Tune out all the mental and physical distractions and get focused on your shot.
While I’m still bent over the ball on the tee I start clearing my mind. As the tee goes in the ground I listen for the sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees. I tune out the inevitable human noises in the background.
Now is the time when I dial in a pure relationship between me, my club and my ball. The three of us have a job to do and nobody can help us so we need to work together. I can’t focus on that job if I’m also carrying on a conversation with my playing partners, chatting about the weather or whether or not Tiger Woods really treated Stevie Williams like a slave, or thinking about playing better than I did last week.
One deep breath in and then slowly out while I’m teeing up the ball generally does the trick for me. When I stand up, it’s me, my club and my ball, out there and ready to go to work.
5 seconds.
Next: #5: Draw a Realistic Line