Course Familiarity = "X" strokes

[BSpel55]

I don't think it's just "X" Strokes per se. If you are not a good golfer, knowing every inch of the course won't matter in the slightest.

That being said, I'm a 20 handicap mainly because I shoot an 85 on courses I know and a 95 on ones I don't. I never fail to lose a couple balls because I "think" the dog leg is sharper, the forest doesn't extend as far, etc. That is the most frustrating part because you hit something near-perfect then lo and behold you just put it in the wrong place.

[WUTiger]

I never fail to lose a couple balls because I "think" the dog leg is sharper, the forest doesn't extend as far, etc. That is the

There's middle ground between a course you're playing for the first time, and one that you play regularly. If you could have a local caddie, and was swinging OK, difference might be three strokes or less.

Also, it depends a lot on the course terrain. In SW Illinois, many of the courses double as nature preserves. So, 10 yards carry on a drive can make the difference between holding the edge of a fairway or carrying into a finger or marshland that doesn't quite show up on the course map. It takes a few rounds to figure this out. Blind tee shots into downhill areas area also a problem without a forecaddie. It may take three or four rounds to figure out where even a decent drive drains to on a given hole.

[DaSportsGuy]

Less than three. I don't believe course familiarity gives you much of an advantage on your typical course.

If it's a course with numerous blind shots then probably a couple more.

I played a course for the first time and beat my low score entering the round by four strokes. Both were Par 70's or 72's, I don't know off the top of my head.