Be careful what you wish for again

[bigslice]

Thing is high handicappers have the most scope for improvement as many have just taken up the game and are improving. Based on that the likelihood is that at least one of them will shoot a low score in a comp.

I would assume that mid handicappers in many cases have reached their peak or that their scope for improvement has reduced so I would expect them to shoot nearer their handicap.

Once you get to single figures I would suspect that you need your 'A' game to shoot your handicap and generally lowest gross is the prize you are aiming at.

May be wrong but that is how I see it.

totally agree with your post. i was giving a 16 handicap last season after a 15 year break. now at 19 but reckon there is a 12 in me. i play comps once a week every week. i go out to first enjoy myself and second to lower my handicap. thats the point of the game. i dont go out trying to protect my handicap, and would take offence if anyone said that of me. if you play snooker i think the aim is to get 147 everytime!!!! darts its a 9 darter. golf to go round in at least level par gross, but trying for even better. but thats just me. ive parred every hol on my course and possibly very close to all birdies.

 

[Timberbonce]

I didn't vote because I don't think it favors either. It favors the improving player. Some players may get to 24 H/c and then not improve, therefore not amounting huge score where a player off 10 could shoot 5 over gross and win with 41 points.

 

[kid2]

It seems that most just play golf for fun and if they win something then great.
but...
Are there any out there who, unless they win something it's been a bad day?

As a mid handicapper just....I picked it favours the High/capper.....
This year alone ive won 4 comps and was beaten on a countback on the 5th.....
2 of those comps were Medals where i shot a nett 65 and a nett 64

Iv had my fair share of 0.1's back mostly because of inconsistencies but iv handed in every card that iv played for every competition....Hence im NO BANDIT!

Now even though i thought one of those scores was a once off i never believed that i was capable of doing it twice in 10 months.....
A low handicapper would have had a hard time trying to beat that score on a good day so in that instance i actually feel bad for them...This is where i think that the fairness issue is clouded..

If im capable of those scores then there should be another way of calculating a fairer handicap for me as i believe that this would also weed out the so called bandits....


Im long enough with shots to be a match for any decent low figure handicapper its my short game that needs a little more effort...

On the subject of it being a bad day if i dont win something. I play the game because i love it but just retiring from football last year im still very competitive and i always have been i dont think that will ever change....Plus as iv won 4 competitions in 10 months i do get a little annoyed if i havent played well which is just a measure of how high a bar i have set for myself...But im patient and know that it will come good in the end!

 

[SwingSlow]

A bit of a generalisation that it is only low handicappers who want to get their handicap down. As I high handicapper, I am really trying to get my handicap down, but it stubbornly won't move. I am not a long hitter, so have been pleasantly surprised that I have been able to contend when playing from the competition tees, but my route to scoring is very different as GIR except for par 3s is an interesting concept that most of the time I look forward to experiencing, rather than actually experiencing. Being in contention is very much about getting the approach shot close so that a 1 putt finish is possible for the extra points or net score. As well as high handicappers having good days, we also suffer from inconsistency on the bad end as well.