This article was machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean original
7:15 a.m. on Saturday, at the tee box of the first hole. The moment I lightly warm up and tighten the Velcro on my glove with a "zzzzzz" sound, a strange tension rises from deep within my chest. At the end of my gaze stretches a vast fairway glistening with dew, yet strangely, only the deep woods on the left (the OB area) and the massive hazard pond on the right appear large to my eyes, as if magnified through a magnifying glass. Standing behind me, staring intently at my playing partners for today's 18 holes and the caddy who will smoothly manage the game, is my companion. "Please tee off when you are comfortable," the caddy announces. As soon as the caddy's announcement goes, my heart rate races uncontrollably, and the size of the backswing I practiced all winter vanishes entirely from my mind.
Anyone who plays golf, regardless of whether they are a single-digit handicap player or a beginner, has likely never been able to escape the suffocating pressure at the first-hole tee box. The compulsion to play well and the fear of embarrassing the first hole cause one to hunch up, and that stiff swing is highly likely to send the ball into the woods or water. At this moment, there is a phrase of salvation that many beginner golfers shout out as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "The first hole is 'Ilpamanpa' (a rule where everyone records a par), right? It's morning, so I'll just use one more mulligan!"
Thanks to the consideration of my playing partners, I take a second ball out of my pocket and hit it again, but the rhythm and pride shattered by the first shot are not easily restored. This is because a mulligan is merely a sweet anesthetic that masks momentary embarrassment; it cannot fundamentally cure the fear of the first tee shot that has taken root deep within my heart. A truly discerning and sophisticated golfer does not rely on temporary fixes that gloss over a first-hole mistake as lightly as a caption on a variety show. Before any technical adjustments, they possess a "solid mindset of their own" that knows how to fully control and dominate the vast psychological jungle of the first tee box. Today, the thirteenth story of "WILD IMAGINATION" is a record of mental branding—not hiding behind the temporary cheat code of a mulligan, but confidently facing the fear of the first tee shot to perfect the precise groove of my swing from the very first moment.
011. Facing the Reality of Fear: Clearing Away the Fake Noise of the Gaze of Others
90% of the fear we feel at the first hole tee box stems not from the physical difficulty of the course, but from an "excessive self-consciousness of wanting to look good to others." The gaze of playing partners looking at me from behind, the hypothetical scenarios I create myself—such as "How long has that person been playing? I wonder what their swing form is like," and "How embarrassing would it be if I swung and missed or hit a top ball on the very first shot"—paralyze my brain.
The first step to conquering the first hole tee shot lies in rationally realizing how trivial the seemingly massive gaze of others actually is.
- Playing partners are less interested in me than you might think: To be frank, the partners standing around the tee box are not scoring your swing form or the trajectory of the ball like judges. They, too, are simply trapped in their own self-consciousness, anxiously wondering how to hit their first tee shot or if their driver will perform well today. Others' evaluations of my swing are fleeting, and no one remembers another person's missed shots all day long.
- Making the Course Your Canvas: Before taking your address, stand behind the tee box, gaze at the expansive fairway, and take three deep breaths. This is an exercise to blur out the noise and gazes behind you, much like using a camera's out-of-focus effect, leaving only yourself and the distant target within the frame. As you remind yourself that the course is not a stage to be judged by others, but your own private palette to fully enjoy today, the taut tension weighing down your grip begins to transform into a pleasant relaxation.
022. The Power of Routine: The 15-Second Magic That Blocks Brain Hacking
When the mind becomes cluttered, the human body instinctively rushes the swing. A disastrous situation where one carelessly takes an address, lifts the club high, and slams it down mercilessly in a desire to quickly end a fearful moment. The most powerful shield against this is the 'pre-shot routine.' A routine is the act of mechanically repeating a consistent pattern of behavior at every moment to put a safety mechanism on the body, preventing the brain from having time for distracting thoughts.
- My own sequence for erasing thoughts like an eraser: The secret behind how world-class tour pros, including Tiger Woods, can hit perfect shots under extreme pressure lies in a routine that is chillingly consistent. Setting an imaginary target line behind the ball, gripping the club and taking two light practice swings, stepping in with the right foot to align the clubface, and relaxing the body while wagging the clubhead.
- Binding the stream of consciousness to action: When you step onto the tee box of the first hole, you must consciously execute your own 15-second routine, which you usually practice at the driving range, slowly and with care. Instead of thinking, "I have to hit well," you lock your thoughts within a sequence of actions, telling yourself, "Now is the time for a practice swing," or "Now is the time to look at the target." As the routine proceeds with a consistent rhythm, the brain circuits responsible for fear are completely hacked and silenced, and your body naturally finds the smoothest and most natural swing path it has memorized from the driving range.
033. Betting on the 'process' rather than the result: Solid class that requires no mulligans
The reason we hit the first shot and fiddle with the mulligan in our pockets is that we accept only the 'result' of how the ball flew as our report card for the day. It is an extreme dichotomy where a round is a failure if the ball doesn't go straight, and a successful round if it goes far. However, golf is not a game that ends with a single driver shot, but a 'sport of journey' in which one cleans up and recovers from numerous missed shots throughout the 18 holes.
Oh, since it's morning, the grass is gripping the ball tightly! I'll try to make up for it in the second half.Playing partner hits OB on 1st hole
- Accepting even mistakes as part of my play: Truly sophisticated masters never show signs of panic or embarrassment even if their tee shot on the first hole strays or goes into the woods. Instead, they laugh it off heartily, saying, "Oh, it's morning, so the grass is gripping the ball tight! I'll make up for it in the back nine," and then calmly walk toward where the ball landed. The attitude of acknowledging a missed shot on the first hole as a clean start to today's play—the aura emanating from it—looks far more professional than any perfect shot of the day.
- The mental muscle built by refusing a mulligan: Try smiling lightly and declining the offer to "hit another shot!" thrown out by a playing partner as if doing you a favor. The moment you shout, "No, I'm going to practice my trouble shots to the best of my ability today!" you build another layer of invisible, solid mental muscle within yourself. It is the moment you perfect your dignity as a true 'Player' who takes full responsibility for your mistakes and navigates the game, rather than a novice who relies on luck to wash away their score. The thrilling sense of accomplishment you feel when you calmly accept an out-of-bounds shot on the first hole, get onto the green with your fourth shot, and save it with a bogey or double bogey is a hundred times more valuable than a fake par obtained through shortcuts.
04Outro: A Declaration of My Identity Completed on the Tee Box
Golf is often described as a battle against oneself, but the first hole tee box is the most symbolic front line of that fight. Even if a golfer is wearing a large logo of a luxury brand and holding a flashy new driver, their style cannot be complete if they stand on the first tee box paralyzed with fear and fiddle with their second ball in their pocket.
Conversely, a golfer who wears a simple, logo-free shirt and a well-worn cap pulled down low, calmly blending the pressure of the first hole into their routine. A golfer who, even if they make a mis-shot, straightens their shoulders carrying the caddie bag and walks confidently onto the fairway. The aura of that quiet moment, detached from the seemingly immense surrounding noise and the gaze of others, as they solely tune their frequency with the white ball, is the discernment of a true golfer that money can never buy.
This weekend, when you step onto the first tee box, try going up empty-handed instead of carrying a second ball in your pocket. And instead of looking behind you, take in the vast, blue horizon of the fairway stretching far into the distance. A life where you walk forward confidently, fully taking responsibility for the traces of your first swing, without the fake eraser called a mulligan. The mindset for that first tee shot, perfected in this way, will transform you beyond the numbers on your scorecard into the most commanding and sophisticated leading actor on the course. Play More, Stand Proud, Swing Free!
