Ken,
On my first trip to TOC, due to weather delaying our flight out of JFK, we missed our tee time.
We were told that playing that day was impossible.
One of my friends tried to influence the starter, again and again and again, but, to no avail.
After a few discussions with him, he told me to go practice putting.
About a half hour to an hour later he told me that I could play TOC with three members, but that my other friends would have to play the new course, and that I would have to break the news to them.
I got up on the first tee, anxious to play, and promptly hit my drive OB right.
I couldn't believe it as I'm usually a decent driver.
Definitely not the start I was looking for.
But, when I holed out on # 18 I finished the round under par.
When I look back at all of my first play rounds I've tended to score rather well, if not exceptionally well.
For the most part I think it's because I tell my caddy that I don't want to know any of the negatives, where NOT to hit the ball, I just want to know where I SHOULD hit the ball and what club is best to get me there on my drive.
For my approaches, I just want the yardage to the center of the green.
Essentially, ignorance is bliss.
I don't have any negative thoughts, only positive reinforcement.
I remember being told to hit at that bell tower or that landmark.
Golf is such a mental game and negative thoughts have a way of creeping into your swing.
Absent negative thoughts, I think one swings away without restriction, mentally and physically.
I remember the first time I played Pine Valley, in 1964.
On the 1st hole, I asked the caddy how far to the center of the green.
He told me, then he told me the pin was back 10/15 yards from the center.
I hit a 6-iron to 8 feet and made 3.
However, when I got to the green and saw how narrow that back hole location was and how disaster lurked at both flanks, I vowed never again to hit anywhere but to the center of that green if the pin was in the back of that green.
Not knowing how difficult that pin location was, was a plus.
If the caddy had said, don't go left or right by 5 yards or you're in deep trouble, would have unsettled me and made the shot far more tense and difficult. But, because I didn't know any better, I was relaxed and fired away.
The same thing happened at TOC.
Other than the 1st hole I drove the ball perfectly.
On # 17 the caddy said, "hit it at the letter _ on the side of the shed"
One of the fellows playing with me said, you're hitting it so well, hit it at the letter _, which was further right, which I did.
When I got to my ball in the fairway and saw the OB not so far away to my right, I said, "I'm sure glad I didn't know how close the OB is when you take the shot so tight to the right side of the fairway.
That's another instance where ignorance is bliss.