Best handicap management strategy ?

[clubchamp98]

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their form over the last 20 rounds, then if a low counting score is the next to drop off the system and has not been replaced by something similar, it surely must follow that their form is no longer quite at the level it was, so an increase in HI is appropriate.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.

The problem with this is he’s doing a genuine low man out of a team space.

This is the exact problem EG we’re having in their elite comps and why they ballot out someone with to many GP cards over a same handicap with more comp cards.

 

[BiMGuy]

Because I was proud get down in the 15s and hoped it would keep creeping down. Don’t care what anyone else thinks about my handicap, I just want to keep on improving.

In my humble opinion, focusing on a HI number, or any number, or winning a comp is a distraction that hinders most of us.

If you go out to play knowing a particular score is going to impact on your index, and you worry about that. You aren’t putting yourself in the best frame of mind to succeed.

As Tiger once said. Focus on hitting one good shot at a time and the wins will take care of themselves.

 

[Bratty]

I was in Portugal in Feb and was delighted to discover I'm a single figure handicapper on The Old Course at Vilamoura (9) even off the yellow tees.
Guess what. I played like a 13 handicapper and shot an 85.
So, I've discovered I'm not a single figure handicapper, and that has led to me just putting cards in all the time now, and if I go up to 13 again, so be it.
To the OP, as for whether playing 9 or 18 is better, you will never know or be able to prove it. Just go and play golf and put a score in whenever you can. If your distance gains are helping, then everything will work out for the best.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

In my humble opinion, focusing on a HI number, or any number, or winning a comp is a distraction that hinders most of us.

If you go out to play knowing a particular score is going to impact on your index, and you worry about that. You aren’t putting yourself in the best frame of mind to succeed.

As Tiger once said. Focus on hitting one good shot at a time and the wins will take care of themselves.

This in spades.

 

[D-S]

In future when CR-Par is being used over here, when for example someone with an HI of 11 is playing a Par 72 course with a CR of 69 and their Course Handicap is 8, will they now think they’ve reached single figures?
Given the different nature of UHS and WHS the boundaries of being below 18 or reaching single figures or being scratch are now very different than they were before. Cat 1 used to be a milestone but obviously isn’t now.

 

[BiMGuy]

In future when CR-Par is being used over here, when for example someone with an HI of 11 is playing a Par 72 course with a CR of 69 and their Course Handicap is 8, will they now think they’ve reached single figures?
Given the different nature of UHS and WHS the boundaries of being below 18 or reaching single figures or being scratch are now very different than they were before. Cat 1 used to be a milestone but obviously isn’t now.

Yep. I didn’t consider myself SF until I was down to 8.6, therefore getting 9 shots off our back tees.

Even now as my HI has crept up to 7.8 I’m not SF if I play somewhere like Woodhall Spa as my CH would be 10.

 

[Imurg]

My view on the SF thing is that it should be based on Index...
If you're 9.4 then you're a single....9.5 and you're not.
As a 7 index the number of shots you get can vary by 7.....from 3 to 10 depending on the slope
Would you not class a 7 index as single figures..?

 

[Alan Clifford]

What's the significance of being a single figure handicapper? The level at which it occurs is just an artifact of using the decimal system. In octal, it would occur at a different level. Using hexadecimal, you'd be thinking that moving from 10 to F would be significant. It's a totally daft and insignificant concept.

 

[Orikoru]

My view on the SF thing is that it should be based on Index...
If you're 9.4 then you're a single....9.5 and you're not.
As a 7 index the number of shots you get can vary by 7.....from 3 to 10 depending on the slope
Would you not class a 7 index as single figures..?

Agree that it goes on index. It can't be variable based on course, you're either a single handicapper or you're not.

Also love how you've said it's 9.4, that's what I believe as well. A while ago I saw a Facebook post of some feller congratulating himself for reaching single figures when he was on 9.9. I said congrats and all but that's not how rounding decimals works - you're off 10. He reckoned if it starts with a single digit it counts. Some people were slating me for 'hating' on him, while others agreed.

 

[Imurg]

What's the significance of being a single figure handicapper? The level at which it occurs is just an artifact of using the decimal system. In octal, it would occur at a different level. Using hexadecimal, you'd be thinking that moving from 10 to F would be significant. It's a totally daft and insignificant concept.

It's a milestone..just like breaking 100, 90, 80 etc...random numbers but targets to aim for

 

[Orikoru]

What's the significance of being a single figure handicapper? The level at which it occurs is just an artifact of using the decimal system. In octal, it would occur at a different level. Using hexadecimal, you'd be thinking that moving from 10 to F would be significant. It's a totally daft and insignificant concept.

It's a milestone, just like breaking 100, then 90, etc. Getting to 18 handicap is a milestone because it means you no longer get two shots on any hole. Getting to 9, not only means single figures, but also means you're getting a shot on half the holes or less. Just a marker of being a decent player I guess.

 

[BiMGuy]

My view on the SF thing is that it should be based on Index...
If you're 9.4 then you're a single....9.5 and you're not.
As a 7 index the number of shots you get can vary by 7.....from 3 to 10 depending on the slope
Would you not class a 7 index as single figures..?

That’s just my view on how I see my own handicap. If someone else wants to use 9.4 then I’m not going to disagree with them.

To be honest, I couldn’t give a monkeys what my index or a course handicap is. I only pay attention to it when I need to work out shots in a knockout match.

As I sit here now. I couldn’t tell you when my best 8 scores were from. Or what my next score to drop off is.

 

[Alan Clifford]

It's a milestone..just like breaking 100, 90, 80 etc...random numbers but targets to aim for

But those milestones are so artificial and just seem important because they are multiples of 10. Why are multiples of 10 important?

 

[Alan Clifford]

We should do handicaps in binary. Then we could argue whether or not you are a three stick handicap with 111 or whether it's only significant if you achieve 100.

 

[Backsticks]

In future when CR-Par is being used over here, when for example someone with an HI of 11 is playing a Par 72 course with a CR of 69 and their Course Handicap is 8, will they now think they’ve reached single figures?
Given the different nature of UHS and WHS the boundaries of being below 18 or reaching single figures or being scratch are now very different than they were before. Cat 1 used to be a milestone but obviously isn’t now.

I wouldnt say very different. HI is still the key measure. Course, competition factor etc is irrelevant.

 

[Backsticks]

But those milestones are so artificial and just seem important because they are multiples of 10. Why are multiples of 10 important?

Because we use decimal base. Therefore they have had importance ascribed to them. Were we using a different base, the milestones would be different. But we arent. So the milestones exist.

 

[Alan Clifford]

It's a milestone, just like breaking 100, then 90, etc. Getting to 18 handicap is a milestone because it means you no longer get two shots on any hole. Getting to 9, not only means single figures, but also means you're getting a shot on half the holes or less. Just a marker of being a decent player I guess.

I can understand you rationale regarding shots on 18 and 9. But I don't understand the relevance of getting to single figures. As I said, that's just an artifact of the decimal system. If we used octal, your rationale regarding shots would still stand but decimal 9 would become 11 using octal. It's the same number but I'm guessing that getting down to 11 wouldn't appear to have the same, but artificial, cachet.

 

[Orikoru]

I can understand you rationale regarding shots on 18 and 9. But I don't understand the relevance of getting to single figures. As I said, that's just an artifact of the decimal system. If we used octal, your rationale regarding shots would still stand but decimal 9 would become 11 using octal. It's the same number but I'm guessing that getting down to 11 wouldn't appear to have the same, but artificial, cachet.

That's all fine, but we don't. Just like people talk about signing a '20-goal striker' rather than 19 or 23, decimals is what we do so that's how we think.

 

[Backsticks]

I can understand you rationale regarding shots on 18 and 9. But I don't understand the relevance of getting to single figures. As I said, that's just an artifact of the decimal system. If we used octal, your rationale regarding shots would still stand but decimal 9 would become 11 using octal. It's the same number but I'm guessing that getting down to 11 wouldn't appear to have the same, but artificial, cachet.

Milestones are milestones because we put them there. Why put them there at all - they mean nothing in kilometers. etc.
Milestones such as breaking 90, breaking par, or a single digit handicap are such, and having put them there, they therefore do mean somthing.

 

[Springveldt]

In future when CR-Par is being used over here, when for example someone with an HI of 11 is playing a Par 72 course with a CR of 69 and their Course Handicap is 8, will they now think they’ve reached single figures?
Given the different nature of UHS and WHS the boundaries of being below 18 or reaching single figures or being scratch are now very different than they were before. Cat 1 used to be a milestone but obviously isn’t now.

For me, no they won’t be a single figure handicapper as to be that you will need to be single figures at the vast majority of courses (excluding stuff like Carnoustie off the championship tees etc). If your playing handicap is 9 or better at most member courses off of the white tees that’s when I would consider myself a single figure handicapper.

Totally agree with the Cat 1 thing. According to WHS I’m like a Cat 1 golfer as I get 5 shots off the whites at my course yet if we were still under congu there is no way I’d have got down to 5. I’m only a 5 due to the high slope rating at my course.