Can Someone PLease Explain HCP buffer to me in laymans terms

[scottkw2003]

As title suggests,
played 1st medal of year today and shot 3 under my hcp,
i had a few of these type of rounds last year and no cuts ( i just don't get it lol ).
please can some try and explain Please !!

 

[backwoodsman]

I think you're going to need to tell us what "par" is, as well as the standard scratch score (SSS) for the course. and the competition scratch score (CSS)

 

[Spuddy]

It all depends on what the CSS was. If it's 3 under the par of the course then you won't be cut, even if you are 3 under par nett. Buffer only comes into it if you're over your handicap (added to CSS) and basically gives you a buffer zone where your nett score can be a little over the CSS before your handicap goes up. Cat 1 get a 1 shot buffer, cat 2 get 2, cat 3 get 3 and cat 4 get 4.

 

[rosecott]

Your score is gauged against CSS for the competition - this can be one less than SSS or up to 3 more depending on performance of the field (handicaps up to 20) as a whole. Assuming CSS remains same as SSS, you will be in buffer if you score within SSS+4 (Cat 4, handicaps 21 to 28), within SSS+3 (Cat 3, handicaps 13 to 20), within SSS+2 (Cat 2, handicaps 6 to 12) and within SSS+1 (Cat 1, handicaps 5 and better).

Was 3 under handicap gauged against Par or SSS/CSS?

 

[scottkw2003]

css is 69 and par is 72
i play off 16.0
Cheers

 

[scottkw2003]

3 under par was gauged against par

 

[Foxholer]

As title suggests,
played 1st medal of year today and shot 3 under my hcp,
i had a few of these type of rounds last year and no cuts ( i just don't get it lol ).
please can some try and explain Please !!

Your handicap is not measured against Par for the course but against the SSS (actually an adjusted one - CSS - that uses the scores on the day to allow for conditions)

SSS basically equates every course in the country, so that handicaps across the country can be equated also - as opposed to simply within your club.

Seems like your course has a SSS a couple or more shots below Par - which would indicate it is a relatively easy course.

You are not expected to play exactly to your handicap every time. For bad rounds you only ever go up 0.1. For good rounds you go down a certain amount per shot under CSS - depending on your Category (0.1/shot for Cat 1, 0.2/shot for Cat 2 etc). There is a 'buffer' where a ho-hum round neither reduces, nor increases your handicap. That buffer also depends on your category - 1 for cat 1, 2 for cat 2 etc.

So to identify what should happen, the following is needed.

Par
CSS
Stableford Points - as Handicap calc is actually a Stableford metric. Big scores get chopped to 0 points.
Handicap.

Hope that helps.

 

[Foxholer]

css is 69 and par is 72
i play off 16.0
Cheers

In normal circumstances (when CSS=SSS), you would not get cut unless you scored 40 points or more.

CSS can go down 1 or up by 3. If it goes up by more than 3 comp become 'Reduction Only', so no increases.

Aim for 41 points or more for a guaranteed cut. It's possible, but unlikely, for you to get one with 37. 39 will occasionally get a cut; 40 probably will.

Your buffer would normally be 36-39 points, but 37 points will always be in buffer (or better).