EVERYONE feels it. It's how we deal with it that matters. I hunted North Vietnamese snipers for 3 years between 1969 and 1972. THAT is stress
It has made me crazy for YEARS that I could handle that and still get wrapped around the axle standing on the first tee in front of a group of complete strangers. I am a student at The Professional Golfer's Career College in CA, and in my final semester. I play with a lot of scratch playing young kids who can hit it a mile (one of my playing buddies routinely drives a 320 yard slightly downhill par 4 with a 3 wood). I am older (56) and do NOT have a "traditional" golf swing due to some major physical limitations. When I started on the quest to find a swing that would allow me to play with my ruptured back and bad knees, I found parts of it. However, I found myself EXTREMELY concerned with what others would think of my form. Never mind the fact that it works for me, and I can usually play with most of these guys provided I get 3 or 4 a side. Never mind the fact that my short game tends to be excellent, and my putting is ALWAYS superb
I step up to the first tee and think "I wonder what Joe thinks about my patched together, half back and awkward golf swing". It has plagued me the entire time I have been in school (I have also failed to pass the PAT 3 times because of this). Our "History Of Golf" teacher said something that has helped me tremendously. "We are going to study the greatest players in the game. NONE of them ever worried about what someone else thought about their swing. They found what worked for them and the heck with what anybody thought." Now, when I step on the tee in front of other people (always there are others there), the thought the calms me is "Great players don't give a DAMN what anyone else thinks"... it really helps. My swing trigger has become "Trust" as the last thought in me head before I take the club back.
The other thing that has helped me tremendously is Pia Lindstrom's book "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose". BUY IT. it is worth about 100 times the cover price.
For those of you who have trouble over short putts, I would recommend reading the putting forum stuff, including my humble post about how to learn to putt
.
The thought that will help a lot of you standing over a short putt is 'Where else COULD it go, except in the hole????"
Walk in Beauty,
Obi WunPutt