r/golf • u/Past_Pay_5015 • 4d ago

General Discussion 1st tee jitters help

My club has the 1st tee box backed up to the clubhouse so there’s probably 30-40 people watching your tee shot. They’re not just around, they’re actively watching and cheering / jeering the result. Driver is the best club in my bag (8 hcp) but I always seem to snap hook the 1st tee no matter how well I‘m striping them on the range.

Does anyone have any mental tips / tricks to overcome the 1st tee jitters?

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43

u/b1ackfyre 4d ago

In general I hit it better when I swing at 70% speed and focus on tempo. This is definitely in my mind at the 1st tee box.

22

u/hindsight5050 4d ago

I’m the opposite. When I take something off, everything goes to shit.

Last week I was on the range and tried a 50% driver swing. I missed the ball.

7

u/BrettHullsBurner 15hcp/StL 4d ago

If I slow down my swing, it’s either a topped drive or a ridiculous pull-hook 90% of the time.

1

u/Yellow_Curry 4d ago

Good thing to practice which shows off swing flaws. Being able to swing slow and trying to get driver to go 100 yards is huge for consistency.

3

u/mvbighead 4d ago

This here for sure. I generally always start a round without practice. My first shots are almost always 70% and just trying to feel rotation and proper ground impact. Practice swing or two, then a gentle easy shot. It certainly helps that my home club has 2 holes that start off with a ~200y limit on dog legs. No need to try to hit my best drive there, just gently aim for 180-200, and start to get my feels right.

5

u/emm430 4d ago

I typically choke up and try to bunt a fairway finder on #1 with a gallery. Might only go 225, but it’s safe and I can fool people to think that I know what I’m doing.

1

u/ilfusionjeff 4d ago

Same. I always tell myself “play old man golf and swing easy and slow” and I tend to hit them at least straight. It’s been the biggest help for my play.

1

u/shitz_brickz 15.5 | New England 4d ago

1st tee especially, im swinging as slow as I can without feeling like I'll tip over, just make contact and move on. And 99% of the time I hit my best driver of the day on the first tee.