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Does everyone think that playing your home course every weekend will eventually make you a better player? I am going to a different course tomorrow and I'm wondering how I'll shoot. I've been shooting in the mid 80's on my local course.

I think that practice time on the range/green will make you a better player...Although, playing doesn't hurt either, whether it's on your home course or not...I do enjoy playing new courses though. It's fun to see different holes and to try new shots that you may not always get to use on your home course...

Hitting good shots makes you a good player, whatever course those shots are hit.....well that doesnt matter at all

I'm just worried that the new course will throw me off of my game some. I am so used to every crook and cranny of my local that anything new is going to be tough for me.

Playing a course repeatedly will help improve the shots you play at that course. That may sound strange, but it's true. My league course is short (but tricky) and by playing it all the time my shots from 125 yards in has improved dramatically and much more noticeable that the rest of my game. I credit that from always having a wedge in my hand there.

Now when I play longer courses my mid-iron game isn't on the same level with my short iron game. I'm much more comfortable and confident with certain clubs because I've used them more often at my "home course." I hope that makes sense to you.

I think my handicap would drop a couple if I played just one place. I don't think that would mean I was a better golfer though. I like to play a variety of places... probably at least 25 per season. Most of them I've played before though and usually it's just adjusting to the different green speeds that causes me problems.

Consider that if your home course was Spyglass Hill, odds are you'd post lower than mid-80s at the new place you are playing.

The course I play the most has a slope of 117 from the back tees, and I do see my score go up a little when I play places that are rated at 120+.

I guess another way to say it is that if your home course is a pushover you probably aren't testing yourself as fully as possible!

I like to play a variety myself. I do play about 50% at my home course, but I think mixing it up a little will improve you overall as a player.

I think that you play better at the course you play most, but does that make you a better player, not sure. I think you play better because of your knowledge of the holes, speed of greens etc....for example at my course I know exactly where i need to be in order to have a good position for my second shot, I know which places are are usually a little wet, and the layout and undulations of the greens. If I'm going to miss I know some areas where I can miss and still get a good kick, and mostly I know yardages and what club to hit from where like the back of my hand. These are things that I don't have knowledge of at different new courses, and when I play somewhere new my scores tend to go up a little, of course they come with time the more you play a course.

Unless you're hitting every fairway and every gir, than playing at a new courses forces you to play different shots from different situations which i guess makes you a better player.

You can get comfortable on a home course because you have a pretty good idea of where all the trouble is and the spots to avoid. I believe this gives you confidence. If you play an away course without much course knowledge this can create tension and uncertainty, translating into bad shot making. That being said, everytime you play, no matter where, you become a better player.

You will almost always play better at your home course.
1. You basically know your yardages from anywhere on the course
2. You know what to avoid and how much room for mistakes you have
3. Tons of previous shots in your other rounds to refer to.
4. Knowledge of breaks in greens.
5. Comfort and confidence increases as you become so familiar with everything about the course.

That being said, I play better at my home course but I like playing a new place alot more. I will no doubt post a higher score but playing a nice course for the first time really takes your breath away. Especially if there are beautiful scenic holes along the way.

I think it is the short game that makes a difference on a new course. Knowing the depth of the green, and the undulation/where to be on the green given the pin placement is where the extra strokes appear. There are other factors, but I believe this makes the most difference.

If you want to avoid getting stagnant at your home course, try playing from different tees. Our course sets up COMPLETELY different from all 4 sets of tees...we are truly lucky it was designed that way. And the good news is you can still post your scores regardless of tees to get your handicap to reflect "other" courses.

Our members at my last club all did a number of things that made them not be competitive in local events. First, they take gimmies. We had members shoot NET 80-85 in some of the Men's Club Championship Flights when they had to play by the Rules. Second, they play the SAME tees EVERYDAY and hit the same clubs everyday so they don't learn to play shots. I know that I can go out on a couple of the Hilton Head Courses with 6 clubs and be just fine because I know where I will hit it each time within reason. Members usually just practice the shots they know they will need for their own course and when they get out of that comfort zone, they are lost (i.e. high pitch shots for elevated, bunkered greens vs. bump and run for less elevated, non-protected greens).

The more you play, the better you will become at playing. I try to play as many courses as possible so I can become a player who plays well on any type of golf course. I hold two course records right now but they are at two courses that I have played a million times. About 3 years ago I played my home course about 97% of the time. When I would go to another course I would get slaughtered because I had no idea how to adapt my short game for different green complexes. I believe a truly "good player" has the ability to adapt to any golf course, green speed, green softness or grass type with exceptional results.

I tried that at a course yesterday on the 17th hole. I noticed the back tees were 90 yards behind the tees we normally play. A lot of carry from our tees, and nobody was on the course, so we went back there to see if we could even reach the fairway. It was at least 250 yd carry to the fairway, hitting over protected wildlife/marsh type of hazard. I hit one marginally that didn't make it. The second one I hit on a rope, and it was only about 10 yards into the fairway. It left me 230 to the green. As I posted in another thread, it was 40 dgrees with light snow, so that was a pretty good drive, to pretty much barely reach the fairway.

I don't know how some of you can maintain a low handicap playing holes like that. It was a par 4, 486 yards.