Picture this: You’re standing on the 18th tee, pencil still warm from marking your scorecard. All you need is a bogey to finally break 90. You’ve played beautifully up to this point. But suddenly your grip feels tighter, your heart is pounding, and you can’t seem to stop imagining the ball sailing into the trees. Worse still, you’re convinced that the group behind you is watching, waiting to see if you can do it.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. For many golfers, pressure creeps in precisely when we’re on the edge of achieving a milestone – whether it’s breaking 100, 90, or 80. And that pressure only multiplies when we feel like eyes are on us. But why does our mind ‘betray’ us just when it matters most, and more importantly, what can we do about it?

WHY MILESTONES MATTER SO MUCH

Our brains love goals. They give us a sense of progress and achievement. But when you’re close to hitting one, your focus shifts from process to outcome. Instead of thinking about your processes, your brain is busy projecting into the future: ‘If I just par these last two holes, I’ll finally break 90.’ Psychologists call this an ‘outcome focus’ trap. The closer we get to the finish line, the more pressure builds, and the harder it is to stay in the present moment. All athletes feel it. Cricketers feel it when they’re on 98 runs and suddenly every delivery feels loaded with extra meaning. Sprinters feel it in the last 10m of a race, when their bodies tighten as the finish line looms. Golfers are not exempt from this psychological trap!

WHY BEING WATCHED MAKES IT WORSE

If you’ve ever felt more nervous with people watching, that’s not your imagination. Our brains are wired for social evaluation – in other words, we deeply care what others think of us. This instinct goes back thousands of years, when reputation and acceptance in a group meant survival. On the golf course, this translates into nerves when people are watching you play. Physiologically, your heart rate spikes, your grip tenses, and your muscles tighten — not exactly ideal for a smooth swing. We then double down on the ‘outcome focus’, often thinking ‘Now I have to get this shot on the fairway' or ‘I can’t afford to miss this putt’, which makes things worse!

Here’s the good news though: those physical signs of pressure are actually your body’s way of preparing you to perform. The trick is not to eliminate nerves, but to reinterpret them.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS

A study by Kingsbury and colleagues found that when amateur golfers were watched and evaluated, their putting strokes physically changed – quicker forward strokes, tighter grips, less putter face rotation. Some golfers, however, actually holed more putts under this pressure. The difference? Those with low somatic anxiety — fewer physical signs like racing hearts or tense muscles – were able to channel the situation as a challenge rather than a threat.

But here’s the key: that calmness doesn’t just ‘happen’.

Learning to relax and stay composed under pressure is a skill you can learn.

Psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett’s research shows that emotions are not hard-wired reflexes, but are constructed experiences. Your brain takes the signals your body sends – a fast heartbeat, sweaty palms, tight muscles – and then predicts what they mean based on past experiences. If every other time you’ve felt your heart race on the golf course you told yourself, ‘I’m nervous’ your brain learns to predict panic.

The good news? You can give your brain new data to work with. By deliberately practising different ways to interpret these signals, you can train it to make new predictions: that same pounding heart can mean excitement, readiness, or focus. Over time, these new interpretations become your brain’s default.

5 WAYS TO RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN

1. Name it differently: When your heart races, tell yourself, ‘This is my body gearing up to help me perform,’ not ‘I’m falling apart’.
2. Pair signals with success: Practise pressure putts in training with people watching. Each time you succeed, your brain stores a new association: nerves + success.
3. Create a reset cue: Use a word like ‘smooth’ or ‘ready’ as you breathe out, linking the physical signal to a calming thought.
4. Rehearse under pressure: Put yourself in small pressure situations regularly (club comps, friendly bets, practice with an audience). Exposure helps your brain learn that nerves don’t equal failure.
5. Breathe! It is amazing how one or two deep breaths (with a long controlled exhale) can make a difference and physically release tension in our body. While breathing out, focus on relaxing your shoulders or your grip on the club to loosen up.