Who hasn’t felt nervous on the course? It might sound counterintuitive, but when you embrace your nerves and learn how to harness them, they can heighten your senses and actually help to stabilize your game.
The key to embracing nerves is developing a plan to deal with them, and you can accomplish this by putting together a pattern of thought — no different than the pattern of movement that comprises your pre-shot routine. Next time you walk up to hit a shot, incorporate a short thought pattern as you cycle through your typical movements. Try taking a deep breath and repeating some simple phrases in your mind — something like “see it, feel it, trust it” — and do this over and over again, shot after shot. You’ll start to develop a mental routine that coincides with your physical routine, putting those nerves to good use.
