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Can you request a lower handicap?

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ColchesterFC

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Hopefully this will be a simple question to answer. I am in the process of putting in my 3 cards to get my handicap. My home course has a par of 71 and a SSS of 68.

So far my cards have been a gross 99 and a gross 94. Both of these have a couple of bad holes which will be rounded down but only by a couple of shots. If my next card is also a gross 94 (possibly rounded down to a 92 with any holes worse than double bogey) this would give me a handicap of 24 if my maths is correct.

I don't get to play much but off my current unofficial handicap of 18 I can normally get round in between 30 and 33 points with the very occasional 36 or 38.

So the question is - Can I put in a note with my 3 cards to say that I don't feel that a handicap of 24 would be a fair reflection of my usual ability and ask to have a maximum handicap of 18? Or should I accept the 24 handicap and then straight away start putting in supplementary cards to get my handicap down? Just trying to avoid any accusations of banditry or cheating.
 
put in one of your unofficial cards playing to 18/20 along with your handicap cards. At least you've been upfront and totally honest whatever handicap is issued then. Playing history is something that needs to be considered.
 
You can ask but probably no point. This is why the handicap system is slanted the way it is. You only need a couple of rounds a couple under each or so to get reduced 2 shots naturally. The challenge to you is to shoot those scores. If you have a day out then you may win something but will get reduced a lot. Don't worry, everyone is entitled to a day out once in a while. It will be much harder to get to the right mark from being a couple of shots too low especially if you don't play much. Oh, and not much fun. Just take what you get given and go from there.
 
Simply put the 3 cards in and mention it to the H/Sec.

I'm pretty sure he will only take the card scores - as stated, a card in your hand does make a difference. However, it will probably prompt him to check your early comp rounds and a good score in one of them could well mean an additional adjustment - as he is allowed/required to do.
 
Something to remember is the h/cap process is just as much about protecting people claiming they are better than they actually are than it is for people saying they are worse than their ability suggests. If you can play to 18 then one of your cards will reflect that. If it doesn't it won't be long before you submit a card in a comp that knocks a few shots off.
 
Put your cards in and then see what handicap is given.

If you can play to 18 then it won't take long until your cards and handicap will reflect that.

When we did the annual review we had a number of people requesting a handicap reduction - only one person had managed to play to their requested handicap during comp in the year but the committee gave them the reductions. Since then again only that one person has played to the new handicap and everyone else are getting the .1's back each time.

People get below their handicap in roll ups etc but don't when a card is in the hand - which is a true reflection ? The roll up or the competitive one ?

Next years annual review I will have a lot stronger case to not allow people to be given handicap reductions based on nothing but roll up scores
 
couple of obvious points -

1. you can't ever avoid claims and observations re banditry - even carrying a banner round your neck proclaiming that you asked for a lower handicap won't do it! ie don't bother trying such routes for that purpose.
2. once you have your handicap those scores won't be rounded down as much, if at all! you are already being given a handicap based on your cards that is lower than you have played to.
3. if you really really feel you only want a lower handicap then you could hold back your third card and submit it with a 4th/5th which would be taken into account.
4. good idea to submit supplementals once you are shooting the scores you feel you are capable of.
 
You should put in the three highest cards you have, get a nice high handicap you can easily beat then enter a handicap comp with decent prizes and clear up. ;)


As mentioned; speak to the Sec, take what your given and have fun bettering it.
 
I say fair play for the good attitude that you have not wanting a high handicap

BUT

i will also say you hand in 3 cards for handicap so if the 3 of them are in the mid/high 90's then maybe that is your current level with a card in hand , hand in the 3 cards with whatever is on them and say to the handicap sec you feel you are capable of a bit better , might make the difference of a shot or 2 , might not .. either way if you shoot the lights out in your first few comps you can always say , i did tell you
 
Last summer I had gross rounds of 82 and 84 at my home course but I didn't have a handicap as wasn't planning on playing in any comps so didn't bother putting cards in. My concern is that if I get a handicap of 24 based on two winter rounds and a poor summer round and then enter a comp and shoot another 82 I'll be getting somewhere around 45/46 points and that's when the accusations will start. You only have to look at the thread about the guy that got 53 points to see that there are a lot of people willing to throw around the "bandit" or even worse "cheat" accusations without knowing any facts behind it.
 
Yet when you ask for a handicap of 18 you could then have months and months of .1's and being demoralised about the game

Follow the guidelines and put your cards in - if you are an 18 handicapper then you handicap will get to that point.

When I started playing without a handicap in a knock about I had a few mid 80's but when entering my handicap cards I was given 24

By then end of the season I was down to 18 - I had one net 62 and a 40 pointer and did get the banter of "bandit" but it was banter and ignores it and just kept playing.

If you follow the guidelines no one can accuse you of cheating only a few bandit banters which are harmless
 
ColchesterFC said:
Last summer I had gross rounds of 82 and 84 at my home course but I didn't have a handicap as wasn't planning on playing in any comps so didn't bother putting cards in. My concern is that if I get a handicap of 24 based on two winter rounds and a poor summer round and then enter a comp and shoot another 82 I'll be getting somewhere around 45/46 points and that's when the accusations will start. You only have to look at the thread about the guy that got 53 points to see that there are a lot of people willing to throw around the "bandit" or even worse "cheat" accusations without knowing any facts behind it.
Click to expand...

Are you going to hand in cards that you did ages ago then? As far as I know you can't do that plus is your course the full course over winter as ours isn't for handicap purposes.
 
chellie said:
Are you going to hand in cards that you did ages ago then? As far as I know you can't do that plus is your course the full course over winter as ours isn't for handicap purposes.
Click to expand...

No. Been told that they can't be used because they are too old. Going to use my three most recent cards once I've got the third one in a couple of weeks time. Course is always on the full course. No temp tees or greens, it's either fully open or closed.
 
ColchesterFC said:
No. Been told that they can't be used because they are too old. Going to use my three most recent cards once I've got the third one in a couple of weeks time. Course is always on the full course. No temp tees or greens, it's either fully open or closed.
Click to expand...


Ah, good luck:) If it helps HID was told he would be off around 20 from his cards, got given a 26 but it was the last comp of the season before he performed well enough in a comp to get his first small cut and then he had a bigger cut in his first comp and first win this year.
 
Don't worry about "what ifs"!! You may not shoot 40+ off a 24 handicap in your first event, but so what if you do?

Don't give a fig what anyone else thinks or says, if you are given a 24, just play to get it down in competition format.

You cant go worrying about what if's all the time. What if you shoot 96?

You'll shoot what you shoot and you will be given what you are given, and that's all you need worry about.
 
I had the same issue last year when I joined a proper golf club for the first time. Only in reverse. I felt my allocated handicap was too high, but have since come down from 15.0 to 11.9. I feel like an idiot now, when I think I started a thread on here saying I was too high.

Your true hcp will find you in the end. Medal/bounce games have a different mindset in my opinion, so produce a different result to the higher handicapper
 
I think this is all about hcp snobbery you say you generally score 31-33 points off 18 so that puts you over hcp by 3-5 shots meaning your realistic hcp is 21-23 just accept what your given an stop thinking your better than you are as clearly your cards state your not a 18 hcp golfer
 
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