19 April 2014 - 75 at Lake Presidential's www.tgaatour.com Pro-Net Tournament

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): I shot a 75 from the blue tees.  1 double, 4 bogey's, 2 birdies.  With 5 missed birdie opportunities from inside 15 feet.

Review of Lake Presidential: I understand it's supposed to be an upscale course and that cost money to maintain and I understand contracts made last year need to be upheld.  I also understand that the snow and cold have slowed grass development.  That said there was more dirt than grass in all fairways and the greens were very sandy following topdressing... both due to limited rain and warm temperatures for growth.  Makes it a challenge to putt well on bumpy sandy greens.

What's the good, the bad and the ugly?

• Ugly first - Nervous but in denial.  Between shanking the first couple swings on the range to the thin driver on the 1st tee I didn't 'feel' nervous but the end result was my swing wasn't comfortable.  It turned out to be not having that slight pause at the top of the backswing and a poor transition.  Also due to not using my normal tournament prep process due to limited range balls and a range with NO GRASS!  Had to use a tee to hit irons.
• Bad - Ok, I didn't roll in the 7 foot putt on #2 but the leave was good (maybe 2 feet). The bad is missing a 2 foot putt for par - three putting from 7 feet.  The bad is not using your putting routine on every put unless the tap in is like 6 inches.  I leaned over this 2 footer like it was a tap in and missed it because there was some break and the bumpy greens exaserbated that fact.
• Good - Those 3 strokes (double on #1 off of thin driver and bogey on #2 from 3 putt) were out of character (Ugly Nerves) and should have been par or birdies.  Once  I settled down I played even par golf from that point forward (2 bogey's and 2 birdies).  That should have been a round of 71. 

1. I had 6 birdie opportunities from inside 15 feet and made 1 of them including a 3 footer.  The other birdie was 27 foot putt on #1 handicap hole (hole 7)
2. I made 5 par saving CLUTCH putts on the back nine includes two 1 putts
3. Good course management with only one club I would have changed (Change DR for 2H on 14) and one shot where I didn't collect my distance before the shot lead to a bogey (hole 13)

Overall a very encouraging 1st tournament of the year.  This was, without the ugly nerves, a even par round and without sandy greens possibly a 70 or a 69 with some improved putting.

What to work on? PUTTING!

On hole 16 I didn't use my new lag putting stroke.  I kept my wrists firm and tapped it in perfectly center cut with about a foot of break on a 5 foot putt.  I'm wondering if the lag is too much for short putts.  I also didn't have great feel on the long putts with that technique. I still love the roll it puts on the ball but I think as an excercise it may have taught me how to take my hands out of the pytt and I can get a bit more conventional on the stroke now.

shoulda, coulda, woulda... need to decide when I am playing next. I'm thinking Waverly Woods on 3 May 2014.  I really like that course and it's a challenge with a course rating of 72.2 and a slope of 132.  More appropriately it makes you choose your shots, some are blind so there's alot of trust in executing your plan.