"I swing OK when there’s no ball.  Put one in front of me and I choke!"

Sound familiar?  If so, you’re not alone.  Anyone who plays golf, no matter how experienced they are, has experienced Ball Angst.  Sight of a golf ball can freak you out, tense you up, and turn a tiger into a pussycat.

How can something this small, this white,  have such a big impact on our performance.  In a word: Pressure.  It first comes at you as you approach the ball, builds as you select a club, mounts during the address, has you by the throat when you swing.

How do professional golfers stay cool under pressure?  

They're born with ice water in their veins.  They can turn pressure into positive energy.  Pressure fuels their competitive drive.  One tournament winner  asked if he felt nervous coming down the stretch answered no, he felt a profound sense of calm as he played the last holes.

I once read a magazine article about a Tibetan monk who loved golf.  The llama, a high handicapper, played with complete detachment.  For him "playing" was the operative word.  He delighted in the occasional good shot and laughed out loud when the ball misbehaved.   

Being nervous is part of the playing golf.  You can’t escape it.   Coping with the ups and downs is the best anyone can do.  Few players play golf with the fire and ice of the professional or the impassiveness of a monk.   The challenge for the weekend golfer is to simply treat the flubbed shot and the fortuitous bounce as parts of the same game.