How Well Do you Perform Under Pressure
Many golfers have an interesting, not-so-helpful relationship with pressure. Faulty assumptions about pressure often hamper their game when it matters most.
The three most common faulty assumptions about pressure are:
- Pressure can be eliminated – Pressure is an inherent part of competitive golf, and it doesn’t matter how accomplished, skilled, or experienced a golfer is.
- Pressure is uncontrollable – Believing that pressure is uncontrollable leaves you feeling helpless, hopeless, and unconfident, limiting your ability to play at your peak and maximize your potential. While you can’t eliminate pressure, you can learn to manage it to prevent it from interfering with your game.
- Pressure always leads to choking – Some degree of pressure is necessary to perform at your peak. Moderate degrees of pressure can help you lock in and direct your mental and physical energy to the task at hand.
When you buy into these faulty assumptions, you will start to freak out at the first sign of pressure, and your game will unravel. To perform under pressure, you must understand that regulating pressure is within your control.
Knowing that you can manage pressure is empowering; it gives you a sense of control and improves confidence. The goal should be managing pressure rather than trying to eliminate it.
Pressure is an inevitable part of competitive golf. When you accept and learn to navigate pressure effectively, you can use it to fuel motivation and narrow your focus rather than letting it hinder performance.
Elite golfers employ many different strategies to manage pressure, such as visualization to lock in before shots, deep breathing to quiet the mind and slow down their heart rates, pre-shot routines to block out distractions, and shot strategy to keep their focus on the current shot.
Nick Taylor has a knack for getting the job done when the pressure is on. In Taylor’s career, he’s entered the final round inside the top five on six occasions and won four of those events.
At the 2025 Sony Open, Taylor managed pressure throughout the final round and birdied the second playoff hole to win the tournament for his sixth PGA Tour victory.
TAYLOR: “I just feel like I can rise to the occasion… I enjoy being in those moments. For whatever reason, my mind gets clear in those situations of the shot I’m just trying to hit.”
Performing at your peak requires understanding that pressure is manageable and that you are skilled in regulating pressure during competitive rounds.
By shifting focus to proactive strategies, positive self-talk, relaxation, and maintaining composure, you can use pressure to fuel your performance.
The first step in managing pressure is to accept three basic truths:
Pressure is Unavoidable – Competitive circumstances generate pressure.
Performance Under Pressure is a Mental Skill – Elite golfers excel because they practice handling high-pressure situations either through mental skills training or simulating pressure during practice rounds.
Pressure Can Be Positive – When dealt with effectively, pressure sharpens focus, boosts adrenaline, and enhances performance.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- How Scheffler Manages Pressure to Win
- How to Optimize Pressure for Peak Golf Performance
- How to Play with Pressure in Golf
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on iTunes
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on Spotify
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