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I usually feel that it takes me a couple of tries to get a course down. Breaking 100 on the first trip is a pretty good score for me. On the up side, my home track is a reasonably tough layout and I don't tend to feel intimidated playing most places for the first time.

That said, I got my butt kicked last week playing Morgan Hill for the first time. I crawled out of there with a 108 and didn't feel too bad about it. I'd take a course like that as an exception however. I did shoot an even 100 at Bristow last week on a first attempt and a 96 from the Blues at Bull Run which I played last year for the first time. So a pretty good second try for me I think.

for the most part YES! but in some cases no. Most of the time for me I don't do well cause I have NO idea where to go( ie can I hit it on the left side to give myself a good approach). Found out the hard way a couple of times playing a course I've never seen that what I thought was safe and I hit a good shot was not always the case (water, OB, sand etc)
You could blind fold me on my course pick any hole and I could tell you the lay out, where to go, whats safe, the risk-reward shot/ line.
The some cases no, is if I have been there atleast once or twice I have a good enough knowlegde of the course to make the safe shots. besides that my course is geninuely harder which is suppose to make other courses easier, lol.

I have a pretty regular rotation of courses that I play. I'm a member at Brookhaven CC, which is owned by ClubCorp, so under my membership I am allowed to play several other clubs also owned by ClubCorp in the Dallas area. So I do get some variety in there.

However, to answer your question, it really all depends on the course when you go to a new course to play. Some courses are pretty wide open and visible from the tee...no blind shots...especially on those resort-style courses that are built for business outings and hotel guests who just want to have a good time. On those courses, most people can go out and play their normal game. However, I can think of many examples of courses I've played that are tough tracks where you have to hit the right spots...if you don't know where those spots are, you're probably going to shoot some high numbers the first couple times out.

You know what the trick is, though? Chip and putt better. Take it seriously and practice it. Unless a course has completely wacky greens, you can always count on scoring pretty well--even on new courses--if you are a good chipper/putter. Most people I've seen on here tend to show an average of 36 to 38 putts. Work on getting that number down to 30 or less. That means you're going to need to make a lot more up-and-downs and roll those birdie putts in...but the good news is, since chipping and putting require very little physical strength, that means we can all learn to chip and putt just as well as any pro on earth. It just takes practice.

I score better on courses I do not play often. I find on my regular course I tend to know where to place my shots but when I miss I have a hard time overcomming the mistake.

I no longer have a home course, so I guess kinda depends on a few things. The condition of the course seemingly always is a factor in scoring. patchy fairways, hardpan bunkers, and burnt greens are score killers. I guess it depends on how it fits my eye too. I like to play a draw (though been producing a cut lately, which i don't like - need to work on hip acceleration), and blind shots requiring a cut never turn out so great. Course knowledge can definitely help w/ putting up better scores.

On the road for my job and bring the sticks everywhere. I play many different courses each year and find it to be 50/50. Having a familiar course can help you play great because you know all the places to hit it. Not playing a familiar course can make you play conservative. Sometimes the conservative route can help you score over the agressive route. It's all a matter of perspective (and how you're putting!).