Tom

In my job we found that, when starting out, the more people watching, the more excited/nervous we were. Usually that helped us. Then we got to the large theatres - beyond 3,500 people it was hard to feel anything other than 'that's a lot of folk' and at festivals when we played before 40,000 it was almost too many to comprehend so we usually just tried to have fun. I guess we would be most likely to tighten up at a show we perceived to be important - like our first NYC show - where we totally froze...
The most nerve wracking shows, for me, ironically, have been small local affairs where the audience was mainly friends - that terrifies me.

I came up 18 in front of a gallery at a pro am.  About 200 people.

Awesome.

I don't know anything about playing in front of 100 people (unless you count the pedestrians from the 18th tee to green at TOC I guess) let alone thousands or millions, but I kind of suspect that when I do get self conscious about it, which is typically when I'm swinging like someone that should be wielding an axe instead of a golf club, that what they are thinking is never as bad as what I imagine.

Last month I was playing with some friends and there was a guy I've known for a long time who is a really good player but haven't ever played with playing behind me, playing with a couple other good players.  I'd look back from the green and they'd all be standing around in position A waiting to play their approaches, and I was just having a terrible day, hitting all kinds of crappy shots into those places where you either have no shot, have no idea of your yardage, or both, all day long.  I couldn't help but think that he's watching where I'm hitting and thinking I'm a much worse player than I have said.

I run into him a few days later at a bar and he mentions seeing me at the course.  I'm bracing for some well deserved teasing and his only comment is "holy shit, I can't believe how far you drove it on 15, I've never seen anyone there before!"  My one decent tee shot that I hit solid and straight and must have landed on the turbo boost side of one of the fairway ripples to end up where it did.  I'm sure he saw what happened with the rest of my drives too, but it is interesting what your gallery is really thinking versus what you believe they are thinking in your darkest thoughts.

I'd probably have the same thoughts if I was playing like that and I knew TEPaul and Patrick Mucci were in the group behind me

I've played golf in front of a couple of thousand people in the golf tournament played every year on Leatherstocking during National Baseball Hall of Fame induction week.  The crowds aren't following the play nor are they on many of the holes, only the ones along the public access roads.  But they congregate there in large numbers to see the Hall of Famers and to try and get autographs (the number of autographs are directly correlated to the score on the previous hole).  There is a longish par 3 that ends right by the road so there are a lot of people around the green.  I was most nervous there that I would hit someone if I pulled the tee shot.  The first couple of times I played in the tournament, I could hardly believe how nerve wracking it is to play in front of so many people.  Gradually, the fear was controllable and I even began to enjoy playing in front of the crowds, especially when I played well (once in a while).  However, in most cases, I was more nervous due to my desire to play well in front of my Hall of Fame partners.

I remember playing like an absolute drain at Painswick during the Buda Cup.  I don't suppose anyone remembers how bad I was, but it made me feel pretty awful knowing that people with whom I correspond on this site witnessed such abysmal play.  I wanted to crawl away into a corner and die.

I never sing to audiences as big as Lloyd's but if you know what you are doing there is no reason to get particularly nervous - keyed up, of course, but not fearful of making a hash of it.  Lots of professional musicians have nerves before a performance and the ones who are still in business are those who can live with those nerves or even thrive on them. Those who can't cope fail and they are soon looking for another job.  It's the same with auditions - there are those who thrive on them and those who are unable to perform at their best.  We know who gets the job.  There are musical equivalents to the yips - principal horns who can no longer maintain a steady stream of air in the slow movement of Tchaikovsky 5th, or string players who can't keep the bow on the string in long, held pianissimo passages, singers whose voice cracks and so on. Then there are the ladies who can sing through a period or the menopause and those who can't.  I'm told that the great Leontine Price couldn't sing through her period.  Each opera house knew her diary and her part of the contract was to make sure her body functioned on time.  Kirsten Flagstad was an even greater singer after the menopause - many others fade away.  In my BBC Producer days I saw many great artists at their most vulnerable, just before they went on to perform.  It never ceased to amaze me that someone could be so terrified that they were physically sick before going on stage and could then overcome those nerves on stage - especially in a piece with a slow, quiet start.  

I have to say that I enjoy the presence of an audience and I get a thrill out of performing to them.  I bet many a professional golfer gets a boost from the well-wishes and support of a knowledgeable gallery.  Some may well play better for the presence of that gallery.

The most intimidating crowd that ever watched me play golf was at a high school golf match at the neighboring school (56 miles away). I used to live in that town and had a serious crush on a girl there in grade school. When I showed up at the first tee, that girl's younger sister was there as a member of the school's cheerleading squad (don't ask me why cheerleaders showed up for a golf match), and I was forced to tee off while I could hear a group of teenage girls gossip and giggle about me.

I took 3 wood, swung easy and hit it into the center of the fairway. Not long, but safe. I had lots of problems later that day (wet heavy snow coming down for 4 or 5 holes among them), but I managed the spectated shot.
 

Mike,

Don't they have to be golfers to matter?  I don't think I could care less whether a few hundred non golfers were around when I played, first of all they'd be birdwatching or hanging out on the beach or whatever it is they are doing, rather than caring about my golf.  Second, they wouldn't really know what a good or bad shot is unless I either hit one as good as they see on the SportsCenter highlights (so I better graze the hole if it doesn't go in!) or hit a shot so bad that they remember doing better the one time some friend coaxed them into visiting a driving range where they whiffed a lot and decided they didn't like golf.

There's a Nicklaus course called Porto Cima at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri that has a par three with the green on a little peninsula that juts out onto the lake in a cove known as "family party cove" (the real "party cove" where thousands of boats tie together and everyone gets wildly drunk, with lots of nudity, craziness and various debauchery is generally not considered kid friendly, so this area has a few hundred boats tie up for people who want to bring their kids without worrying that they'll see more live three boats over than Cinemax is allowed even late at night)

There are always a bunch of girls floating on inner tubes and rafts in the back of that cove where the green is, so while I'm not worried about them as spectators it is a bit unnerving that a pull or hook could kill someone and if I yell "fore" there isn't much they could to dodge it even if they saw it coming.  At least if I was playing in the US Open the gallery would presumably be watching my shot and someone who saw it on its way and warn the rest to duck and cover!

Lloyd;

Very good post and you must be the only one on here who has had those experiences or of that magnitude. I really like your last line too---that makes complete sense. How would you like to be playing golf in front of that many people as opposed to playing music?  

Tom

I'd have less trouble golfing with an audience as nobody's expectations would be high. Unfortunately I'm supposed to be able to remember my songs and execute them.
Noting Mark's remark - M you are clearly a better technician than I am. My guitar playing is a constant worry, so I'm never 100% confident going on stage. Occasionally things go very well and I feel that I can play, but mostly it's 'when do I have to play Trigger Happy? should I warm up, or just get it over with'. Rather like the hole that you know has your number, at least I can put it off for a while...

As a teenager, I played youth soccer at a rather high level and at one game we were playing an attractive side at thier place in front of 8500 people...it was a hell of a buzz..but that is a team sport and the attention is not the same as that I have experienced in front of crowds playing golf.
It is however surprisingly easy to shut the people out whilst playing...one notable exception.....
The first tee shot at Merion in the Hugh Wilson with all those people eating lunch on the patio watching and knives and forks clattering against the plates.

4-5 times a year in PGA TOUR Pro-Ams, and it is the greatest feeling in the world to make birdie with 6,000+ cheering you on!

I play in The Travelers Pro-Am on Wed at 12N off of the 10th tee with Joe Durant.  Can't wait to see the pure ball striking!

JWK

Here's one for ya TEP: as is the case at many Wednesday PGA TOUR pro-ams, the CEO of the sponsoring company usually plays with the defending champion of the tournament. Some CEOs are fine players, some okay, some far from it. The chairman of our company is, at best, a 25 handicap. Not likely to improve much. And he plays maybe four rounds a year. Yet he has teed it up with the likes of Vijay, Sean O'Hair, etc., in front of thousands of folks.......can't imagine

I played  in a pro-am at Harbor Town GL with Arnold Palmer twenty years ago.  There were many hundreds of people following us.  I was more nervous playing in front of Arnie than the spectators.  

We played the back nine first.  I shot 39 and Arnie shot 38.  Alright I thought.  This could be good.  On the front nine I shot 40 and Arnie shot 31.  So much for that dream.  

I still remember every shot both Arnie and I hit.  I am not sure he does.  Just goes to show that I have a better memory than he does.