54 Handicappers - Scourge or Scarcity ?

rulefan

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Whilst golf should be inclusive, competition play should be restricted to those with a handicap of 28 and below. It’s no enjoyment playing competitive golf with someone whose handicap is above 28. It effects everyone and I think it’s poor etiquette from the 28+ player, not to consider others.
Social golf, yes they should be welcomed and encouraged.
I certainly didn’t play in competitions until I fell confident of not holding up and spoiling others enjoyment
I
If I pay the same subs as everyone else I expect to have all the facilities and benefits as everyone else.
 

SteveJay

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If I pay the same subs as everyone else I expect to have all the facilities and benefits as everyone else.
So surely that argument can be made by the 54 handicapper who insists on playing from the white tees?

Its a difficult argument convincing such players that it would be more enjoyable for them to move forward, especially if playing partners are playing from further back.
 

rksquire

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We have 2 '54's and a collection in the 30s and 40s....the first 6 week winter league has been dominated by guys in the 30s, both weekly and overall. Think entries will be down for the second 6 week league after New Year....... to have even made top 5 I'd have to birdie 14 of the 18 holes; the winner parred 9 of the 18 with bogeys and mostly double bogeys for the remaining 9 and romped home.

Interest is currently being maintained as prizes are given for lowest gross and section winners (of which we now have 6 sections!) but even that may not see people sign up again for the second league.
 

Swango1980

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I have no issues whatsoever about having higher handicaps than 28. We had a guy who played for years off 28 in nearly every comp, never won a thing. When the 54 limit came in (pre WHS), I reviewed his scoring, and we gave him a handicap of around 34/35. Later in year, he won his first ever comp by a point. I can honestly say, everyone was chuffed for him. It was also brilliant for him, as he could now see his handicap change and he could monitor his progress (or decline), rather than simply being stuck on 28.0 forever. As a result, he really picked up, and actually started moving down again towards 28 (might even have got a bit under that).

So, I think having higher handicaps is a great idea, and I'm sure it has a real benefit, especially to those getting older and declining in ability.

However, having a high handicap is obviously an extra bonus in terms of assistance to a competition score. So, to get that bonus, I think a player should have earnt it by providing enough evidence of their playing ability. If a player has played for years, and suddenly gets 40+ points, fair play to them. If a player has played for a few weeks, and submitted a handful of scores, and then gets 40+ points, the other golfers in that competition are generally less understanding. If there were certain handicap penalties (reductions) for various handicap levels, that lessened as the player submitted more scores (until they vanish when 20 scores are in)
 

jim8flog

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Purely as that was the maximum before WHS

I had the same argument with our committee as the comp secretary.

Why are you choosing 28? Are you just holding on to history? 28 has no real meaning. I wanted them to go to 24 CH for some comps as it meant that nobody got 2 shots on a relatively short par 3.

We use divisions for our regular monthly comps.
 

AliMc

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A 54 hcp golfer is not doing anyone any favours playing from the back tees; indeed a lot of clubs would not allow it.
We can play off either whites or yellows any time at Dunbar, I played with my mate last Sunday in a fair breeze, we are both off 6 and generally hit it a fair distance, we decided just to play mostly off the yellows and the whites at the par 3's there was a 3 ball in front of us and it's no exaggeration to say that at least one of them duffed it about 20 or 30 yards every hole, they shared it between them tbf and tbh were all over the place and you guessed it they were off the whites, why exactly I can't fathom, they shouldn't be allowed to imho but the club allows it
 

pendodave

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I haven't come across anyone on the course with a super high handicap, and I'm curious why their numbers should suddenly increase because of the whs.
How many people were sitting around thinking "aha, now that I've got 54 shots I'll start playing comp golf and have a miserable time duffing the ball about for hours". Can't imagine it would be many.
 

BiMGuy

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We can play off either whites or yellows any time at Dunbar, I played with my mate last Sunday in a fair breeze, we are both off 6 and generally hit it a fair distance, we decided just to play mostly off the yellows and the whites at the par 3's there was a 3 ball in front of us and it's no exaggeration to say that at least one of them duffed it about 20 or 30 yards every hole, they shared it between them tbf and tbh were all over the place and you guessed it they were off the whites, why exactly I can't fathom, they shouldn't be allowed to imho but the club allows it

Some people must think that playing off the whites is a measure of their manhood.

We’ve got 4 tees and can play off any of them any time, apart from in comps where tees are specified. Our monthly medals are played off the whites with a separate comp off the blues.
We often get stuck behind people who can’t make the fairway from the yellows. Why would you want to play like that?
 

AliMc

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Some people must think that playing off the whites is a measure of their manhood.

We’ve got 4 tees and can play off any of them any time, apart from in comps where tees are specified. Our monthly medals are played off the whites with a separate comp off the blues.
We often get stuck behind people who can’t make the fairway from the yellows. Why would you want to play like that?
I think to a certain degree it is that, is it a sign of weakness to go off the yellows ?
Over the last 2 Mon/Tue I've played in 3 four ball matches and one 3 ball, h'caps ranged from 3 to 9, we played all from the yellows, all very enjoyable closed out between the 16th and 18th at this time of year off the whites it would have been a bit of a slog, I really wish the club would make some sort of effort to encourage folk to play off the tees that would best suit their abilities but they don't seem interested, they have been asked a few times that I know of
 

AliMc

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I think the highest at ours is a 41 hcp but I've not seen nor played with them, yet.
We have a guy, taken up the game at a mature age who was off 54, fair play to him i think he is now down to about 36, tend to see him out on his own a lot, playing off the back tees !
 

Canary Kid

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Using the 28 handicap as any sort of point of measurement is outdated and meaningless. Just like people who still have special 21st birthday parties, even though the relevance of the age of 21 (legal adulthood) went with a change of law fifty years ago. I hope we are still not using 28 as a distinguishing measure in fifty years time, coz I will be very annoyed and, at 130 years old, I will probably need to avoid getting stressed. My handicap might be 54 by then too. Just for the record, my current handicap under WHS is … 28! ??
 

Imurg

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Fragger's ex FiL plays off 54....tends to get around 15 - 20 points on Society trips...
Loves the game bit it can be hard work....
 
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