play 9 holes (I found if I did 18 I would choke on 17 and ruin a good score, lol) of the easiest course for you under "ranked" round setup.
HOWEVER! Don't do it.
Better to play all the courses equally and accept difficult conditions. I rushed to get to the higher tiers and missed out on a lot of learning opportunities and winning some credits.
A better strategy, one I adopted a little late because I ignored this advice, is to play the weekly and monthly free tournaments. The courses and conditions alternate, you get to compete against your own tier, and can win credits by placing well. The "unlimited starts" are nice so you can restart when you slice into the trees on the 1st hole of Beth Page, but make an effort to post a score in each one before they expire.
Your handicap will lower, then you will move up a tier (you can never move back), then your handicap will sky-rocket again. So if you like numbers, check out your stats and fixate on scrambling and GIR.
If you, like me, think you need the credits you "win" when you move up tiers, change your plan. It's better to either plop down some $ or become a survey whore like I did.
good luck!