Best handicap management strategy ?

[Backsticks]

Wondering what is the best legal handicap manipulation management strategy.
From another thread on the distance debate, working on distance has worked well for me this summer (for the other thread, but 5-6mph driver increase consistently), and as a 12-13 for decades have reached the unprecedented low of 10. Single digits ahoy.
But have my second lowest counting score from earlier in the spring about to drop out. So, while its certainly possibly I could equal it or even better it, the odds are against. And some slight increase will result when I play it out. Wanting to minimise the risk, thinking of playing that one out as a gp 9 holes from our gold tees on a good day. Just to get over the bump backwards that might give me. Easiest course, least risk of a disaster. And while a second 9 might of course produce a better than hc score, safer just to collect the 17 points for 'free'. Downside is I never really play our golds. So a practice round on them first maybe. But on balance, I think a safer move than a normal 18 holes in competition from the whites. All fully legal of course. Just sensible handicap management, when a summit is in sight. Thoughts ?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

My opinion is that trying to chase a particular score target, is seriously taking your concentration away from your A game, Get out there and just try to play your best golf, the handicap will be what it will be

Well done for getting down to 10, tis the thing of dreams for many

 

[BrianM]

My opinion is that trying to chase a particular score target, is seriously taking your concentration away from your A game, Get out there and just try to play your best golf, the handicap will be what it will be

Well done for getting down to 10, tis the thing of dreams for many

Agree with this, just go out and play golf, enter your score and what will be will be

 

[hairball_89]

If you can play to 10, then you’re a far far better golfer than I. Fwiw, I know the gross I need to for a cut before I go out. And then I go out and have fun.

Aim to play my best golf, but that doesn’t always happen, for a multitude of reasons. I play different courses, not a member anywhere. So I wouldn’t necessarily think about “these tees give me the better opportunity” or whatever. Just go out trying to hit the ball fewer times than I have done before.

 

[Imurg]

Play the game
Note your score
Log it into the system
See what it spits out

Your handicap will be what it will be
If you put enough cards in it will reflect your form.
It's nice to be low but too many people still worry too much about their index

 

[RichA]

Why don't you just get better, rather than manipulating your handicap?

 

[pendodave]

I don't really understand why anyone cares about their handicap.
I care about how I'm playing, the rest takes care of itself.

In answer to the OP (Who does seem to care), just choose the tees which give you the best CH/difficulty ratio and play 9 holes on the easiest nine.

I was surprised to see that I got the same number of shots at one of the brockett courses recently off both the white and yellow tees. I reckon the course was probably 3 shots easier for me off the yellows (I have HI of 9.something).

 

[IanM]

My "personal best" drops off on Saturday. So what? I'm in all likelihood going up, but so what. It'll even out on the end.

Handicaps are now only a measure of form over the last 20. The Old measure was something less dynamic and more a "label" than they are now.

 

[Orikoru]

Next time you have a good round, just put it in on the England Golf app afterwards. All you need is a complicit friend to sign it off, and two hours to kill after your round. Better to register the card after you've already had a cracking front nine, then you don't have to wait long. Easy!

 

[Albo]

What will be will be, play and don’t worry about it.
I have been away for a couple of weeks in the summer and not played much golf for the best part of a month, had a few rounds over the last couple of days with no cards going in (iron play has been shocking, can’t find the club face, everything so far out of the toe it’s almost missing the groves) played today and thought I may play well so put a card in;
Started with a par but a horrible iron shot was a warning, but chip and putt gave me par, then went double, bogey, bogey bogey to leave me +5 after 5, par on 6 followed by bogey, bogey, bogey to leave me +8 at the turn (for reference, like you I’m off high single figures, 9.4 and a course handicap of 10).
Back 9 started rather predictably bogey, bogey, bogey to put me at +11 after 12. Upon which I sorted out my lower half and finished -1 for the last 6 to come in on the number at +10.
Anything can happen it’s a strange old game, stick a card in, play your usual tees and I think you’ll be grand, just don’t think about to score till it’s all added up at the end.

 

[clubchamp98]

Next time you have a good round, just put it in on the England Golf app afterwards. All you need is a complicit friend to sign it off, and two hours to kill after your round. Better to register the card after you've already had a cracking front nine, then you don't have to wait long. Easy!

Or just do it in the car park.
saves you getting wet and playing lesser courses.

 

[Backsticks]

Caring about ones handicap is legit I think. Golf is a sport, a competitive challenge, with others yes, but with oneself fundamentally. And HI is the ultimate performance measure for an amateur recreational golfer.

Yes, one can take a what will be will be view, and generally that was me too. I got to playing off 12 in a couple of years without much effort, 25 years ago, and stable there ever since. Despite phases of effort here and there over the years to improve, I never really did.
But I put effort into increasing distance over the last 9 months - my view up to some years ago would have been one is as long as one is long, and there is nothing you can do about it. That it was a you have 'it' or you dont and it was a technique thing to hitting the ball further and better. But adding about 20 yards to my drives on average, and roughly a club less for a given distance with the same sticks, has truly moved the needle. My striking is also better, with no great concern about my technique (no positions changes, swing thoughts, lessons, etc). Just longer.

Its easy to say let the HI do what it does, but I want to see where this goes, and have dropped 3 shots since April. So I am not giving back the gains easily at the moment, until I reach a wall. Id like to get to single figures, simply to tick that box, a level I though beyond me after so long playing the game. I am certainly not going to cheat my handicap. All bar 2 of my 20 scores at the moment are competition rounds, about half stableford, half stroke. 2 are GP rounds. And I can chose to play that round as a normal white 18, or, as I was thinking, also perfectly legit to go on an easy course, and 9 holes only. Its virtually impossible I will get cut doing so - I would have to shoot level or one over for the nine I think to do that. But on the counter, it does give a better chance of limiting how high it can go. Next unused score in my 20 is 5 higher than the one to drop, so I would jump back to 11 (temporarily only I hope, if it happens). So the nine is a sort of damage limitation bet...to set me for the final assault toward 9.x, x<5. Away for 2 weeks holidays now, with no golf, so time to stew on it.

 

[Backsticks]

My "personal best" drops off on Saturday. So what? I'm in all likelihood going up, but so what. It'll even out on the end.

Handicaps are now only a measure of form over the last 20. The Old measure was something less dynamic and more a "label" than they are now.

True. It is ephemeral. But all the more interesting to me to get there even if its for a short period. It would still be a milestone for me personally, in a game that has been a major part of my life. You are right about the old system - players could anchor there, even if their game wasnt really that consistent. So this one will rise, probably as soon as I take my foot off the gas. And I wont be disappointed. But I do want to see how far I can push this personal envelope before it does stall or reverse.

 

[louise_a]

I have just lost 2 very good rounds and went up from 8.2 to 9.6 in 3 days, but this year my handicap has gone up and down a couple of time and I have stopped worrying about it, if I get it down all well and good but an extra shot or two doesnt go amiss either

 

[RichA]

If you're seeking advice on how to manipulate your way to a lower index then maybe the envelope has already stalled (your metaphor).

 

[D-S]

Hit it longer.

 

[IanM]

Or just do it in the car park.
saves you getting wet and playing lesser courses.

Buy a house near a course. Any course! Set up a bogus account in a false name to sign them off. Good way of seeing if your handicap committee are on the ball!

I wonder if the app is clever enough to know you're starting a round at 11pm at night.

 

[HeftyHacker]

Next time you have a good round, just put it in on the England Golf app afterwards. All you need is a complicit friend to sign it off, and two hours to kill after your round. Better to register the card after you've already had a cracking front nine, then you don't have to wait long. Easy!

A friend has told me you don't even need to wait around for two hours! So long as the intention to enter a score is started at the course (or within 2km) then you can just enter it and have it attested when you get home.

 

[Billysboots]

This approach really confuses the hell out of me. If a player’s HI represents their form over the last 20 rounds, then if a low counting score is the next to drop off the system and has not been replaced by something similar, it surely must follow that their form is no longer quite at the level it was, so an increase in HI is appropriate.

Trying to find the best means of maintaining a low handicap makes sense only it is for vanity purposes. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but there’s no other way to say it. We have a fella at ours who is terrible for it. He has tried to submit cards when we have played off three different tees during a fun roll up knock, and on one occasion submitted a card which I knew was a full TWELVE strokes better than he had scored in a team event - I know, because on that day I marked the team card. He was reported on both occasions and the matter dealt with.

Why does he do it? Vanity. Even his social media profile claims he is a 3 handicap golfer when he plays off 10 and has never, ever been lower than 8. The general belief is that he is desperate to play representative golf for the club, and there is a growing consensus that he should be selected for a scratch fixture as it would illustrate to him the futility of his approach.

 

[Backache]

I don't know the best way but personally I would make sure I had a decent weather forecast.
I certainly don't trust the black box daily correction.