What are some techniques that you use to help with the first tee jitters? When I play with strangers I am nervous on the first tee. I’m sure they don’t care but I feel like they are evaluating what kind of player I am. Any suggestions to overcome the nerves?
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Make a joke. Even if it falls flat.
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I think the key is in you accepting what kind of player you are. Once you are comfortable with who you are right now as a player, then having others think the same thing won’t be a problem.
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Oh, and welcome to the forums LiloGolf.
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Welcome! First off, it’s incredibly normal. All golfers get nervous on the first tee either all of the time or sometimes. I’m not sure it’s a reasonable goal to eliminate nerves, but you can certainly make them manageable.
A few things to remember:
- Nobody really cares what you do; they are mostly worried about themselves
- A repeatable pre-shot routine can help calm your nerves
- No matter what the result is, it will not determine the rest of your round. I’ve had some of my best rounds after disastrous opening tee shots and vice versa
- Your playing partners (no matter how they seem on the outside) probably have a few nerves as well
- Remember that you are playing for fun!
All in all, with anything in golf, the more times you put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the more experience you will gain.
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And if you do hit a horrendous first shot, start betting! They’ll think you’re terrible and you can win some cash!!
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The most nervous I’ve ever been was when I played in a US Open qualifier almost 6 years ago. It was my first competitive round in over 10 years. My range warmup featured about 10-15 sh*nks. I could barely hold my driver in my hands they were shaking so much.
I hit the ugliest duck hook you’ve ever seen into the junk. Shrugged my shoulders and said to myself “uh oh, this could be an embarrassing day”
Then I made a pretty slick bogey, the nerves went away, and shot a 75.
The point is, you NEVER know how your day is gonna go based on that opening shot!
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Deeeep breath, tunnel-vision focus on your target, mindless swing.
Hope this helps!
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I think everyone gets first tee nerves. I tivo’d all of the PGA championship which is a lot of video and you can tell even the PGA pros have problems hitting their best off the first tee.
For me, personally, I just try to keep perspective. I’m going to hit 7-8 bad shots a round and if one of them is the first shot, I’m one step closer to getting them out of my system.
One practical tip that I do on the range, assuming i have the time, is to “play” the first hole 3-4 times with some of the last remaining range balls. For example, one course I play is a short par 4 with a trap off the tee to the right. I imagine the hole and visualize something on the range being the left edge of that right trap and hit a driver trying to keep it in play. Then I hit a wedge and rinse and repeat.
If I’m totally incapable of hitting the driver well, i just downgrade to a 3 wood or iron and try it again until i feel more confident and just go with it off the first tee. I know Scott Broadie and Scott Faucett would be disappointed, but there is value to me to get on the first tee feeling confident and there are a dozen more drives left to smack it once I’ve shaken off the jitters
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Yep. I do the “play the first hole” on the range during warmups, too. Great way to get your mind and body ready for real golf shots.
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We all have them to one degree or another. My issue is I can’t handle it when everyone goes quiet while I’m getting ready to swing.
I tell everyone I play with to talk amongst themselves or play some music or something.
I know I’m an outlier on this, but the quiet freaks me out.
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You’re kind of like Happy Gilmore! 
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More than you know! 
Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions…and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone (Jon, et al)!! Will keep in mind all of the supportive comments!
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Great tips on the mental side of things. On the technique side of things, I might also recommend teeing the ball up just a bit higher.
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At Mt Osmond GC the first tee has the pro shop window right above it. I used to worry the pro was watching me and be incredibly nervous. Once I got over that and realised they weren’t watching I was able to swing more freely. Last week I hit off the first tee and partly skied my driver dead straight about 160m and I heard a knocking sound. I looked around and it was the pro giving me a thumbs up. I do get nervous now as I don’t know what shape shot I will hit but try and forget about that and rely on my preshot routine to get me thru. Nervous this morning with unfamiliar partners but smoked a drive to 70m out on the 1st, a 326m par4, to settle the nerves.
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Always remember that right after or even before your first tee shot stops, rolling. NOBODY else is going to think or care about your Tee shot🥴
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A ½ hour warmup session helps a bit.Tailor one to yourself. Sprinkle in some shots with the club you’ll hit on 1st tee.
And of those strangers on 1st tee, ⅓ will sympathize, ⅓ will laugh, ⅓ just shrug.
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It definitely helps when someone else hits a bad shot before you!
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One of the courses we used to play, always had an opening day tournament. Well one year a couple of us decided to play in it. Had no idea what it was like and they had a large group. Well everyone teed off on the first hole. Which is fine but what we found out when we got there is everyone gathers around the first tee to watch you tee off, and not only that, they announce your name over the speaker when you get on the tee just like on the tour events. You want to talk about nervous, lol. Luckily i was able to at least connect and get a somewhat good shot.
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