Every Friday I post a new golf tip on this blog. Let me know what you think and please share if you like!

Most of us will never know what it is like to have an important shot to win a PGA Tour Event, or even begin to know the feeling you would have knowing that your next putt could be the difference of several hundred thousand dollars.

But there are still plenty of times when we play, especially if you play competitively, that you will feel the tightness of added pressure.

Here are a few tips to help the next time you start feeling the pressure mount over an important putt during your round:

· Breathe. When the pressure builds, anxiety starts to overcome even the most seasoned veterans. Your first defense to calm those nerves is to breathe properly. You want to make sure you are breathing deeply and using your diaphragm to fill all of your lungs with air. This will get more oxygen in your brain and help to calm you down. I imagine filling my stomach with air as I take a breath to make sure air is getting into the bottom of my lungs.

· Block out distractions. This is sometimes referred to as “getting in the zone”. Unfortunately “the zone” isn’t a place we can always go to on command. When you are able to ignore distractions going on around you, whether it’s 10,000 spectators or the grounds crew using machinery nearby, you can bring yourself closer to getting in the zone. Block out distractions by placing all of your attention on your routine.

· Stick to your routine. Successful golfers all have routines. No two routines may be exactly the same from player to player, but good players rarely change their routine in the middle of the round. Spend extra practice time polishing your routine by going through it over and over. Change the parts you don’t like and stick with the parts of the routine you do like. Then be sure to stick with it on the course.