I often wonder what the difference is between real pressure and fear. I have written previously about three different types of pressure.
- The situation where you face the real threat of physical harm; think of soldiers in a combat situation or police confronting an angry mob.
- A situation where you believe you may suffer emotional hurt, embarrassment or humiliation if you don’t perform well: think of needing to to putt from 30 feet to win your fourball match.
- Where you have an opportunity to shine: you are about to deliver a presentation to a room full of people who are eager to hear what you have to say, and you feel the fear of hesitation.
Only the first situation offers the threat of physical harm. However, the fear response in all three situations is real. Your heart rate increases, tension builds in your body, your thoughts are racing and your body is sweating.
Most golfers will be familiar with the second and third scenarios. For some people those fears are so real that they will take action to avoid situations that make them feel uncomfortable. But the avoidance response will only make the fear of facing that same situation grow.
When you are practising look to build challenging competitive drills into your training sessions. This will help to develop resilience in your game as well as helping with the transfer of these skills to the golf course.
When you face those fearful situations on the course, such as standing on the first tee, the following suggestions will help you.
- Acknowledge the fact that you are fearful.
- Welcome the fear and nerves. Denying or trying to push away those feelings usually strengthens them. Welcoming, or embracing them somehow allows the feelings to dissipate. I’m not quite sure of the logic, but know it works.
- Just get on with it. If you have first tee nerves, you will find that they disappear either completely or almost completely as soon as you hit your first tee shot.
The final piece of advice ‘just getting on with it’ is one that will allow you to expand your own comfort zone so that in the future the feelings you have in those situations will have far less emotional strength.