EVERY golfer, no matter the skill level, feels some pressure in his or her swing during some situations in the round. Be it the first tee box with others watching you or just getting your personal best score in coming down the last few holes. There’s two main factors we need to focus on to overcome this.
Firstly you need to take up as much space as you can so you don’t feel cramped in an atmosphere around you. On the tee box or green, walk around to feel the best position in times of pressure.
In other words, make yourself bigger to the space and your surroundings as if you own the space. When it’s your turn to play, it’s your stage, take your time and take up the ground.
The next time you feel this immense pressure, do not rush it, walk around and slower the situation as if it’s in slow motion. This will allow you to see the shot better.
Our next factors are what everyone has the fault with. A rushed backswing. We all want to get over the swing quickly but what this does is get your swing paths to all different positions. The key is to get slower on the backswing so you can get a wider arc as you do.
A quick backswing and short arc is going to cause loss in distance and snap left as your grip pressure will be rather tight on the club.
What makes this game so beautiful and unique is we are always faced with different shots. On the driving range in your practice sessions, avoid practice in places away from people.
To get used to having people watching you, start at the range. To overcome this fear you need to place yourself in that situation so you can replicate it on the course.
There’s no golfer in history that can factor that he or she never felt golf pressure or nerves. It’s there, how you deal with it will automatically determine your results.
The next time you find yourself nervous, remember, own the space, slow the backswing and widen the arc.
It’s Masters week, pay close attention to how these golfers handle pressure as well recovery shots. Our tip next week will be on the reading and pace of greens. Catch you on the fairways!
– Sewgolum is a PGA AA golf professional, Golf Pro for Saudi Aramco and was voted Top 5 International PGA Pro for the year 2022. He is published every Wednesday on your favourite newspaper on, The Post.