Do you play better on tougher courses?

[JJCOOP7]

Just played a few times in Myrtle and my best score was at the Fazio course at Barefoot from the tips.

 

I think i just payed more attention.

[Yepyukon]

I guess you could classify most of them as better courses, but I play my best on fast greens. I generally hit a good amount of fairways (~70%) so if the greens are running fast and pure, I can make several birdies during the round.

[mattyd69ab]

Depends. I always play better on a real course vs a goat ranch. Obviously, putts roll and you're not hitting off hard pan every shot.

I think I do pay attention more on harder courses. Also if I have a preconceived notion it's going to be hard sometimes I play smarter, which helps to lower my scores.

[Chilidog]

I don't think it is course dependent. I play better better when my tempo is smooth and my ball striking is solid. Closer to the hole generally equals lower scores.

I like playing tougher courses as I like the challenge but my lowest scores tend to come on easier tracks.

[Chrismydawg]

For me I think I do play better on tougher courses. Better does not necessarily mean better scores, but just better shots overall. The reason has a lot to do with paying attention. Focus is the main key. Just knowing that you can't miss a fairway or you have to hit the green to avoid a deep bunker. It deals with how much respect I have for the course.

[SadTrombone]

I always seem to putt better on fast greens. So, I guess that's a yes.

[2putttom]

Yes, I'll play more conservativley.

[Argonne69]

Yes. As others have noted, I tend to be more focused, and play more conservatively. You generally know that mistakes are going to be punished, so rather than gamble big and lose, I'll take the safer route and be happy with par.

Also, tougher courses tend to have faster greens, which many of us prefer. Putting on shag carpeting is a recipe for disaster. I tend to three putt much more on slow greens than fast greens.

[CowtownTexas]

Not sure about most "tougher" courses, but I do tend to score very well on Fazio courses. Not just a little better, but 3-5 strokes better. Maybe it's that I'm used to a tight course with small greens, but put me on a modern course with wide fairways and big greens and I just get completely at ease.

I hover around a 10 index, but I've shot in the mid 70's on several Fazio courses. If I played them daily, my handicap would be mid to low single digits.

[ryu123]

I'd like to think so, but it just may be that when I suck on a challenging course it's doesn't feel as bad as when I choke on my home course from the 'timid' tees.

(also 'playing better' = scoring well ? I guess it depends on your definition )

[Wedge]

I tend to play better on tougher courses also, but I believe the main reason is I'm much more target oriented on tougher courses. Less margin for error, higher focus, more shot oriented than swing.

[DTXgolfer12]

Yep. Specifically bc I play smarter. You'd be surprised how many fairways you hit when the rough is 4 feet tall

[knock it close]

Nice/Tough courses I tend to play better on probably for the soul reason that I don't get frustrated as easily, with bogeys or putts that don't fall

[aliikane]

Not the tough tracks around my house. I have had good rounds at most of them but they are much harder than the muni tracks. Like any course, keep the ball in play and sinks some putts helps a lot.

[tsu45]

I play a little more strategically on a nice course that I likely won't play again.

[DD4442]

My answer was going to be a strong "yes", but when I thought about it, and looked at it, my differential is about the same, but I noticed that when a round starts to go bad on a harder (good?) course I recover and ultimately don't blow up like at a lesser venue. Probably about focus vs. the "aw [bleep] it" factor. I feel I play better at a good course, and have recorded most of my lowest rounds at better (harder) courses. But I mostly play public courses that tend to be in the 71/128 rating/slope range. Never thought about this weirdness before.