8 Lessons From Jenny Bae to Play Your Best Golf

Picture this: you're standing on the first tee, knowing that everything you've worked for comes down to the next few hours. Your heart is pounding, your palms are sweaty, and suddenly that driver in your hands feels like it weighs fifty pounds. Sound familiar? Whether you're playing in your club championship or just trying to break 80 for the first time, we've all felt that crushing weight of pressure on the golf course.

Watching Jenny Bae battle for that final U.S. Women's Open spot at the Riviera Maya Open got me thinking about how professional golfers handle these make-or-break moments. Here's someone making her first LPGA start of the year, knowing that a single tournament could change everything. The pressure is unimaginable, yet she managed to post a solid 4-under 68 to share the lead. How do players like Bae perform when the stakes are highest, and more importantly, how can we weekend warriors apply those same principles to our own games?

The truth is, pressure affects every golfer differently, but the best players have learned to use it as fuel rather than letting it become a roadblock. The key isn't eliminating nerves completely – that's impossible and probably not even desirable. Instead, it's about developing a relationship with pressure that allows you to perform your best when it matters most.

First, let's talk about preparation. When Bae stepped onto that course in Mexico, she wasn't just relying on natural talent. Years of practice, countless hours on the range, and deep course management knowledge gave her the foundation to trust her swing when the pressure mounted. For amateur golfers, this translates to having a pre-shot routine that you've practiced so thoroughly it becomes automatic. When your mind starts racing with "what-ifs," your body can fall back on muscle memory and trusted patterns.

Your pre-shot routine should be the same whether you're hitting balls on the range or standing over a crucial putt to win your match. Pick your target, take your practice swings, visualize the shot, and commit fully to your decision. This consistency creates a bubble of familiarity that helps insulate you from external pressure.

Breathing is another crucial element that separates clutch performers from those who crumble under pressure. When we get nervous, our breathing becomes shallow and rapid, which restricts oxygen flow and makes it harder to think clearly. Professional golfers like Bae have learned to use deep, controlled breathing as both a calming mechanism and a way to maintain focus. Try taking three deep breaths before each shot, inhaling through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth. This simple technique can dramatically reduce tension and help you stay present.

Mental imagery plays a huge role in pressure situations too. Instead of visualizing all the ways a shot could go wrong – the water hazard, the out-of-bounds stakes, the bunker – train yourself to see successful shots. Picture the ball flight you want, imagine the satisfying sound of solid contact, and visualize the ball landing exactly where you intended. This positive visualization primes your subconscious mind for success rather than failure.

One of the most powerful pressure-fighting tools is accepting that you won't hit every shot perfectly. Even tour professionals miss fairways and greens regularly. Bae's journey to this crucial moment included missed cuts in previous U.S. Opens, but she didn't let those setbacks define her. When you accept that golf is a game of managing misses rather than pursuing perfection, you free yourself from the paralyzing fear of making mistakes.

Course management becomes even more critical under pressure. This means playing within yourself and making smart decisions rather than trying to pull off miracle shots. If you normally hit your 7-iron 150 yards, don't suddenly expect it to carry 160 yards just because you need it to. Play to your strengths, take what the course gives you, and remember that pars are perfectly acceptable scores.

Finally, remember why you fell in love with golf in the first place. Whether you're fighting for a major championship spot like Jenny Bae or just trying to beat your personal best, golf is ultimately about the joy of competition and the satisfaction of executing shots under challenging conditions. Embrace the pressure as a privilege – it means you're in a position where your performance matters, and that's something to be excited about rather than feared.

The next time you find yourself in a pressure-packed situation on the golf course, channel that nervous energy into focused determination. Trust your preparation, stick to your routine, and remember that pressure is just another playing condition to navigate, like wind or rain. Master it, and you'll discover that your best golf often comes when the stakes are highest.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. Check out his weekly Monday column on RG.org, and to learn more about Brendon, visit OneMoreRollGolf.com.