course setup for sw id am

  i played last night, and #3 was the ONLY bad hole location.  but here is what i think happened on sunday.  every player went off of the first hole and so everyone went through this same mental exercise:   #1 was a VERY difficult, fair RED flag.  but a tough, tough hole and a tough, tough start. #2 was a GREAT hole location, but visually intimidating, because from the fairway the flag looked like it was OFF the green to the right. #3 was 1-2 paces too far forward and a bad location, but more importantly a RED flag.    by now the players have seen two RED flags and both are brutal locations, they are INTIMIDATED and WARY AND TOTALLY $%^&*(ING CONVINCED that the entire course is going to be set up this tough and that the superintendent in nuts and my game is going to totally fall apart, and i'm going to be embarrassed with my score and i'm going to probably get back on drugs/alcohol, lose my job and be homeless and on the street!    so,NOW when the players get to #8, see another RED flag and anticipates another brutal location because past experience with RED right has been unfair on the front slope.  then #9, ANOTHER RED flag close to the trap that looks like it is almost in the fringe (but a GREAT location).  then on to #10 and ANOTHER RED, even though it is not front right, the scars from the RED flags on #1 and #3 still exist.  and memories of the #10 RED, right location in the past are haunting the player.  the next RED flag is #14 and again it is a good pin, but the player has memories of disaster when that pin is red and the ball running off the front left, so he goes PSYCHO again at the sight of the RED location.  #15 is a tough, fair location, but with a lot of slope. (i did not play #16 so don't know where it was, but my guess it was back against the slope which is fine).  #17 another good location that could have been RED.  #18 is another RED flag and a tough, fair spot.   in a nutshell:  a combination tough location on #1, a bad hole location on #3, and memories of past disasters with the SAME color of flag that you had on #8, #10, and #14, absolutely drove the field PSYCHO.   my only suggestion would just be to mix it up a little better.  6 tough, 6 medium, and 6 hard locations.  some 2-3 steps from the edge of the green, but not all and not all of the "traditional" locations.  confuse the player as to which is a tough location, which is not.  and maybe have all one color of flag for tournaments.  i believe that the color RED after the start, scared the players to death.   golf course is absolutely MAGNIFICENT right now, don't let this discourage you in ANY way.  no big deal, golfers are natural-born complainers.  i'm a GREAT example.......   thanks for EVERYTHING that you do, you and crew do a fabulous job.