Let's not mess around and get right to the point. Make sure your aim is correct. Take your time to line up the clubface with the target, then and only then take your stance parallel to the target line. When under pressure, we tend to hurry up, don't do that, instead, slow down.
While standing on the tee-box, note problem areas like trees on your left extending out into the fairway say 100 yards up. You want to tee up the ball on the same side as the trees in this case. This way you'll be driving the ball away from the obstacle. We tend to want to do the opposite. Don't fall into that trap when under pressure.
Remember that your shoulders should follow your golf swing. They should not be out in front of the swing, but should be passive and not lead. Your shoulder movement determines the direction that your club, and as a result the ball, will travel.
Putting is an area that can really get screwed up when you're under pressure. First, make sure you read the green properly. A golf ball tends to roll away from a hill and towards a water source even if you can't visible see that looking at the path from your ball to the hole.
The grain of the green affects the roll of the ball as far as speed and distance goes. If the grain of the grass is leaning toward you, the ball will roll slower and a shorter distance with the same stroke than it will if the grain is running away from you.
Hey man, get those putts to the hole. The saying goes that a putt that doesn't get to the hole has no chance of going in. Under pressure we tend to decelerate through the stroke. Just make sure to follow through for the same distance you carried the club back in the backstroke.
Quit thinking so much before and during your swing. KISS - Keep is simple stupid. I learned that in the US Army, but it wasn't being applied to golf. LOL Visualize the ball heading to the target in a beautiful flight pattern. Take your time aligning the clubface with the target. Relax your muscles and swing freely.
What about that 1st tee. Oh man, that's always a tough situation. I've heard of using your 3 wood off the first tee. I tried it for a while, but didn't like the distance and I don't think I did that much better than with the driver anyway. Just take some deep breaths inhaling through the nose and exhaling out the mouth. Relax and just take a smooth swing as if you're not concerned about the distance, but just want to keep the ball in the fairway.
Those par 3s can really help your score or really hurt it. To help relieve the pressure somewhat try using a longer club than you normally would. Most of us come up short anyway, so pick a club that will get the ball to the back of the green if you were to do everything absolutely perfectly. A less than perfect hit just may result in putting the ball on the putting surface.
Hey, how about taking advantage of those par 5s? Usually we can barely see the green if at all since par 5s are normally 500+ yards. So we pull out the driver and really crank it up and slice it or hook it or top it. So to help you mentally pick a yardage you would like to be on your approach to the green. Personally I like 120 yards so using the 500 yard example, subtract 120 from 500 and that leaves 380 yards I need to cover with the 1st 2 shots. Okay, mentally then I realize I only need to hit the ball 200 yards with my tee shot, not the 300 I was thinking and cannot do anyway. This helps me relax and swing to hit a normal drive, not a killer drive. Say I hit it 210 years, now I only need to hit my 2nd shot 170 yards to get to the desired 120 yard approach to the green. Well, guess what, I can usually do that with my fairway hybrid so I'm good to go. How about you?
I'll admit that greenside bunkers are a pain for us amateurs. I hate them with a passion, but you've got to get out in one swing or the sky's the limit for your score. We tend to accelerate through the club head trying to blast out the ball. Leave the sand wedge open and slightly forward in your stance and hit the sand behind your ball and follow-through on your swing and say a little pray.
Chipping seems to be a really big problem with most golfers and it doesn't have to be. Think of your putting stroke. I like to use a 7 iron. Lean slightly forward so you'll hit the ball with a descending stroke and again, follow through. Remember, this is your putting stroke, so don't break your wrists in the follow-through. Keep your head down and the ball will fall softly on the green and track toward the hole.
Okay, that just about does it. So playing under pressure is no sweat. Just relax, ignore what the other players are doing and play your own game and enjoy!
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