Can you request a lower handicap?

[HomerJSimpson]

As others have said, go with what they give you. Come the winter when the wind howls and the ground is wet you may be grateful of that margin of error. As you said in the OP your not coming too close to 36+ and a cut anyway so I'd say the cards you've submitted are indicative of where your ability actually lies

 

[ColchesterFC]

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

My understanding of the handicap system is that your handicap isn't what you play to every time you go out but more (a bit like Berroca) you but on a really good day. I may be wrong but I'm sure in other threads it has been said that if you play to your handicap every time you go on a golf course then your handicap is wrong. I thought that you were only supposed to play to or beat your handicap maybe 2 in 10 rounds.

 

[pbrown7582]

My understanding of the handicap system is that your handicap isn't what you play to every time you go out but more (a bit like Berroca) you but on a really good day. I may be wrong but I'm sure in other threads it has been said that if you play to your handicap every time you go on a golf course then your handicap is wrong. I thought that you were only supposed to play to or beat your handicap maybe 2 in 10 rounds.

broadly speaking but this is comp cards which are a different kettle of fish, I can understand the situation you feel you are in. Do you feel the extra pressure of playing for a handicap card affects your scoring a little, (eg no 2 foot gimmes from a bounce game) or does this not have any affect.
Then theres those mentally unnerveing white tee blocks. once you have put your genuine 3 cards in spoke to the h/cap sec go out and enjoy what your golf and let the h/cap naturally settle over the first few comps.
If it appears too high the h/cap committee have it in their remit to review it anyway.

 

[Ethan]

Play your handicap card rounds in good faith (i.e. try to play decently) and take what they give you, then get it down in competition if you can. It will find its own level soon enough.

 

[woody69]

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 remember that thread! Well done you for getting it down!

 

[rosecott]

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

As I remember it, you were complaining about your initial handicap being too low, not too high, and it seems now that your Handicap Sec has the magical mystical powers common to the species. Well done for sticking with it and proving him right.

 

[duncan mackie]

As I remember it, you were complaining about your initial handicap being too low, not too high, and it seems now that your Handicap Sec has the magical mystical powers common to the species. Well done for sticking with it and proving him right.

"So I'm asking if there's any advice you wisened veterans of club golfers could give me as I'm not sure if its the done thing to tell the handicapper "I should be off 18 instead of 15 etc etc" without sounding like I'm trying to scoop all the awards"

although in fairness I read super hans's posts here that way - it's just that he meant to say "I feel like an idiot now, when I think I started a thread on here saying I was too low!"

all's well that ends well :thup:

 

[palindromicbob]

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.

A par 71 with SSS of 68 would require 39 points to have shot handicap if CSS matches SSS.

Even going out and shooting regular 36's it'll get you buffer but never get you a cut. If 30-33 is your norm then you are 5-2 shots of the pace to even buffer based on SSS so a 24 handicap seems perfectly reasonable.

Take whatever you get then go out enjoy the game and let your handicap take care of it's self.

you can never prevent a call of bandit you can only control how you react to that call if it ever comes your way.