HERE’S A LITTLE TRICK
TO CALM YOUR NERVES
ON THE FIRST TEE

Don’t ever think you are the only person who gets nervous on the first tee, even if it’s only a club event with partners you know.
You will probably never have heard of Eddie Merrins, a veteran United States teaching professional, who played on the US Tour in his younger days.
But he has some words of comfort and advice:
“First-tee jitters are a real problem for people. Always have been, always will be. The best way to calm yourself a little--I say a little, because a little nervousness can work to your advantage--is to toss your golf ball a few inches in the air and catch it while you wait.
“Do it over and over again. It's an amazing little trick, a form of hypnosis, really. Hypnosis is nothing but deep relaxation, and tossing the ball has a hypnotic, calming effect.
“Just the fact that you're able to catch the ball will give you enough subliminal confidence to get the ball down the fairway when it's your turn to play.”

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