First Hole Jitters? There is always a build-up in your mind about that first drive on the first hole. There is a lot of pressure because your drive sets up your success or failure for each hole.
If you are not confident with your setup for each drive, a build-up of Adrenalin will play tricks on your mind and your swing. Lingering memories of your last drive (good or bad) or a poor shot on the previous hole can destroy your next drive. Get a grip on your head before you start each round of golf.
Golf Digest shows what happens when you swing with all arms and then the correct way.
Have you ever noticed how others mess up their drives. They take a practice swing at a 50% speed: hips start the down swing and they release their swing perfectly. But when they step forward to the ball, it’s a new ball game. The backswing is rushed so they never finish it. In their rush they miss the hip shift to their leading foot. The swing becomes all arms, causing an early release of the arms before the foot pressure shifts from the back foot to the front foot. This causes fat hits, topped balls, duck hooks or high flying slices.
It seems that our minds can’t handle the thought of hitting that little white ball. That ball seems to cause the “Dragon in our Minds” to rear its ugly head and unleash a killer swing with any result but a good one.
Get rid of that Ugly Dragon in your head every time you play golf.
It is easier to see this in others but it may also be your problem. A lesson will help, but your mind has to accept that the rush to reach the top of your swing is killing your results. Hank Haney said that a professional golfer’s downswing swing is 3 times faster than their backswing. You need to take your time to complete your full backswing without rushing the transition to the downswing. You may even want to try that full stop at the top of your swing like Hideki Matsuyama [but it is rare to see this being tried by others].
I know that my mind occasionally kicks into high gear and that Ugly Dragon rears his head to mess up some of my shots. We all need to be aware of that Ugly Dragon hiding inside our heads.
Calming the Dragon is what we all need to do. Don’t let Adrenalin over power your swing.
SOLUTIONS:
-Get rid of your tension by setting up with relaxed shoulders (let them drop)
-Loosen your grip.
-Take your time to complete your backswing, transition and weight shift to your leading leg.
-If you can’t create the weight shift, setup with 75% of your weight on your leading foot.
-Make sure that you are consistently hitting your ball in the center of your club face.
-Haney suggests 20 to 100 practice swings per day to feel the rhythm of the lag release.
Use These 2 Swing Thoughts (or chose your own favorite 1 or 2 Swing Thoughts):
1/ Release your club head from the inside and up your target line.
2/ Finish your swing in balance on your leading foot.
Try these approaches and see what works for you. Practice while using your GOLFSTR+ to ensure that you are swinging correctly. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com
This is such good advice for mid-high handicappers. In fact, I feel many golfers struggle to shake the dragon in their head after 5 or 6 holes; not just the first!
Two things I have learned from my pro, to combat the first hole nerves and adrenaline, is to:
1. Focus on being calm – actively relax before you get to the tee; slow your breathing, walk slowly to the box, feel the droop in your arms and shoulders, feel the calm, solid base in your stance,
2. Make an exaggerated slow backswing – such that it almost feels like you’re doing it in slow motion. It won’t look like this to your partners (anyway, they’re worried about their own shots – not yours) – however, it will keep your position and avoid the “panicked overswing” that plagues many amateurs (i.e. we overdo the backswing thinking we need to hit a BIG shot”
All good advice. Thanks.
Thank you Scott, Glad to see that you are still a faithful follower.
I have lots of ideas for Swing Tips because I’ve been playing golf in Florida for the last 3 months, learning great ideas from my playing partners and just watching a par 3 (tee to green) from my window. This is a great place to be writing about golf. Spring Run Golf Club in Estero is a great place to relax in the winter. Amazing warm weather all winter.