Adjusted gross score

[StephenK]

Hi, I am new to the forums but have read a few issues of the magazine!

I'm in my 3rd year of playing golf, and have just completed the 3 mandatory scorecards to achieve a handicap at my club. However, I am a bit confused about the adjusted gross score due to some websites appearing to contradict themselves.

I always had the opinion that players who only played stableford comps would generally have lower handicaps, due to the fact that really bad scores are discounted.

However I have now read that in stroke play, the same idea seems to come into play with the CONGU system. The maximum score for a hole is a nett double bogey.

Does this mean that there is no difference in playing stableford and stroke play, as far as handicaps are concerned?

Also (I play off 24), does that mean on an SI 2, par 4, the maximum recorded score for this hole is an 8, and an SI 15, par 3, the maximum score will be a 6?

For someone then playing off 5, the maximum score for the above holes would be 7 and 5 respectively?

Does anyone here use the golfnet.ie system? Do they take the above into consideration?

Thanks for clearing this up if possible!
Stephen

 

[John_Findlay]

Also (I play off 24), does that mean on an SI 2, par 4, the maximum recorded score for this hole is an 8, and an SI 15, par 3, the maximum score will be a 6?

For someone then playing off 5, the maximum score for the above holes would be 7 and 5 respectively?

Correct. On the SI 2 hole you'll receive 2 shots so "your" par is actually 6. So a double bogey 8 is the max you can record. On the SI 15 you receive 1 shot so "your" par is 4. A 6 is the max you can record.

You're correct with the 5 handicapper scenario, too.

 

[StephenK]

Thanks for that! Is there any reason then, why some competitions are stroke, and others stableford?

Stephen

 

[John_Findlay]

Just a bit of variety, I suppose. It does seem to help those of us who have the odd "erratic" hole or two, though.

 

[StephenK]

It does seem to help those of us who have the odd "erratic" hole or two, though.

It doesn't help lower your handicap though, for submitted scores? (As a nett double bogey is just 0 points and no less) Is it just mentally better to write 0 points than 8 strokes on your card in stableford play?

What about times when the CSS is lower than par, surely stableford competitions would be easier in that situation. Or is there some sort of stableford adjustment to take that into consideration?

(Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much!)
Stephen

 

[John_Findlay]

Not sure how they work out the handicap thing for stableford competitions, Stephen, and I've been playing 27 years. My head hurts just thinking about it.

I'm away for a lie down in a darkened room.

 

[cosworth]

flipping heck and i thort hitting it straight was the hardest part of golf......
now u spring pythagorus theorum on me.

 

[StephenK]

Not sure how they work out the handicap thing for stableford competitions, Stephen, and I've been playing 27 years.

I'm guessing they subtract the difference between the CSS and Par from your points. Then if you receive more points than your buffer zone over 36 (Stableford Par), you handicap will be lowered accordingly. Reasoning: A point = a stroke. Can anyone confirm this?

Either way, it doesn't seem to make a difference if you play stroke or stableford. Erratic holes are always ignored.

now u spring pythagorus theorum on me.

Thats easy, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where abc are the lengths of 3 sides of a right angled triangle, and c is the length of the hypotenuse!

 

[John_Findlay]

Either way, it doesn't seem to make a difference if you play stroke or stableford. Erratic holes are always ignored.

Well, at least for handicapping purposes. It can make a difference as to whether you win or not!

 

[birdieman]

Stephen , the fundamental difference between strokeplay and stableford does remain - to actually win the strokeplay event every shot counts, 10's. 11's whatever, even if they dont count for handicapping calculations afterwards. In contrast in a stableford any bad hole ie a 7,8 or 10,11 etc will not count ie 0 points. It changes the mindset a bit -on a stableford you can be aggressive and even pick your ball up on a hole if you're taking too many. For players who hit lots of birdies but are erratic and prone to throwing in 10's or 12's stableford is a good format.

 

[Marko77]

The 19.8 also gives you hope when playing strokeplay and you have 'that' disaster hole. You can still save a buffer, or indeed get cut, even if you have NR'd and not submitted a score to the competition.

 

[OOB]

Golf is such an odd game at times.

So, have I got this right? an 18 handicapper (lets keep things simple) would receive a shot per hole, but would record a maximum net score of either 5, 6, or 7 (depending on the hole par) irrespective of repeated trips to water, sand and rough on said hole.

I once read that generally golfers only match their HC to their scorecard once every 4 rounds, -Now I understand where that comment comes from.

 

[birdieman]

Your numbers are correct OOB,

1 in 4 is about right for me.

 

[StephenK]

I didn't even think about the competition wins, I was just thinking about handicaps all the time! Thanks for making that obvious to me!

OOB - It doesn't matter what you play off, your max score can only be a *nett* double bogey. If playing off 18, then the max score that will count is a 6,7 and 8. If playing off 36, then a nett double bogey will be 7,8 and 9.

I think handicaps go too slowly (max 0.1 per event), and thats why people rarely play to them. If you are given an initial handicap 2 shots too little, then it will take 20 HCP events to get your handicap to your actual level of play (assuming you don't get any better over that time!)

Stephen

 

[RGuk]

We were talking about this today. I can't explain the details exactly (having not been a h'cap sec) but it makes no difference to your handicap what type of scoring system was used on your cards (dependant on comp) for your handicap.
Blobs (n/r) etc. will be treated as the minimum score to not make any stableford points, in the same way as triple and worse bogeys will be treated as doubles. (I presume).

To give a practical scenario......if a new player makes 4 pars, 12 bogeys and two doubles or worse you'd start off by giving the handicap as 12 + 4 (2x2) = 16 then adjust to the sss. If the sss is two under the par, then the handicap would be 18. That's how I remember it.

A typical new players cards (3) will have a good few disasters, you'd be surprised how the average score are like 24 over, but the handicap comes out nearer 20.

Dave

 

[RGuk]

I think handicaps go too slowly (max 0.1 per event), and thats why people rarely play to them. If you are given an initial handicap 2 shots too little, then it will take 20 HCP events to get your handicap to your actual level of play (assuming you don't get any better over that time!)

Stephen

I agree, 0.1 is too little to go up....there ought to be a standardised system that says if you play more than say, 5 shots over, the secretary adds another 0.1 for every 3 shots. If an 18 goes round 26 over, add 0.1, plus 0.1 for being more than 5 and another 0.1 for the 3 more than 23. I know players who have moved clubs or not played for a while etc. and it takes a whole year to get things right. It doesn't help the club either because there may be keen players for a team but they can't get near their h'cap.

I'm intigued to know if what my new club will do. I will politely ask not to play off 11, but put in 3 cards. To play off 11 at my new home would mean shooting 9 over....unlikely!!!

Dave

 

[John_Findlay]

Interesting stat on the "play to your handicap once in four rounds" thing.

Been keeping my stats since May. Played 30 full rounds. Beaten my handicap (8 and sometimes 9) 5 times, equalled it 4 times, played to within 2 of it 4 times and played at least 3 shots over it 17 times - so maybe I'm a little ahead of the game.

You've cheered me up after my disaster today!

 

[furyk_or_unique]

OOB - I feel that it's important just to clarify something that's been hinted at elsewhere in several comments, but may not quite have registered fully.

In reply to your post stating "an 18 handicapper (lets keep things simple) would receive a shot per hole, but would record a maximum net score of either 5, 6, or 7 (depending on the hole par) irrespective of repeated trips to water, sand and rough on said hole", the answer is, no.

You would still have to write down whatever score you took in a medal, whether 12, 13 or 14, and every shot would count in terms of the competition. But for handicap purposes, it would be just as you say in both a medal and a Stableford.

 

[OOB]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Mariner]

Handicapping can be complicated & most Clubs use software to ease the task. If you really want to see all the gory details go to www.congu.com & follow the link to the UHS (Unified Handicapping System) which applies in the UK & Ireland. Beware - you could become a nerd!