You’ve practiced your swing a hundred times. You’ve watched every YouTube video, bought the training aid, even repeated your coach’s weird grip cue in your sleep. But then comes the tournament. The first tee. The silence. And suddenly your hands feel like they’ve aged forty years and your driver looks more like a medieval weapon than a golf club.
Why does it always happen when it matters most?
Pressure does weird things. It messes with your heart rate, your breathing, your focus, your tempo… all the stuff that needs to be dialed in if you’re going to put one in the fairway. And yes, you could go full Zen Master or spend the next six months reading sports psychology books, but I’d rather you didn’t.
Instead, let’s make this practical. Real things that real golfers—like you, like me—can do to keep it together when every eye is on you and your ball is teetering on the edge of that first tee.
What Actually Happens to Your Brain on the Tee Box?
Let’s start with the obvious: pressure changes your body. You feel it before the shot—tight grip, shallow breathing, brain going a million miles an hour. Suddenly, your practiced, buttery-smooth swing becomes stiff, rushed, and reactive.
That’s not just in your head (well… it is, but you know what I mean).
The body’s stress response narrows your attention and tenses your muscles. That “quiet mind” you need? Gone. Replaced by a choir of unhelpful thoughts like “Don’t top it,” or “Everyone’s watching,” or “Hope the snacks at the turn are decent.”
It’s human. It’s chemical. But it’s also beatable.
Use a Pre-Shot Routine Like It’s a Life Raft
This is the one thing that works every single time—if you actually do it.
A solid pre-shot routine is like a script. When pressure kicks in and you forget your lines, the routine reminds you. Same steps. Same pace. Same focus. Whether you’re playing a $10 match with your mate or trying not to embarrass yourself at a club comp.
You don’t need anything dramatic. Just a few steps to reset your brain and body. Mine? Deep breath. Visualize the flight. Waggle. Swing. If I skip it, I know. The result almost always proves it.
Rory’s Weird Breathing Trick (That Actually Works)
Rory McIlroy doesn’t just crush it because of genetics and practice (though that helps). He keeps his mouth closed.
No, really.
He says keeping his mouth closed forces him to breathe through his nose, which regulates his system and helps him stay calmer on the course. It’s subtle. But under pressure, it’s gold.
I started trying it after hitting two straight drives into the trees during medal round panic. And guess what? It helped. I stopped swinging like a caffeinated lumberjack.
It turns out something as simple as nasal breathing can actually reset your system, lower your heart rate, and give you just enough calm to stop gripping the club like it’s a live grenade.
Scheffler Admits He Panics Too (And Then Plays Like a Machine)
The World No. 1 admitted he cried before winning the Masters. Full-on, I-can’t-do-this mode. That honesty? Massive.
If someone that good can feel overwhelmed and still pull off world-class golf, then your pre-tee nerves aren’t a sign of failure—they’re just part of the game. Embrace them. Normalize them. They’re not going anywhere.
I had to learn that lesson the hard way after standing over a drive in a club match and literally forgetting my swing thought. Completely blank. I just swung. It worked, oddly.
But only because I’d trained enough for my body to go on autopilot. That’s the goal.
Nelly Korda Says “Co-ca Co-la” and That’s… Genius?
If you ever feel like your tempo goes out the window when the pressure ramps up, borrow Nelly Korda’s trick. She literally says “Co-ca Co-la” in her head to keep her rhythm.
Simple. Rhythmic. Non-technical. It stops you from rushing or swinging like you’re trying to launch a space shuttle.
Now, my Czech dad used to say “Poma-lu” (which just means “slowly”)—same idea. The point is, it doesn’t have to be technical. It just has to work. Find your cue. Say it. Swing with it.
If you need more help with tempo, read this: [Why Swing Tempo is More Important Than Swing Speed (NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN)]
Grip Pressure: The Silent Saboteur
When nerves hit, the first casualty is your grip. It gets tight. Too tight. Like white-knuckling-a-steering-wheel-in-a-thunderstorm tight.
You want your grip pressure around a 4 or 5 out of 10. Loose enough for freedom, firm enough for control.
I always do a quick “finger wiggle” test before I start the backswing. If I can’t move my fingers a bit, I’m gripping too hard. And I know I’m not the only one. This one fix alone can save your drive.
Pressure Shift vs. Weight Shift (Yes, There’s a Difference)
Under stress, your body gets lazy or overactive. It either locks up or lunges. Neither is good for consistent driving.
What you actually want is a proper pressure shift—feeling pressure in the trail foot during the backswing, then moving it into the lead foot through impact. It’s not about throwing your weight around. It’s about balance and timing.
A medicine ball drill changed this for me. Trying to lift a heavy ball with just your arms doesn’t work. You have to load into your trail side. And it teaches your body that feeling you need when the real swing happens.
Practice Under Pressure (Or You’ll Crack)
Here’s the truth: hitting bombs on the range doesn’t mean you’ll stripe one off the first tee with three people watching.
You’ve got to practice with pressure. One-ball challenges. Penalties for missed fairways. Even just simulating tournament routines with your mates.
Try this: go to the range and pretend you’re playing nine holes. Hit your tee shots one at a time. Fairway = 1 point. Miss = 2 points. Lowest score wins. It’s brutally honest feedback, and the nerves start to feel real.
Related Article: [Pressure Practice Drills to Prepare Like a Pro (NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN)]
Keep It Simple When It Matters Most
When pressure hits, the worst thing you can do is go into technical overdrive.
“I need to fix my takeaway.” “Where’s my wrist angle?” “Am I shallowing?”
No. Just… no.
Stick to one cue. Mine is always rhythm. Some folks use ball flight. Some just think “turn and smash.” Keep it tight. Korda doesn’t overthink. She just trusts her swing and says soda brands in her head. That’s enough.
Trust the work. And then let it rip.
