If you're getting to the course early enough to stretch and hit a few balls, it's probably in your head.

The truth of the matter is that most of the time I stood on that first tee, I had no idea what to expect. And that's not a bad thing. I remember a round many years ago when I birdied the first three holes. Standing on that fourth tee, I was thinking, "Let's not throw all of this away." Suddenly tension crept in. I gripped the club a little tighter. The OB stakes on the left suddenly stood out in my mind. "Do not hit it there!"

I successfully avoided hitting the ball OB. But I hit the ball so far right that there was no way in hell I would ever find it. We call those AMF swings. Adios, Muther Fucker.

So I stood on the 5th tee at level par for the round. As soon as it came, it left. And suddenly I stopped giving a shit and made a bunch of pars and a few bogeys and shot my average.

The mind... that 6 inch space between our ears.

A friend always joked, "There are two longest walks a man will ever make: one is to the execution chamber, and the other is to the first tee."

Get rid of your expectations, amigo.

Adios!

I read an article in Golf magazine many years ago that suggested thinking of the round as three 6-hole rounds.

For the first six ho es, they suggested playing more cautiously, maximizing course strategy over shot making. For example, maybe take less than driver off a tee, aim away from trouble, aim for the center of the green or to the 'fat part' lf there are traps, figuring out where the best miss is on every shot, etc.

For the middle six, they say try to beat your 'front six' score by 2-3 shots. This might entail taking a few calculated risks, maybe using a 'red light, yellow light, green light' thought process on approach shots, etc.

For the 'back six' they suggest maximizing focus over each shot. Focus and energy flag on the last holes, so relax and distract yourself between shots, but then really get into a concentration zone over each shot on the last few holes.

I don't know whether this will help, but it is one of the few things i have ever remembered from reading advice and swing tips in a golf magazine.

If you want to know just how important it is to not think about score:

Let's say you're a 12 handicap.

Put 12 pennies in your pants pocket. Every time you make a bogey, take a penny out of your pocket and throw it away. If you make a double, take out two pennies. A triple, three pennies. You get the idea.

Then, see how many pennies you have left in your pocket by the end of the round. 😉

You could try to mentally assume you've already played the first 4 holes. And your 4 or 5 over. It would be similar to when someone hits a bad drive and retees. The next drive is usually good.

We have a saying that the number 2 guy is pretty good. Because we learn from our mistakes. In your case assume you've already got the first few bad holes out of the way. It's a longshot. lol

If that doesn't work then you obviously need the first few holes to warm up.

pellmell

Well I am a 11-12, so not too far off. Typical shoot between 82-87 with my bad starts. So a 10 would shoot around 80ish depending on the course.

    Rickochet

    I usually hit 20-30 balls on the range before my round to get stretched out and see how the swing is behaving. I am typically ready to go on the 1st tee physically. Pretty sure it is a mental thing.

        Mattyv Pretty sure it is a mental thing.

        Nawww, it's golf. Can't be that.😄

        I stretch for about a minute before teeing up the 1st ball. Then I'm only thinking about my second shot, because I already know the tee ball is going left (80%), and hitting the GIR. 1 of the few I might have out of 18 holes. After that, I'm good to go with a score already in mind before hitting that 1st ball......break 80. Even if it's a course I've not played before, or in several years. If I have a bad hole or 2 or even 3, it does not mean I cannot hit my goal.

        Well, maybe it is a mental thing after all.🤔

            Mattyv I am usually 3-4 over after the 1st 4 holes

            Me too and I'm a 10 hcp. The courses I play typically have high course/slope ratings so a score of 83 to 85 will get you to a 10.

              I'm positive its a mental thing. My best round, I walked up to the 1st tee cold. No range time, warm up swing, no practice putts, and put one in the fairway. Heck I didn't even have any coffee beforehand. I'm thinking about trying the cold bore thing again on Sunday.

                Mattyv I was the same way but now that you mention it, I think it has gone away. I was being too tentative on the first couple of holes. Once I realized it, I decided to be more confident and reasonably aggressive right from the start.

                  A warmup can provide mental support as well.......unless you're hitting hosel rockets.....then it was a bad idea

                  azgreg I shot a 78 last year after starting by bogeying the short par five first hole and missing a three-foot putt for double on the second hole. So I was four over after two.

                      rsvman2
                      Mine was in a tournament in Prescott at Prescott Country Club, a course I've never played before. After 5 holes at 5 over I thought I was out of it so I just started playing and having fun.