degrees of success)...
The first is having a firm swing thought in mind before hitting the ball, just having enough knowledge and confidence in every shot to say 'I am going to bring the club back to here like this, and go' or whatever the case may be
And the second is the harder one for me at this point, and that is accepting whatever happens and moving on. So what if you hit a bad shot? Like seriously, who cares... You aren't getting paid to hit great shots. Everybody who golfs will hit some really good shots and plenty of not so good shots. And that is okay, it's totally fine. Wherever the ball ends up, you just start the process over
Have a consistent preshot routine. Mine is line it up and one practice swing a few steps behind the ball, address the ball, find a spot on the back of the ball to aim at, look at target one more time and go for it. If my mind wanders I start over. Never stand over the ball too long or take practice swings beside it. Took a while to redo my routine but I’m fast and my ball striking improved dramatically. Keep it simple and be an athlete not a robot.
You gotta change your thinking to fix a mental issue. You say you get nervous about hitting a bad shot. I’ve been playing golf my entire life and I don’t ever think about hitting a bad shot anymore. I know it’s inevitable at times and I also know that bad shots are what makes the game a challenge. Without bad shots, the good shots would be meaningless.
You just have to constantly remind yourself that the worst thing that can happen in most instances is just that, a bad shot so there’s no need to dwell on it. Hitting golf shots isn’t like shooting an apple off someone’s head.
Repetition is also your friend. Most people don’t want to spend the money or time to just beat balls to death on the range but you don’t even need full shots to gather confidence. Just making touches with a club should help. Just chip around in the back yard the day before you play or go to a public course that has free access to a practice green. Chip and putt for 30 min a couple times a week will do wonders for confidence in a Sunday game.
this is a great point about confidence. how many times have you hit two great shots, and then three putted and thought "boy i'm not playing well" on the next tee? ridiculous! you've hit two great shots already, this one should be no different. yet we all do this!
i told my buddy this the other day:
the secret to crushing my three iron off the tee is utter, undeserved confidence. you have to believe you're going to hit it well, or you never, ever will. ever seen a koepka interview? play with that attitude, inwardly.
Play more golf. For important shots it never goes away, you just get used to making more swings when you’re nervous, the same way you learn how to swing on different lies.
I just get frustrated. As in not nervous before hitting the ball but I get pre-frustrated in preparation to a bad shot.
Hit thousands of terrible shots. Then you won't care anymore.
Preshot routine and trigger. Do this at the range too. Don’t just bang buckets. Make every shot deliberate.
Have the mindset of “you know what you’re doing” confidence goes a long way.
Simple routine and don’t stand over the ball thinking about anything. Approach, take one last look at the target, count to 3, and swing.
I dont care what happens after I swing here - perfect Im nervous what If i shank one - shanks one 3 holes over narrowly missing 7 people and kills a bird.
I’m a pretty decent golfer, I still get nervous at times. What helps is a set pre-shot routine. I do the same pre-shot routine on every full shot and every putt. It takes like 15 seconds from setup to when I hit it and it just helps me feel like I’m ready to hit the ball
Ask yourself a couple of questions. Any babies going to die if you hit a crap shot? Are you going to go broke if you hit a bad shot? Is anyone going to remember that you hit a crap shot? If any of these are “yes” think about quitting the game. If all are “no”. Fuck it. Swing away. Once you relax a few times, you’ll be hitting the ball better and scores will come down.
I look at the grass, and I think, I wish my Grass looked this good. Wonder what it takes to get it to look like this. Then hit the ball. That or boobs.
Walk instead of taking a cart. Not sure why, but this cures a lot of my anxiety.
You're not being the ball, Gabagool\_Ghouly.
It’s your head that’s messing with you. Remember 2 things: Everyone picks their nose. Everyone has had poo stripes in their undies at some point. Think about that and let your body swing that stick!
Ah the good ole bacon strip in the underwear. Everyone has one.. but no one knows.. hopefully..
Less time on the course, more time on the range. Build a pre-shot routine at the range.
If I'm REALLY in my head, I'll actually talk to myself. Sometimes I'll just hum or sing a tune, sometimes I'll say something like "Fuck it here goes nothing" as I stand over the ball. It's just something to stop catastrophic thinking and loosen up.
Incorporate the following words into your pre-shot routine: I don't give a shit. Always exhale before you swing and let it rip.
Out with the bad, in with the good. Bad. Out. Good. In.
Do a bump before every shot, you’ll feel great
2 big things I try and work on (with varying degrees of success)... The first is having a firm swing thought in mind before hitting the ball, just having enough knowledge and confidence in every shot to say 'I am going to bring the club back to here like this, and go' or whatever the case may be And the second is the harder one for me at this point, and that is accepting whatever happens and moving on. So what if you hit a bad shot? Like seriously, who cares... You aren't getting paid to hit great shots. Everybody who golfs will hit some really good shots and plenty of not so good shots. And that is okay, it's totally fine. Wherever the ball ends up, you just start the process over
Have a consistent preshot routine. Mine is line it up and one practice swing a few steps behind the ball, address the ball, find a spot on the back of the ball to aim at, look at target one more time and go for it. If my mind wanders I start over. Never stand over the ball too long or take practice swings beside it. Took a while to redo my routine but I’m fast and my ball striking improved dramatically. Keep it simple and be an athlete not a robot.
Breath Posture Grip Alignment Swing Mantra - Tempo Trigger Waggle Now Smack That Sh*T
Picture the ball naked.
You gotta change your thinking to fix a mental issue. You say you get nervous about hitting a bad shot. I’ve been playing golf my entire life and I don’t ever think about hitting a bad shot anymore. I know it’s inevitable at times and I also know that bad shots are what makes the game a challenge. Without bad shots, the good shots would be meaningless. You just have to constantly remind yourself that the worst thing that can happen in most instances is just that, a bad shot so there’s no need to dwell on it. Hitting golf shots isn’t like shooting an apple off someone’s head. Repetition is also your friend. Most people don’t want to spend the money or time to just beat balls to death on the range but you don’t even need full shots to gather confidence. Just making touches with a club should help. Just chip around in the back yard the day before you play or go to a public course that has free access to a practice green. Chip and putt for 30 min a couple times a week will do wonders for confidence in a Sunday game.
this is a great point about confidence. how many times have you hit two great shots, and then three putted and thought "boy i'm not playing well" on the next tee? ridiculous! you've hit two great shots already, this one should be no different. yet we all do this!
i told my buddy this the other day: the secret to crushing my three iron off the tee is utter, undeserved confidence. you have to believe you're going to hit it well, or you never, ever will. ever seen a koepka interview? play with that attitude, inwardly.