...I just do not believe anyone can view the game through the eyes / or game of someone else...the internal reaction to everything we see and feel is our own.
In my opinion, Golf IQ is as Gib said initially, the assesment of what's in front of you and realistically setting a course of action to shooting the lowest number you could hope to.
The highest golfing IQ goes to the player who most frequently shoots the lowest score given their physical ability.
I appreciate both Jim Sullivan's and Gib Papazian's thoughts on this subject.
My first thought, when reading this a week or two ago, is that golf IQ correlates directly with IQ.
Gib suggests, and Jim agrees, that one's golf intelligence relates to his/her ability to use visual cues to decipher the proper strategy. Unlike Jim and Gib, I believe the savvy course analyst can extrapolate how the course will play for various ability levels. If this were impossible, then a good architect would build courses with his own game in mind, a regular criticism of some modern architects. Since I rarely play extra shots, or relocate the ball during a given round, it often takes me several rounds to evaluate a course. And it helps greatly to have players of varying abilities in my group, so I can see a spectrum of shots played.
Jim, I find it hard to separate mental from physical ability, unless we are talking in pure terms of strength. The mind controls the body, the two are inseparable. How inspiring would it be to watch a physically weak player break 80 by playing smart? I can't remember the last time I've seen that happen.
I played Sand Hills last week. The inconsistency of hazard placement, combined with the limited yardage data available, makes the puzzle of perfect strategy less defined there. By the fourth round I knew what to do on every hole except #2, which pinches in at the exact wrong spot for me. Few golfing experiences match the joy of deciphering a good puzzle. Man it was fun.
On many courses it's easy to see what needs to be done.
To summarize, I agree with Gib and Jim when evaluating a player's "golf IQ" as it relates to their own game. As someone who likes to evaluate golf courses, I find it reasonable to assume I can extrapolate a bit, and "see" how a course plays for various levels. For architects and raters alike, it seems an important skill to possess.