First Tee Jitters

As a novice, and talking to more seasoned players, Teeing off at the first always seems to unleash a squadron of butterfly's in the stomach.

Whilst staying away with work I got talking to the Club Pro at the hotel where I was staying and this subject came up in conversation. He said how many times at the first tee did I miss the ball? When I said none he said then what have you got to be worried about? When I said about topping and slicing he said but at the end of the day you have hit the ball. I have to say that this advice has already opened a new train of thought into a more relaxed frame of mind.

Am I alone with this fear, what advice would you give, and whats the best bit of advice have you been given to improve your game. 

It's only ever happened to me once.

I'd only been playing a few months and we turned up to play Crookhill Park GC on a Sunday!

There must have been forty to fifty players in the queue.

The good thing at Crookhill is you only have to hit the ball about one hundred yards and it goes over the crest of a hill and you're out of sight then.

I managed to make a good contact with the ball and over the hill it went, never had first tee jitters since!

Russ

I have the jitters on every tee shot, no confidence whatsoever but this improves rapidly after I have hit the first one on each hole.

Not a chance Wayne, I don't have any negative thoughts, just a poor wood swing.

At my home course the first hole is a dog leg right, lake to the right and clubhouse terrace behind. I concentrate on a fir tree 290 yard up the fairway and rip the big dog. Works for me just having focus on one point, block everything else out!!

I think especially in a competition nerves are pretty normal. Deep beathing is a good way to calm your nerves prior to teeing off.  One thing i have found which was also a tip from the local pro is to breath in deep as your setting yourself up.  Then try to exhale in control as you take your backswing and let your body & more importantly your club do the rest.  By exhaling and controling your breath this will definitely help you swing the club with more tempo & rythm as it relaxes the muscles, which means you stay in better control!  I also use this method with pressure shots, it really does remove the snatch or hard swing of the club, which inevitably leads to a poor shot.