Mental game

What actually happens in the seconds before a pressure shot.

• Protecting a good score draft

  You play your best golf until you notice you're playing well. Why pressure separates golfers by handicap, and where attention has to go instead.

• How to reset after a bad hole draft

  One bad hole becomes three because of what you carry to the next tee. Where the reset actually happens, and what to do with the walk.

• First tee nerves, and what actually helps draft

  The first-hole effect is documented — the same hole plays harder as the opener. Why that happens, and what to do with the ninety seconds before you're up.

• Recovery shot decisions draft

  In the trees you make the decision twice — once with your gut, once with your ego — and swing somewhere in between. How to close it before you address the ball.

• Short putts and pressure draft

  The hole really does look smaller when you're putting badly, and your stroke breaks down before your scores do. What that means for the four-footer.

• Mental fatigue and the back nine draft

  Mental fatigue affects score, iron accuracy and drive distance — and hits putting hardest. Why steady golfers still lose shots late, and what to do about it.