Buffer Zone -

[Swango1980]

Nope

 

[Springveldt]

Even if I have a “free” round I know what the highest counting score on my handicap is and I’m trying to beat that at a minimum.

I have a 78 (+6) as my highest counting score so that is always the aim when I go out.

 

[Deleted member 35927]

Nope

Come on, it's only been 5 years

 

[rulie]

Why would anyone “give up grinding” during a round? Shouldn’t the objectives be to hit the next shot as well as you can and achieve the best score on each hole that you can, every day, every round?

 

[Oddsocks]

Why would anyone “give up grinding” during a round? Shouldn’t the objectives be to hit the next shot as well as you can and achieve the best score on each hole that you can, every day, every round?

You’ve clearly not witnessed some of my recent rounds.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Why would anyone “give up grinding” during a round? Shouldn’t the objectives be to hit the next shot as well as you can and achieve the best score on each hole that you can, every day, every round?

Because at some stage during a round you know you arent going to win anything , you know the score won’t affect your HC so most just stop bothering

 

[KenL]

Some days things are so bad you just give up. This is especially the case in bad weather, winds are an issue where I play.

 

[Deleted member 35927]

Some days things are so bad you just give up. This is especially the case in bad weather, winds are an issue where I play.

Yes, but makes no odds to me if there was still a buffer zone.

 

[rulie]

Because at some stage during a round you know you arent going to win anything , you know the score won’t affect your HC so most just stop bothering

Forget about “winning” or having a counting score. 85 is always better than 86 or 87.
If you’re going to give up, why not just walk in?

 

[Swango1980]

Because at some stage during a round you know you arent going to win anything , you know the score won’t affect your HC so most just stop bothering

You could have that in the old system as well. You could often tell early on you were barely going to get 30 points, let alone make buffer.

Whereas in current system, you can still grind to get a mid 30 point score. It might creep into your 8th best score, or be just outside it. If just outside it, it could well become a Top 8 score in the future

 

[Orikoru]

Some days things are so bad you just give up. This is especially the case in bad weather, winds are an issue where I play.

On that day in the old system you'd have had no chance of making buffer either so it makes no difference.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

As @nickjdavis pointed out, I keep trying to shoot as best a score as I can even when it’s pretty obvious that it won’t replace any of my best 8. I do this because I try to have in my 20 as many close to the worst of my best 8 as possible as that means I have scores close to my 8 that become my backups for when one drops off.

When I have such backup scores in my record that frees me up to always play with less pressure and go for good scores as I know that if it turns out a real baddie it will not have any impact on my HI even if I am losing one of my 8…because I have a non-counting backup already in my 20 and that backup replaces in my 8 the one I have just lost.

This philosophy is quite different from working hard to stay in the buffer, and then when that’s gone the actual score of the round counts for nowt.

I’ll also note that the old system was good for my SF handicap ego. I could occasionally shoot/fluke one or two cracking rounds that would get my handicap down into mid-high SFs, then good at playing within the buffer to maintain that handicap. I could delude myself about my actual ability as after my one or two good scores I struggled to repeat the feat, but it was good for my ego. I feel that WHS, used properly and non-manipulatively, makes that less easy.

 

[rulie]

I just focus on making the best score that I can on the day, I’m not aware (nor do I care) where it might stand in my handicap record. Some days are better than others, so be it. Keep trying my best regardless.

 

[ExRabbit]

Nothing worse than having your second best score in ages and seeing your handicap increasing because your best score in ages drops off being the 20th.

It might be a good system to replace the old one in logical terms, but it definitely isn't in terms of how regular golfers see it.

 

[Hobbit]

In terms of scoring under the old system I started a round looking to beat h’cap, then hit buffer, then keep the gross below 80. But I’d say that in the last 15 years, turning up to the club, ordering a Guinness and a full english breakfast with mates wasn’t great prep for shooting the lights out.

The current system has a greater ‘buffer,’ i.e. beat one of your top 8 scores. Does that make you lazy? Does that lessen your focus? That all depends on whatever your individual motivations are. We’re all different.

 

[Swango1980]

Nothing worse than having your second best score in ages and seeing your handicap increasing because your best score in ages drops off being the 20th.

It might be a good system to replace the old one in logical terms, but it definitely isn't in terms of how regular golfers see it.

Nothing worse! Really!?

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

You could have that in the old system as well. You could often tell early on you were barely going to get 30 points, let alone make buffer.

Whereas in current system, you can still grind to get a mid 30 point score. It might creep into your 8th best score, or be just outside it. If just outside it, it could well become a Top 8 score in the future

I think sums the system up really well

I’d even go as far to say under the old system I was way more likely to give up or NR if I knew I couldn’t make the buffer because you knew you were getting the 0.1 back anyway so what was the point.

Under new system it’s exactly as you’ve described it, it keeps incentive to make it a score that can creep into the top 8 and still have a positive affect on handicap.

 

[NearHull]

I miss the days of grinding to hit the buffer zone - handicaps are worse without it

Having something to play for, even when it wasn’t going as you’d planned, instilled a competitive spirit that is lacking in the WHS

www.nationalclubgolfer.com

Do you miss the old days of grinding away and trying to get into the buffer to ensure you didn’t get .1 back

In those days there were no “free shots” at a round as well

I ‘liked’ the post because I liked to set a target if I was having a poor early few holes, but I am a strong supporter of WHS. I was answering the OP question as written.

 

[D-S]

I've got to totally disagree with the comments made in this article.

In the olden days off our yellows playing to my handicap was 36 points (34 off whites) and getting into the buffer zone was 35 points (33 off the whites). This gave me a window to shoot at of 1 below my handicap - one putt or a missed chip was the difference between .1 or not.

Now the worst counting score I have in my record is 2 higher than my handicap, for quite a few people it will be higher than this, so I now have a bigger window to shoot at and if I just miss out by a shot this could still help as it might well become a counter at a later stage, if and when better scores drop off, therefore keeping my handicap higher. So now every short counts a lot more than it did in the past.

If I have an absolute mare now it is exactly the same as before as it is a non counter or .1.

At least now I have something to shoot at.

 

[Springveldt]

Forget about “winning” or having a counting score. 85 is always better than 86 or 87.
If you’re going to give up, why not just walk in?

Because the 17th is a par 3 and I could get a 2 and win some money?

Some days you just don’t have it and no matter how hard you “grind” it’s going to be a terrible day. Doesn’t matter if it’s 83 or 93 on the record, it’s not going to count.