How to handle 1st tee nerves from a coach of 30+ years.
How Do I Deal With First Tee Nerves?
If you get nervous on the first tee, the problem usually isn't that you don't know how to hit a golf ball. It's that your mind has already jumped ahead to everything that might go wrong.
You're thinking about everyone watching, topping it, shanking it, losing it or embarrassing yourself before you've even hit the shot.
The way I deal with that is simple: bring your attention back to what's important now.
That doesn't mean trying to convince yourself you're not nervous. It means giving your mind something useful to focus on instead of letting it run off into the future.
Why Is the First Tee So Nerve-Racking?
The first tee is probably one of the most nervous places you'll regularly stand on a golf course.
Think about a Saturday at a busy golf club.
You've got golfers lined up behind you.
There might be 30 or 40 people waiting to play.
There are people sitting in the clubhouse or bar.
People are talking, laughing and watching.
And suddenly you're standing over your golf ball thinking:
"Everybody's looking at me."
"I hope I don't make a fool of myself."
"I hope I don't top it."
"What if I shank it?"
"What if I lose it?"
And then your brain takes that one step further:
"If I hit a terrible shot, I'll be so embarrassed I might as well go home."
The interesting thing is that this isn't just something that happens to everyday golfers.
Even professional golfers get nervous standing on the first tee.
They might be playing in a major championship or a British Open with thousands of people watching, but the basic problem is still the same.
They don't know exactly what is going to happen.
You're Worried About a Result That Hasn't Happened Yet
This is one of the biggest problems with first tee nerves.
You're worrying about something that hasn't happened.
You might top the ball.
You might hit it left.
You might hit it right.
You might hit a fantastic drive straight down the middle.
You don't know yet.
But your brain starts rehearsing the bad result before you've even made your swing.
That's the fear of the unknown.
And when you're doing that, you're no longer in the present moment.
You're standing on the first tee, but mentally you're already somewhere else.
You're imagining the embarrassment of a bad shot rather than dealing with the shot that's actually in front of you.
Get Your Mind Back Into the Present
You'll often hear athletes talk about performing in the present moment.
There's a reason for that.
When you're playing your best golf, you're generally focused on what you need to do now rather than worrying about what might happen five seconds from now.
So how do you actually do that when you're nervous?
One of the simplest ways I know is to use the question:
"What's Important Now?"
Or simply:
WIN.
What's Important Now?
That question gives your brain something useful to work on.
Instead of:
"What if I hit it out of bounds?"
You're asking:
"What do I need to do right now to give myself the best chance of hitting this shot?"
That's a much better question.
What's Important Now on the First Tee?
For me, it means reminding myself of the key things that have worked for me in the past.
Not trying to invent something new.
Not trying to suddenly find the perfect golf swing.
Not trying to hit the best shot I've ever hit.
I'm simply reminding myself:
What are the key things I've done before that give me the best chance of hitting this shot?
That might be something you've worked on during practice.
It might be something you've done successfully on the golf course.
It might be part of your setup.
It might be a simple swing thought.
The important thing is that it is something that has already worked for you.
Don't Try to Be Perfect
This is another big one.
Your first tee shot doesn't have to be perfect.
It just needs to be good enough.
For me, good enough means:
I can find it.
I can swing at it.
I can progress it towards my next target.
That's good enough.
You don't need to hit the perfect drive down the middle of the fairway.
You don't need to flush it.
You don't need to prove anything to the people watching.
You simply need to hit a shot that gives you a chance to play the next one.
That takes a lot of pressure off.
Build Your Own First Tee Routine
Once I've reminded myself what's important now, I can go through my normal routine.
For example, I might:
Pick out a clear target.
Take a practice swing or two to loosen up.
Pick an intermediate target in front of the ball.
Get my ball position and stance right.
Look back at the target.
Then hit the shot.
That's my routine.
It doesn't have to be yours.
You might have a completely different routine.
And that's fine.
The important thing is that you know what your key things are.
When you're nervous, you don't want to start experimenting.
You want to fall back on things you've already done successfully.
Use a Simple Swing Thought
You might also have a simple swing thought that works for you.
It could be something like:
"Swing easy."
"Follow through."
Or something else you've already found useful.
The key is to keep it simple.
When you're nervous, giving yourself five or six technical things to think about isn't going to help.
You've already got enough going on.
Your job is to remind yourself of the few things that give you the best possible chance of executing the shot.
Then let yourself hit it.
Don't Try to Eliminate the Nerves
This is important.
I don't think the goal should be to stand on the first tee and somehow feel absolutely nothing.
You're probably going to feel nervous.
That's normal.
Even good players get nervous.
The goal is to stop those nerves from taking control of your attention.
You can be nervous and still make a good decision.
You can be nervous and still go through your routine.
You can be nervous and still hit a good shot.
You don't have to wait until you feel confident before you play well.
You need to learn what to do when you don't feel completely comfortable.
What If You Do Hit a Bad First Tee Shot?
And here's the other thing.
Even if you do top it, shank it, lose it or hit one you absolutely hate, it's not the end of your round.
It's one golf shot.
The problem comes when you turn one bad shot into a prediction about the rest of your day.
"There goes my round."
"I knew I'd do that."
"I'm hopeless today."
Now you've got another problem.
You've taken the first tee shot and allowed it to affect the next five holes.
That's where your thinking needs to come back to the same principle:
What's important now?
Not what happened five minutes ago.
Not what might happen on the next hole.
What is important now?
A Simple First Tee Process
The next time you're nervous on the first tee, try this:
1. Recognise what's happening.
You're nervous.
That's okay.
You don't need to fight it.
2. Stop predicting the future.
You don't know what's going to happen.
Don't spend your energy imagining the worst possible result.
3. Ask: "What's Important Now?"
Bring your attention back to the shot in front of you.
4. Remember your key things.
What has worked for you before?
Use that.
5. Pick a clear target.
Know where you're trying to send the ball.
6. Go through your normal routine.
Don't invent something new because you're nervous.
7. Accept "good enough."
The first shot doesn't have to be perfect.
It just needs to give you a chance to play the next one.
8. Hit the shot.
Once you've made your decision and gone through your routine, stop negotiating with yourself.
Hit it.
The Bigger Lesson
First tee nerves aren't really about the first tee.
They're about how your mind responds when the result is uncertain.
You can't control exactly what is going to happen when you hit a golf shot.
You can control what you focus on before you hit it.
That's why I don't want you standing on the first tee trying to convince yourself:
"I'm going to hit a perfect drive."
Instead, ask:
"What's important now?"
Then give yourself the best possible chance of executing that one shot.
That's golf.
You don't need to know what's going to happen next.
You just need to deal with what's in front of you.
The Simple Version
If you're nervous on the first tee, don't try to predict what's going to happen.
Don't worry about everyone watching.
Don't worry about embarrassing yourself.
Don't worry about the bad shot you haven't hit yet.
Ask yourself:
"What's Important Now?"
Then remind yourself of your key setup and swing thoughts, pick a clear target, go through your routine and hit the shot.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
It just needs to be good enough to give you your next shot.
And that's how you start dealing with first tee nerves.
Want Help With the Mental Side of Your Golf?
If you regularly find yourself making better swings on the range than you do on the golf course, or your thinking falls apart when there's pressure, the problem may not be your golf swing.
This is exactly the sort of thing I look for when I coach golfers on the course.
I want to see what actually happens when you're playing — including your decisions, routines, reactions and the way you respond when things don't go according to plan.
Book your Play With The Pro Experience and let's find out what's really costing you shots.
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The Gold Coast offers a range of options including Emerald Lakes, Palm Meadows, Hope Island, Southport, and Coolangatta-Tweed. Paul Williamson provides personalised on-course coaching that goes beyond traditional lessons, covering skills, strategy, and mental game in real playing conditions.
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One-hour lessons provide quick tips but rarely translate under course conditions. Paul’s on-course coaching uses 9-hole assessments to build a tailored plan that actually drops strokes from your scorecard.
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Paul Williamson, a PGA Professional with 30+ years’ experience, provides personalised on-course coaching at courses around Carrara, Hope Island, Robina, Southport, Coolangatta-Tweed, and the broader Gold Coast.
