Decision about my golf.

[RGuk]

I'm a few days away from 11 months after starting again - I've bought new kit, practiced hard and am on my 2nd set of lessons. Since getting my h'cap t.b.h. I've been avoiding club competitions, other than those where I end up turning up for a game and discovering there is some "qualifying" comp on that day. I haven't got nearly close to playing to 12 but being a stubborn so and so, have ground out some mid-80s rounds and because everyone else is rubbish also (seemingly) I've moved 0.1 (up) since getting my h'cap card in November. I had a chat today with the assistant and he asked about my best card for the h'cap which was 13 over par and 15 over SSS. Given there was only one 7 on the card (a triple) he thought 11.5 was a tad harsh. Whatever, I've decided to enter EVERYTHING going now for as long as it takes to get up to something sensible. I'm going to throw £6 a week (£300 p.a.) into 2 comps (a week) and just go out, enjoy my game and have my own target. It'll be costly, I could potentially hit 83-86 every time and NOT get my 0.1 move, but hey....what can you do. I'm seriously unimpressed....perhaps if I'd been given a fair figure to start with (like 14?) I'd have played every week for the last 11 months instead of living on the practice ground and shying away from comps.

I will write and appeal (a year on, in November) if things are no better. Given that some spotty oik wins everything going with at least 40 points or nett 66-ish, I could have played the whole year off 14 or 15 and no-one would be any the wiser......but I might have enjoyed the challenge knowing at least I had a chance.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Dave

I feel your pain and having seen your game first hand know that whilst you have the potential to play to your handicap it is perhaps a shot maybe two lower than I think you can consistantly play to (no offence intended just my honest opinion).

I am a little surprised you haven't entered more competitions as surely this would have increased your handicap quicker and potentially have got you into a position to be competitive during the main summer peak.

As someone facing going back to 15 after the medal on Sunday (an inevitability rather than a maybe) I feel equally frustrated having put so much effort in this Spring and Summer (lessons to change my swing and cure my reverse pivot) plenty of short game and putting practice and hundreds and hundreds of balls on the practice ground at Royal Ascot and the local range.

I've decided to take a sabbatical from intensive practice for a week or so and having got the green light to order my X20's in graphite won't be hitting another ball after Sunday until the new bats arrive.

 

[RGuk]

I am a little surprised you haven't entered more competitions as surely this would have increased your handicap quicker and potentially have got you into a position to be competitive during the main summer peak.

Don't get me wrong....I've played in plenty, but never seem to get moved! I've tried my hardest (and have recovered many a bad round with birdies at one of 15/16/18 to sneak in with an 84,85,86 and pop into the club mid-week and see no adjustment. How big can the buffer be? when I played for all those years, anything worse than 2 over nett got an instant 0.1 increase. That's how I trundled up from 8.6 to 10.5 when my girl was a baby and I didn't go practicing every spare moment. The fields were much bigger there though and the CSS rarely moved.

Incidentaly, I'm really pleased to hear you are going graphite......despite my depression about my game, I've really loved playing with my graphite irons......apart from the 45* PW!!!

Thanks for the sympathy mate......I'm expecting the hot and cold brigade (80 one week 90 the next) to be pretty cursory about my comments.

 

[Dave3498]

Don't be downhearted Dave. I've seen you play and I think that a handicap of 11 is not too far away for your game. You say that your course SS is 2 under par, which is always a great difficulty when you are focusing on par on every hole. Presumably there are two holes on your course which are considered to be easy for a scratch player to birdie, and I assume that the have stroke indices of 17 and 18. They are the holes to concentrate on, and if you can pick up birdies there, you have wiped out the difference between par and course SS.

All the best.

 

[RGuk]

Cheers Dave......good to see you back. We need to meet up for a game soon.
I've been trying to not think too much about pars of late. I think I'm playing as well as the last summer before I quit (1998)....but actually the possibility for disaster-ettes is much worse around my new home course. I'm happily making pars and even the odd birdie, but I have struggled terribly with a few holes. The reality (it seems to me) is that at my previous courses I'd make my 6 or 7 pars and be a sure-fire bet for bogeys elsewhere. But here, despite being easy on paper there are 4 or five holes where before you know it, you're staring a double bogey in the face. I suppose lakes and internal OOB are bound to damage even the most consistent players.

 

[TonyN]

I think you have made a great move playing in more comps, as pointed out, surely this will be the quickest way to get you a truer figure.

On a plus side matey, I am up for that game anytime now so if you want to let me know when you are free (mon,tues,wed) then we can have a good knock!

 

[viscount17]

dave,
you haven't been the 'victim' of Stableford Adjusted Scores have you? In my last medal this was highlighted against my (and anothers) score as the reason there was no 0.1.
I had a net +4 but cutting the 3 bad holes back to no more than doubles would have been -2. Are they doing the same, just not telling you?

 

[Marko77]

As handicap secretary where I play I'm subjected to a few tales of a similar nature each season.

From what I gather you are playing a round, having a couple of nightmare holes and with a stableford adjustment applied making buffer.

To me, that suggests you have been allocated a fair handicap and that you have the potential to be lower once those 2 or 3 holes get out of your system. Your handicap secretary would most likely be lynched if he put you up a shot or two then by chance you have once of 'those' rounds and shoot the lights out...

Just my view, and probably not a popular one.

 

[RGuk]

Viscount and Marko......I reckon you guys are top detectives!! OK, so if I understand correctly if I've had a 3 or 4 over nett but had a shocking couple of triples/quadruples, then with these knocked down, an "effective" 1 or 2 over nett = buffer zone. If this is/can be the case, then I thank you for spotting this possibility.....

Marko.....in your experienced position (which I really appreciate b.t.w.) would you put a new player whos best card was 15 over SSS off mats, 14 over SSS cutting back the one triple bogey a h'cap of 11.5?

He more or less admitted they had put me "low" and expected me to either play to it or creep up......it's the NOT creeping up that seems dodgy.....

Thanks guys.....

 

[Marko77]

Given your previous playing history where you said your lowest was 9, I would be wary of the ability being there so yes, I would be harsh.

There are other factors I would consider, age being one of them. I'm guessing your still reasonably young and not collecting pension? The Conditions you submitted your cards in, windy/rainy i.e. tough compared to the norm (which at the moment seems to be windy / rain )

The mats bit concerns me. Some might argue it hindered your rounds (hence the lower), some may say it helped? As we don't have a mats policy its never been a decision I've had to make. CONGU states a measured course so as long as your course wasn't altered drastically in terms of distance the mats factor is at the discretion of your committee.

If you feel hard done by all I can say is write to your committee and ask them to review, however, if you are hitting buffer consistently (2 over CSS for your h/c) I very much doubt they will give you an increase.

Surely the sweep entry is optional? If you feel agrieved at paying to enter, just enter the medal, not the sweep and forgo any possible cash winnings?

 

[RGuk]

Thanks for your thoughts marko.

The mats things is an interesting one. For me (and this is entirely personal) the mats made my card MUCH easier. I don't hit the ball a long way and made pars on some holes that would normally be out of reach.

With regard to seemingly hitting the buffer.....my scores are very consistent.....it's been a feature of my game since 1994 (guessing) that tended to get me on the team(s) at my previous clubs. Being short but straight is an odd blessing (think how hard it is to beat an 18 h'cap lady!)

I'm leaving the appeal until I've been playing one whole year. If I haven't managed to play to 12 in that time, I will ask for consideration. As I understand it, the new CONGU guidelines allow a player to be adjusted (yearly) if they are more consistent than other players of similar standard, regardless of scores returned "better" than par. I'm in no doubt whatsoever (99% sure) that IF the sec' put me up 13 or 14, they could conceivably put me straight back to 12 with the yearly revue. Most players at mine seems to score anything between 10 and 40 points in a stableford. My worst is about 28 (I got 0.1) and best about 34 i.i.r.c.

Thanks for your advice. I will speak to the pro and explain the situation....ideally I'd like to NOT enter any sweeps and just play twice a week for 4-6 months and get things really correct. I wholeheartedly approve of the h'cap system, it can never be perfect but seems to work well for most. Certainly, a new h'cap is a difficult thing to get right....my only regret is that by getting close to it (frustratingly so) but never playing to it (in 11 months) has not attracted a move up to where I feel I should be. Hindsight is a great thing. I could have justifiably been put on 14 (i.m.o.) and yes, I'd have hit net par or 36 s'ford points on a dozen occasions, but I certainly wouldn't have won a bean on those scores. I guess I'm sad that I've avoided some of the big comps and not been asked to play for the club...whereas this was my main joy of playing for many years. I'm no great golfer but it is my main hobby and I miss all the things that made it such a great thing to do.

Cheers, I appreciate you listening to me......