first time tournament!

Hey everyone I just want some feedback on my first pdga tournament jitters. I have played in a lot of local tournaments buy the excitement and nervousness is getting to me. The tournament is 2 weeks away and it is already messing with me. The question I have is how should I deal with it or what is some things that I could possibly do to calm my self down.

[Norm Cole]

I played high school and college sports and one of the best pieces of advice I was given early on was to chew gum...there is something about chewing gum that calms a person. Then, I have heard a number of players recommend the book The Zen of Golf - worth a read! And, finally, just you be you...play your game...and HAVE FUN!!! Good luck!!!

[Jim Coonradt]

Quaaludes or Valium.

 

Just kidding. It's just a tournament. It's not like you are playing ball golf for a million dollar purse or anything. Relax already. And get ready for a slow pace of play. What are you worried about anyway? Nothing to lose.

 

 

[Jeff Nichols]

Zen Golf is a Great read to help with the mental game. But, nothing helps me more than realizing I am out on the course playing the game I LOVE most. Just relax and throw. What happens happens! You can make it work.

Best of luck!!!!! :)

[Hippy]

Relax have fun!!! Play your game!!!! It will be slower than usual!! Other than that!!!! Nothing different!!!! MAKE YOUR PUTTS!!!!!

[Boom Boom Dino]

D.G. WORDS OF WISDOM

by Bob Rotella

Sports Psychologist

Rotellas Ten Commandments: (*adapted for Disc Golf)

I. Play to play great. Don't play not to play poorly.

II. Love the challenge of the day, whatever it may be.

III. Get out of results and get into process.

IV. Know that nothing will bother or upset you on the golf course, and you will be in a great state of mind for every shot.

V. Playing with a feeling that the outcome doesn't matter is almost always preferable to caring too much.

VI. Believe fully in yourself so you can play freely.

VII. See where you want the *disc to go before every shot.

VIII. be decisive, committed, and clear.

IX. Be your own best friend.

X. Love your *roc and your putter.

 

Excerpts from "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect"

...this is the first mental principle a golfer must learn: A person with great dreams can achieve great things. A person with small dreams, or a person with out the confidence to pursue his or her dreams, has consigned himself or herself to a life of frustration and mediocrity.

...golfing potential depends primarily on a player's attitude, on how well he plays with the wedges and the putter, and on how well he thinks.

...champions all have a few common characteristics. They are all strong-willed, they all have dreams, and they all make a long-term commitment to pursue those dreams.

...If a golfer chooses to go after greatness, he must understand that he will encounter frustration and disappointment a long the way. Big improvements require working and chipping away for years. A golfer has to learn to enjoy the process of striving to improve.

...A golfer can and must decide how he will think.

...You cannot hit a golf ball consistently well if you think about the mechanics of your swing as you play!!! A golfer must train his swing and then trust it. When great players are playing well, trust becomes a habit. The golfer executes his shots without being aware that he trusts his swing. He simply picks out a target, envisions the kind of shot he wants to hit, and hits it.

...If you wish to play your best golf, you can't wait until a few putts fall and a couple of birdies go on the scorecard before you start trusting. You have to start replicating the state of mind you have on a hot streak as soon as you step onto the first tee. No matter what happens during your round, you have to strive to maintain that state of mind. You have to stay out of your own way.

...Attitude is what makes a great putter. Putting is largely mental, and you have control over your mind and attitude. To become a good putter, you must make a commitment to good thinking. You have to fill your mind with thoughts that will help you, not excuses for poor putting. You have to decide that, come what may, you love putting and you're glad that every hole gives you a chance to use your putter, because that where you've got a big advantage over all the players who dread putting.

...No matter what happens with any shot you hit, accept it. Acceptance is the last step in a sound routine.

...Good golfers, I think, have to get over the notion that they only want to win by hitting perfect shots. They have to learn to enjoy winning ugly. And that entails acceptance of all the shots they hit, not just the good ones.

...But the question is, does it do any good to get angry? Getting angry is one of your options. But if you choose to get angry, you are likely to get tighter. That's going to hurt your rhythm and your flow. It will upset you and distract you. It will switch on your analytical mind and your tendency to criticize and analyze anything you do that falls short of perfection. It will start you thinking about the mechanical flaws in your sing and trying to correct them. You will very likely play worse. Alternatively you could train yourself to accept the fact that as a human being, you are prone to mistakes. Golf is a game played by human beings; therefore, golf is a game of mistakes. The best golfers strive to minimize mistakes but they don't expect to eliminate them

[mr ed]

Nice response Boom Boom.

Relax and enjoy yourself,listen.

Party afterwards not during the tourney.

Practice putting for the next two weeks,15 minutes then relax.Come back later for the additional 15 minutes,call it a day.Repeat the following days,don't burn yourself out. Hit chains.

[micheal jester]

Thanks everyone for the advice.I will take all the advice and practice it. I do believe everything that was said will help. Boom boom I think I am going to copy and print that. It will be my daily reminder. Thanks again. This is why I love this website.

[Ghost]

Best thing you can do is lower your expectations.  Just relax and throw.  Your score will sort itself out.

 

I played my first ever tourney back in June and was a tad nervous on the first tee (we had tee times), but after that, I settled down to throwning the same crappy shots I'd been throwing for several months previous.  My expectations were quite low, though because my form had utterly fallen apart earlier that year.  I don't know what happened.  I lost 50' of distance and about 70% of my accuracy.  It's slowly coming back now but going into the tourney it was actually a good thing because I had no reason to expect a good tournament out of myself.

 

[Jim Coonradt]

I wouldn't necessarily lower your expectations. You probably shouldn't expect to come in first place on your first outing however. Have a good game plan. And don't try to go out of your way to throw risky shots. Know what works for you and use those throws when the need arises. Play conservative. Take a breath when needed. Don't worry about other people and what they are doing. Relax.