I recently read an article that described Tiger Woods’ past problems hitting poor drives on the first tee in many tournaments. I did not realize that it was a problem for Tiger but I certainly know that I, like many others, generate poor drives on the first tee for any round of golf. We all practice for that first tee shot but I did some research to understand first tee jitters and how best to fix them.
Chemical Release That You Need to Overcome
Nervous tension on the first tee automatically triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin as well as the hormones: adrenalin and cortisol. They affect the mental way that you react and the physical way that your body moves. You have no choice but to deal with these mental and physical limitations.
Dopamine speeds up your heart rate and serotonin affects your emotions. They get your excited and may be the reason why you are speeding up your swing on the first tee (or any tee for that matter). Adrenalin gives you an energy boost and Cortisol increases your stress level. They are the reason why you shorten your backswing and hit shots off the toe of your open faced club.
Set a Plan to Overcome your First Tee Emotions
Just knowing that you have to deal with your chemical and hormone release will give you a new advantage over your nervous body and mind.
1/ Calm Down: Take a few deep breaths as you select your club and setup for your shot.
2/ Keep Moving: Take a practice swing by shifting your weight from your leading to your trailing foot as you rotate your hips and generate a FULL backswing with your shoulders and arms.
3/ Loosen Up: Move up to your ball and look up to check your target line-up. Keep your hands and feet moving by lifting or waggling your club to avoid tensing up.
4/ Focus on Your Cadence: : Eliminate external thoughts by internally saying “1” to start your backswing, “annnd” as you rotate your hips and flatten you leading wrist to shallow and start your down-swing on the count of “2”.
The key to your successful first hole drive is to calm down and to overcome your swing limitations caused by chemical and hormone releases. Just make a full rotation for your backswing and hold your lag as your legs start your downswing. Practicing with GOLFSTR+ will help you overcome your fears. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com