Nervous? Bring It On!

Of course today I want to talk about Tiger Woods. If you heard his press conference today you may have heard something that surprised you, Tiger gets nervous! When most players get nervous I think most would agree that they don't play as well. Just think about your last four footer for all the skins on the eighteenth green, not your typical optimum performance situation. So how does Tiger play so well with all the nerves firing (72nd hole of last years U.S. Open comes to mind). I don't claim to know Tiger or whats on his mind in these situations but he also said today that being nervous is great and that if he didn't get nervous he would probably quit. Tiger embraces these situations which I believe allows him to play at such a high level in the biggest spots. Most of the players I coach and play with try and avoid these situations at all cost and do their best to push nervousness and other related feelings away. It would seem to me that if you had the ability to push them away, well you wouldn't have allowed them in the first place. In other words they're going to be there whether you like them on not. Take a page from Tiger's book, after all its a pretty good book, and be aware of your feelings on the golf course, embrace them, and take back control with your original intentions.