by Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist

The first tee shot on the opening hole is one of the hardest shots. Every golfer at all levels gets the jitters, stepping to the first tee.

However, taking a good mindset to the first tee will enable you to overcome the anxiety and hit the ball in the middle of the fairway.

First, avoid creating a life or death situation for yourself. That way you can be a lot more relaxed. Think it is only one of many shots in a round of golf. Don't attach importance overly to it. To score better the next shot is more important than it. It is not the most critical. In actual fact, every shot is important as you play one shot at a time and add up the total score.

Waiting your turn to tee off, pick out a target where you want your ball to go and visualize yourself hitting the shot perfectly. Picture the ball hitting your target or the spot you selected. Feel confident in your ability to make the shot and use the opportunity to show your playing partners and those watching around that you are a good driver.

Inhale and exhale deeply. Be sure to go through your pre-shot routine without too much being concerned about the outcome. A good pre-shot routine keeps you from calling back the last time that you missed your first shot off the tee or worrying about its poor result.

Also, give yourself permission to fail. As with all other shots, everything may not go as well as you expect. That attitude helps reduce fear or anxiety and eventually eliminate it. Fear causes your brain to secrete negative chemicals that adversely affect your performance, thus ridding you of your chances of making a smooth, effortless swing.

To swing smoothly without fear it’s essential to avoid thinking too much about how to swing. You need to just swing, only thinking of hitting the ball toward the target. Thinking of too many swing mechanics during the swing or concerning yourself about the shot result causes your muscles to tighten, inhibiting you from swinging freely.

Your tee shot can be ruined when you try to outdrive your partners. A mind cluttered with the distance tightens your muscles, thwarting a free swinging motion.

Likewise, an excessive consciousness of a body of water or a wide sand trap prevents you from swinging smoothly, as it causes your muscles to get tight.

Your number one swing destroyer is within you. Your real enemy is none other than your conscious mind and to perfect your performance you need to avoid being conscious of any particular thing during the swing. It's best to keep your mind blank.

Act like a centipede which has a pair of jointed legs to each of the many segments of its body. A centipede would never be able to move correctly, if it begins to think about the way it moves each leg. It would be paralyzed immediately when it starts paying the slightest attention to the detailed movements of each part of its body.

The same is true with the golf swing. Your mind can be the very obstacle that hinders a smooth swing and bungles the shot. Having too many variables in your mind, being overly conscious of the swing mechanics or being concerned about the swing result causes you to be distracted and paralyzed.

Just as a centipede doesn't concern itself with the mechanics of crawling, simply swing the club instinctively toward the target without cluttering your mind with so many unnecessary details.

Most importantly, practice a lot and breed confidence on your swing. Confidence enables you to swing without the first tee jitters, making it possible to hit the ball solidly with authority.