Ah, the first tee jitters. If you’ve played golf at some point in your life, you’ve experienced them. It’s quite possible you’ve even been tormented by them. For some golfers, the fear of that first tee shot never fades.
For most, the only true fear associated with the first tee box is that their miss will be unpredictable. A duck-hook or a straight push is playable, for instance. Some combination of those things? Not so much.
For Ben Higgins, though, the jitters have taken on new meaning. On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, the former Bachelor star explained how his foray into fame has had an adverse effect on his golf game and most notably, his nervousness standing on the first tee box.
“I played in this one called the Diamond Resorts in Orlando, and it’s an incredible event,” Higgins said. “Last year, I got the hooks, and so I was left on everything — duck hooking it, just yanking it left. That gets scary, because then you’re telling people to move out of the way at like 150 yards left. So that’s the second goal, just don’t get the yanks.”
For Higgins, the miss is not the problem. Rather, the issue is the hundreds of people who often spectate his performances when he’s competing in celebrity events.
“I have a good story of Ray Romano, well not a good story I guess,” he said. “In Tahoe, he hit a spectator and he comes back in and he’s just a mess. Just breaking down at dinner, like, ‘I can’t believe I did that, I hope they’re okay.'”
When it came time to tee off the following day, Higgins and his playing partners were utterly rattled.
“I’m playing with a couple of guys, and everybody’s like shaking on the first tee,” he said. “Shaking, because of what Ray did yesterday.”
Fortunately, Higgins’ tee shots haven’t had any unfortunate run-ins with fans, but that hasn’t been enough to get him out of his own head when it comes time to begin a round.
“I’m with you, I think it’s crazy,” he said. “Not too many people are good golfers who don’t play consistently.”
To hear the rest of Higgins’ Subpar interview, including his unfortunate karaoke experience in Tahoe, check out the video below.
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.
