Disadvantageous CSS ??

[Copernicus]

I am about to play in my first comp after getting my 36 handicap. . Post Equality Act my club has converted most of the traditional men's weekend comp to a Club comp to give equal access to the course to women. Men off whites women off reds. I've signed up to play with one other woman in a Club Medal. The arrangement seems to be that if there are 6 women in a club comp their cards are scored as a Ladies comp. if less they go in with the men in one comp. de facto however no women actually do regularly play in those weekend club comps until we came along.

I'm AOK with that as is my friend who has a much lower handicap. However, when I ask why more women don't play in it I am told (apart from some other daft reasons) that it's disadvantageous to your handicap to do so because of the CSS being calculated on men's scores. I have read the CONGU. Manual and I understand the CSS and buffer zone but I think I may be missing their point. When I look at past comps sometimes a CSS with all female entrants is higher than one with all men, sometimes not.

Ignoring the fact that if more women played the point would presumably become moot anyway, can anyone explain why there is any disadvantage arising from the CSS to two or three women with a field of men given we play off our own tees and full handicap?

 

[duncan mackie]

There isn't.

Either they have misunderstood what happens or someone is doing it wrong - which is difficult when software is used as its programmed correctly!

In any competition where more than one tee is used there will be a CSS calculated for each tee (and the players using that tee).

Even if both men and women play from the same tee (it can be rated for both - our Red tees are) there would be separate CSSs for men and women (there would be separate SSSs!).

That you play the competition as mixed for prizes is a separate issue to handicapping.