one of the day, so you’re not settled in, people
are watching and you’re worried about
getting
getting off to a good start. Nerves on the
first
first tee are normal. But it’s ultimately how
you
you deal with the accompanying anxiousness
that
that will determine whether or not you hit a
solid shot.
“If you don’t want to be nervous, just stay
home,” says Bob Rotella, one of the game’s
top sports psychologists who works with a
number of PGA T professionals and lives
our
in Keswick, Va. “My players go to the first tee
and throw their expectations in the trash can.
They just get in your way.
“The only thing you want to do is get
yourself in a great state of mind on every
shot you play, and do your routine. The time
to add up your scores and see what you shot
is after the round.”
ASSIGN APPROPRIATE VALUE:
IT’S JUST ONE SHOT
You have to learn to give every shot the same
equal, low level of importance. If you believe
the first shot is so significant that it eclipses
all others in the round, then you’re probably
going to have a hard time on the first tee.
Amateurs often say, ‘I feel like if I get off
to a good start, I’m going to have a really
good day.’ Not necessarily. If you look over
your career, I’ll bet there are many days
when you didn’t play well at the beginning
and ended up having a quality round, and
other times when you got off to a nice start
and didn’t have a particularly good day. So
stop pretending the opening tee shot is a
precursor to what’s going to happen the rest
of the way. It’s just one stroke; don’t give it
more weight than it deserves.
DEVELOP A REPEATABLE ROUTINE
It’s important to have a reliable physical and
mental pre-shot routine. Train yourself to
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Master_VSGA_MayJune14.indd 12
by DR. BOB ROTELLA with TOM CUNNEFF
repeat the same pattern regardless of whether
it’s t H