The way you play the first hole of your round can set the tone for the
entire day. Here are some ideas to think about to ensure better scores
coming out of the gate. A number of your mistakes can be eliminated
by determining what you want to do before you ever tee off.

First off, if you know you are playing the green in three shots, ask your-
self if the driver is necessary. If you feel more confident in your three
wood or long iron play, consider these options. After you have made
your club selection, favor the left side of the fairway. After all, you can
hit out of the woods left but you not from the bottom of the pond.

Now that you have placed the ball in the fairway, it is time to
determine where you want to play your third shot from. Ideally,
you would like to come into this green from the right side. What club
do you hit? This can be answered by these two questions: 1) how far are you, and
2) how far away do you want to be hitting your third shot? A good lay up is well short
of the creek and also puts the club in your hand that you feel most comfortable swinging. If you love your seven iron and you
hit it 130 yards, then you want your second shot to stop at that distance from the green. This leaves you with a good angle to
the green at a yardage you feel secure with. Before hitting your approach, there is one last thing to consider. Several strokes can be saved during the round by playing to the safe part of the green rather than the pin. On hole #1 this is the front right of the putting surface.

You made it! Now analyze your putt and be aggressive, if you can, otherwise lag to a two-foot circle surrounding the hole.
Remember, not every putt has to be made. Great Par!