Great topic Rick! Our club has a shootout to determine the overall champion of our 3 day member guest championship. Each of the flight winners play the 18th hole in an alternate shot format. The entire field gathers around the 18th green and fairway (well lubricated mind you) to watch the action unfold. If the winner emerges from your flight everyone in that flight wins cash, so needless to say everyone sticks around.
Having roughly 150 golfers heckle you with a championship on the line can certainly bring out the pressure. I've been fortunate enough to be in this shootout twice now, and even though I know more than half the people there, I still get the nerves. I can't say I've ever had my hands shake before a tee shot in any other experience, but that shootout does it.

Hilton Head Island MDA Celebrity golf tournament I played in 1988. I had only been playing golf about four years. Sorta overwhelmed, but three wonderful days.

I was playing with my Father and two really good players at Spyglass Hill on Monterey, CA. The pro knew one of the players and watched us tee off, along with 3-4 groups waiting to tee off. I hadn't been a player for very long and rarely broke 100 in those days. I'd never beaten my Father. Somehow, with shaking knees, I hit a decent drive in the fairway. Even though it was about 50 degrees out, I noticed that as I walked to the ball, I had sweated through my shirt-ha ha. Oh and I shot a 94 and was low man for the group. Good day!

#1 tee at pebble is intimidating. People are watching. Everyone is decked out in nice clothes.caddy.500 bucks. Death hold on grip.drive is topped or weak slice. Still going to be a fun and beautiful day at one of the prettiest courses in the world

It's 2008 and I have the rare opportunity to play Torrey Pines South just days before the start of the Open where Tiger and Rocco had their shootout. Most of the course is set up with spectator stands and signage. The downside is the rough has not been cut and is at least 6 to 8 inches deep and just rolling into it can cause you to loose a ball.

Behind my group is a foursome of Brits that came especially to play the course and all had caddies. Due to a slow pace of play ahead, my group had the Brits as our own gallery on each tee shot. Great guys and having fun providing commentary on each shot.

The first two holes were ok and then we arrived at hole 3, the downhill par 3 looking over the ocean toward La Jolla. Beautiful and intimidating. Spectator stands are set just right of the green and ocean to the left and behind and our trailing group has caught up and now watching. I think every muscle in my body is trembling as I took the club back. All I remember next was seeing my ball hit the green roll toward the hole and lip out. The Brits and caddies all let out a cheer with high fives and now I had to go down to the green and make the come back 3 footer for birdie. I was still buzzing when I left the green but what a memory!

Me and my brother qualified for the American Golf 9 Hole pairs finals at The Belfry a few years ago, it was all being filmed by Sky Sports for a highlights show. I generally hate having my picture taken, so being filmed and interviewed I was terrified!

We ended up getting through to the grand final and finishing 2nd, so the last round was match play and we were the only match on the course. So had crowds of the other players following us round and on some holes being filmed by 3 cameras!

I did almost hole a 3 iron on the par 5 3rd for eagle which was caught on camera, so that was nice!

For anyone interested the highlights are still on their YouTube, my approach is at 13 mins in ;)
www.youtube.com/watch

A long time ago in a galaxy right here, I was in the Club Championship playing against the gentleman who had not only won it about 20 times prior, but had qualified for and won numerous State Association amateur events, and USGA events, and named golfer of the decade by the State Assoc. Final hole, a par 3, with about 50 people sitting around it, and a 1 up lead, after a great match for 17 holes. I have a little less than 3 feet for par, he now a little further for bogey. On our greens, both going to break at least 6 inches. Folks might have thought the noise was woodpeckers in the trees, but it was really my knees knocking together. He walks over to me as I'm getting ready to line up the putt and says "...you're not going to 3 putt that, but I'm not going to give you the chance", and picked up my ball giving me the putt for the win. Finest act of sportsmanship I've ever been involved in, from the finest gentleman and sportsman I've ever had the pleasure of playing against and observing playing others in numerous tournaments. A week later, I had the same putt for birdie, same woodpeckers, in a 12 way playoff, on the 4th playoff hole to qualify for the State Am, playing against a lot of guys who should have smoked me, and drained it to get in. I'd like to say I learned to channel it. I'd like to!

I played in the USGA senior amateur qualifier, when my tee time came I went to the first tee only to find a bunch of USGA officials and about 30 people there watching us tee off. To make matters worse I was paired with the number one amateur in the state. I have never been nervous teeing off at any tournament and I play in a lot including on the Golf Channel tour. I was so nervous I was honestly worried about getting of the tee and almost went and grabbed a mid iron on a 400 yard par 4 that I was going to have trouble reaching even hitting driver just make sure I hit the ball in play. I did hit the driver and I stripped it 235 right down the middle, I still didn't calm down until about the third hole. I did not qualify, not even close but did finish in the middle of the pack and was very happy with the result

It was the Club Championship a few years ago. My first Club Championship and first ever stroke play tournament. On the first day, I had the first tee time and drew honors on the box. Hearing my name called on the first tee brought out the nerves. I could barely hold the club, and managed to catch my Hybrid thin, but good enough to clear the hazard off the tee and catch a bounce on the crossing cart path. Settling down with the ball in the fw, managed to hit an 8i close and birdie the first hole. The confidence of knowing I lead the tournament at one point didn’t stop me from hooking it OB on 3, but still managed to shoot two of my best rounds of the year. More experience has made it better, but those first tee jitters are part of the fun in playing tournament golf.

2 come to mind - first, when I got to play Pinehurst #2, shaking for first 5 holes, but somehow managed to make a couple of putts, bang a chip off the flagstick to be around par, and then settled down to play fairly well, finishing with a 79; second time was last hole of a Carolinas GA event at Lonnie Poole GC, coming in at 4 under, and barely able to hit in to the green or hit my putts to finish that low for the first time in a competition.

I had been playing golf for only a few years and finally qualified to play in the Jennie K (3-day tournament). I've only played the course once before--my practice round couple days before the tournament. They announce your name on the first tee all 3 days. And, all 3 days, I kid you not, my knees were shaking on the tee box with spectators watching. After that first tee shot, I had remind myself it was my first time qualifying so I had nothing to lose. After all was said and done, I finished third in my flight. I've since moved up a flight, and it gets harder every year, but at least my knees don't shake anymore!

I never did have first tee jitters. In fact, my first tee was generally one of the best drives of the day. That is, not until...I had been playing golf for only a few years and finally qualified to play in the Jennie K (3-day tournament). I've only played the course once before--my practice round couple days before the tournament. They announce your name on the first tee (all 3 days). And, all 3 days, I kid you not, my knees were shaking on the tee box with spectators watching. After that first tee shot, I had to remind myself it was my first time qualifying so I had nothing to lose. After all was said and done, I finished third in my flight. I've since moved up a flight, and it gets harder every year, but at least my knees don't shake anymore!

At the invitation of a good friend I had the opportunity to tee it up with a LPGA Hall-of-Famer at the Naples, FL LPGA event many years ago. Standing on the first tee listening to my partners being called I watched as my first partner sniped it left OB, then my second partner pushed it left into the water. As my name was called Ms. Daniels leans over and says, something in play would be nice. Facing me was the option of laying up short of the trouble in the fairway that ran from 245 to 285, or trying to stripe it. I turned to my buddy and asked his opinion, he tells me to hit the driver instead of the lay-up. The look on Ms. Daniels face prompted a second comment, he'll stripe it and if doesnt Ive got him covered as he twirled a 1-iron. By the grace of the golf gods I was able to remain upright and my ball did find dry ground. My buddy used it as an aiming point as he flew it with his 1-iron, prompting one last question from Ms. Daniels on the tee.."and what tour did we play?" Canadian, but that was in a prior life he responded as my buddy and I headed for our cart. Ms. Daniels was a gem to play with and her caddy was fantastic. It remains one of my greatest memories of golf and life.

The first time I played THE COUNTRY CLUB was the most nervous I have ever been.The more times I played it the better it felt. A great course small fast greens and all the pressure of playing where Francis won the Open

Back in 2012, after a layoff of many years while my kids were growing up, I begin playing golf again on a regular basis and it really became my passion.
After the 2013 season had begun, I was practicing at the range one day and over heard some guys talking about different state tournaments and I wondered what you had to do to play in those. After doing a little research, I realized that there were qualifying rounds you had to play in in order to get into the tournaments. At that time, the only tournament my handicap,7 or 8,would allow me to try and qualify for was the Massachusetts public links, and as luck would have it one of the qualifying sites was my home course. I registered for the tournament and played as many rounds as I could leading up to the qualifier.
I felt good all week leading up to that day, but was fairly anxious the night before and didn’t sleep very much. The next morning I got to the course about two hours before my teatime and begin going through my warm-ups and felt great. The time is finally come and I headed over to the first tee and met the other participants in my group and waited for the official to send us out. That’s when the nerves kicked in. I started getting crazy butterflies in my stomach while the other two guys teed off. Then it was finally my turn. I teed up my ball and waited for the official to announce me on the tee. As I walked up to the ball and got into my address position my hands and arms started shaking very noticeably in my legs felt wobbly underneath me. I looked on the fairway one last time, made my swing, and the ball dribbled off the tee barely making it out to the beginning of the fairway. I was so embarrassed. still shaking I hit my second shot with very similar results and ended up about 200 yards short of the green. After finally reaching the green and three putting, I had double bogeyed my opening hole. The rest of the front nine continued with similar results and when we were making the turn I realized I had just shot 47 for the first nine holes of the first serious tournament I had ever tried to qualify for.
At that point I was seriously considering withdrawing from the tournament to save myself any further embarrassment and also stay out of the way of the other players. One of the guys in my group convinced me to continue playing which I reluctantly did. Deciding that I really didn’t care anymore about that round, I teed it up on the 10th hole and swung as hard as I possibly could and hit the best drive of the day down the center of the fairway, hit my second shot onto the green and two putted for birdie. I continued playing very well on the back nine and when all was said and done I ended up shooting 31 on the back for a total of 78 and qualified for the tournament on the cut number. I’ve learned to deal with the nerves much better since then, but I have to say, I still enjoy getting the butterflies at the start of an important round.

I was an assistant pro at Big Canyon 30 years ago and got to tee off with Fuzzy Zeller and Doug Twell the members were watching I hit it right but luckily I hit the ball. I was very nervous.

My most nervous moment was one of my high school tournoments, it was 40 degrees and I was in shorts and had no sweater I was sick and because my team and I arrived late I did not get to warm up on the range, this tournoment is the one my nerves were the highest in.

July 2013 Bucket List trip to Scotland. Last day, last round is at the Old Course with 12:30 tee time. Standing on first tee taking everything in is overwhelming enough. As our foursome is about tee off (2) tour buses pull up joining the already crowded area around the starters desk and the practice green. By tee flip I was the first to tee off. Standing over the ball I could not believe how eerily quiet everything was. While a few hundred people watched intently. As I teed off on my swing I could hear cameras going off. I striped the ball down the fairway on the right side about ten yards from the bern. It was a great feeling and a great sense of relief all at the same time. Knocked in on the green almost made birdie. Shot an 84. Although a 4-hour round, the fastest round of golf I ever played. I remember sipping a beer after at Jiggers Inn with our foursome talking about that first tee experience. Best comment from one of our guys was that "he was so nervous that you would not be able to pull a pin from out of his butt with a Clydesdale horse!" Great experience.

I got to play Torrey South the Tuesday after the Farmers. Lots of people watching from the balcony overlooking #1 tee. That was pretty nerve wrecking for me. But an awesome experience!

Several years ago, I had my first opportunity to play Pinehurst #2 with my son. I had played other Pinehurst courses but not #2. I had also been a spectator for several tournaments at #2 but had never played. I was very excited but when the bells from the Village Chapel started to chime as I placed my tee in the ground on the first tee, I was overcome with emotion. A lifetime dream to play such a special course with my son about to be fulfilled. Despite the best efforts of my caddie who tried to calm me down, I did not make a par until hole 8. My score that day was not very good but the memory was priceless. Fortunately, I played #2 again this December and had a much better score.