Hi.  Just like you, every tee shot I’ve ever hit has been STRAIGHT down the middle!!  YEAH RIGHT!

There is nothing more frustrating in golf, (especially when money is involved), than “doinking” that first tee shot 150-yards, out of bounds and to the right or left with 40-50 people milling around the clubhouse looking on. 

Ok, I’ll admit it – I’ve hit my first tee of the day into the woods more times than I care to remember but haven’t we all?  

Why do we play golf?  We play for fun, to score low and maybe even make a few bucks (or a lot of bucks!) while we’re at it.   I’m about to share with you a secret from a golf hustler from the 1940’s that should help us get into a rhythm prior to our first tee shot.

Hitting that first drive of the day can either set you up nicely for a good start to winning the front 9 or put you in a position of playing catch up all day.  Your mind can get all negative right off the bat if you start the round by steaming about that first, tense, wayward drive.

 So, here’s a neat trick to cure you of this by relaxing you (not too much, some nervousness is good) and helping you focus.   When you arrive at the course and while you’re taking your clubs out of the trunk, grab a ball and just toss it lightly 12-18” above your head and catch it. 

Alternate hands and throw the ball higher and higher, really force yourself to concentrate. 

Do this maybe 20-30 times in a row each hand, and then head in and put your name on the list.  Now you’ve signed in, putted a little, taken a few practice chips and swings and now it’s your foursome’s time to go. 

Give yourself enough time to repeat this “juggling” one more time for about a 20 count each hand before you tee off.  Have FUN with it, make sure to SMILE and BREATHE while doing it – this is IMPORTANT!

Try this and I guarantee that your focus will be much clearer and you’ll be way looser on that 1^st tee, giving your mind and body the clarity they need to just perform and drive that first ball down the fairway effortlessly and start the round off positively! 

Now you’ll hopefully be in the middle of the fairway with a decent look at a second shot instead of often facing a harder second shot or a drop for three – this is how you start shaving strokes off your rounds and putting pressure on your opponents!

The first tee is an excellent place to start making money bets as well.  Betting that your first drive will be the longest, straightest, etc ball will do 2 things for you.  If you win it, you’ll obviously win money. 

If you don’t, you’ll be fine because you are “training” your playing partners to make loose bets and I’ll be teaching you how to take advantage of these tricks and tendencies in future emails.  So, stay tuned!

Until then, thanks for reading.  Good luck, good hustling.

Big Freddy Kaboot

“As long as there’s been golf, there’s been gambling. And where there is gambling, there will be hustling.”

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