Tougher courses, higher differentials

[BigBoy]

I've noticed a trend in my scores while tracking my stats and handicap regarding the course ratings and slopes of the different golf courses I play.

Obviously, the tougher courses with higher course ratings and slopes produce higher scores for me. However, when calculating differentials, I find they are still on average much higher than the differentials I get while playing easier courses with lower course ratings and slopes. It seems to me that the tougher courses affect my scoring ability more than their ratings suggest that they should.

Has anyone else observed this in their own scores? Is this fairly common?

I'm wondering if some of the easier courses I play may have inflated ratings somehow. The other possibilities, of course, are that those easier courses I play just happen to fit my eye and game better compared to other courses that might be of similar difficulty, or that I get psyched out at the more difficult courses and try to do too much or something along those lines

[iWALK18]

I think I am the opposite. I tend to struggle shooting with the easier courses I generally play because you have to shoot so low to get a decent differential. At least on tougher courses you don't have to shoot 78 to break into single digits. I think when I was shooting in the 90s i used to score about the same no matter how difficult the course was.

[right handed phil mickelson]

There can be a lot of different things going on here. The courses with the bigger course rating and slope maybe don't fit your eye as much as the courses with lesser rating and slope. It could be possible that when you were playing the tougher courses, you weren't playing as well as you were on the easier courses.

There's really too many factors to put into consideration when trying to answer this question. What I would focus on is are you still scoring in the same general area? If so, then good job and keep it up. Don't try to focus on little things like that. If you get really 'into' the game of golf like that, you won't be able to enjoy it. Just go out, keep score, and try to work on getting better. Don't worry about the ratings and the slopes. Have Fuuuunnnn.

~RHPM

[NotAStick]

I know for sure that my differentials are higher on tougher courses.

I have played near a scratch for almost a decade, but on higher-slope courses, I have a lot more trouble.

I imagine that comes from the fact that I'm a pretty consistent short-mid iron player and decent around the greens, but when I go wrong, it's with longer clubs.


Tough courses demand more than double as many QUALITY drives and long-iron approaches and that really impacts my score.

Stick me at 120 yards and I can hit the green from underwater. But at 200, I'm really frightened by greenside pot bunkers and tend to over-think the shot.