Do you want a higher or lower handicap?

[larmen]

I be want a handicap as low as possible while being realistic.
The best golfer is not the one who wins the most comps, but the one with the lowest handicap. And I want to get as good as I can.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Something fair and representative, that’s all. Sadly that means a bit higher right now.

Always worked on getting my hcp low and then got stranded on 2 a few years ago when injury struck. It’s taken a lot of frustrating .1’s and a pretty miserable time to get it higher and thankfully the new system will help. Maybe if i can stay healthy i can keep it lowish and occasionally be a bit competitive as well.

 

[bernix]

most of my rounds are between 2 and 5 strokes above my handicap. need a good round to play to my hcp. and a great round to beat it. i think that's the way it should be, shouldn't it

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

most of my rounds are between 2 and 5 strokes above my handicap. need a good round to play to my hcp. and a great round to beat it. i think that's the way it should be, shouldn't it

In a word Yes. In stableford scoring when I score about 32 points I usually feel that I have played my average round of golf - mix of good, OK and some ugly - and I'll have had no great dollops of good luck or bad luck. That's my handicap general ability. We can all have a streaky rounds and it is these that (old system) pushed our handicap down. WHS will be less responsive to the streaky round.

 

[rksquire]

As low as my ability allows, but it's different for everyone - a PP has struggled all year playing of a lower handicap that his current ability allows (it's not going to change positively much), no review to increase despite constant 0.1s all year (not even a buffer result in there!). However, WHS has straight of the bat given him 7 extra strokes; 34 points at the weekend and he's like a new man! So this makes him competitive but not ridiculously so and is a fair reflection of his current ability. Somebody also had 49 points at the weekend with their 'new' handicap (2 shots on every hole, 3 on some!) - his new handicap has basically made him unbeatable! Hopefully that will be corrected soon!

So, I really don't want a higher handicap, I'd like a lower one if it's deserved and that's what I'm trying for.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

I'm new to club membership. My goal is to try and improve my handicap as far as I can. I still can't quite get my head around winning a competition with a net score; I don't think it would feel like a real win. Though I am not a hugely competitive person, at least, not against other people.

 

[clubchamp98]

I can play to my 6 handicap but very rarely shoot the lights out.
38 pts was my best this year.
I am consistent but with that scoring I havnt got a cat in hells chance of winning at my club.
You need 6/7 under to have any chance.
But I try to be as good as I can be for my own satisfaction but the trophy cabinet is being repurposed.

 

[clubchamp98]

I'm new to club membership. My goal is to try and improve my handicap as far as I can. I still can't quite get my head around winning a competition with a net score; I don't think it would feel like a real win. Though I am not a hugely competitive person, at least, not against other people.

Everyone wins with a net score! Unless your scratch!
Nothing wrong with that.
Some lads just play for enjoyment that’s fine as well.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have been a lot more consistent in the little golf we've played and the bad rounds are now closer to 30 points (would have been between 25-29) and I can't see WGH making too much difference. My HI is 11.6 which gives me 13 for the white tees so I think it'll impact the social scores in a positive way but remain unconvinced it'll impact competition scores when the adjustment is made. Of course I'll still want to win and get cut and WGH won't make to much difference. Hit it well and sink putts and scores sort themselves out

 

[harpo_72]

Scratch is fine, I always played scratch the handicap stuff just hid the truth... I am getting my head around the whs stuff, the buffer is your highest score, beat that and your on a downward trend, nice and simple. Think it will give people a different mindset, winning isn’t everything, it’s nice, for sure, but shooting an awesome round tee to green and sinking a few birdies and saving a few pars, is a great feeling.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Scratch is fine, I always played scratch the handicap stuff just hid the truth... I am getting my head around the whs stuff, the buffer is your highest score, beat that and your on a downward trend, nice and simple. Think it will give people a different mindset, winning isn’t everything, it’s nice, for sure, but shooting an awesome round tee to green and sinking a few birdies and saving a few pars, is a great feeling.

Dumb question but still getting my head around WGH but is there going to be a buffer per se? If not what are you aiming for as a target when you're not playing great

 

[harpo_72]

Dumb question but still getting my head around WGH but is there going to be a buffer per se? If not what are you aiming for as a target when you're not playing great

The buffer is your highest of your 8 counting scores.. so equal that or beat it and you will maintain or create a downward trend on the your index

 

[clubchamp98]

Dumb question but still getting my head around WGH but is there going to be a buffer per se? If not what are you aiming for as a target when you're not playing great

As I see it all you have to do is match your worst of the best 8 scores when that drops out you replace it.
To come down you must beat the worst score out of your eight best.
Or is that to simple. No buffer now.

 

[Billysboots]

My one aim has always been to have the lowest handicap I can. I’ve never been motivated by winning comps, figuring that the occasional win would be a natural by-product of any improvement in my standard of golf.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As I see it all you have to do is match your worst of the best 8 scores when that drops out you replace it.
To come down you must beat the worst score out of your eight best.
Or is that to simple. No buffer now.

Going to be a pain looking that up regularly but thanks for the heads up. I am sure it'll all seem second nature in time

 

[jim8flog]

I'm new to club membership. My goal is to try and improve my handicap as far as I can. I still can't quite get my head around winning a competition with a net score; I don't think it would feel like a real win. .

Aiming to be scratch golfer very quickly then.

Just about the only comps that are won with the best gross score are scratch comps* and most clubs do not have many of them.

*A competition which is decided on gross score only.

 

[sunshine]

I couldn't really careless about my handicap it is what it is.

I would just like to hit the ball solid each time I play.

Just out of interest, underneath your post as your signature is the number 6.6 - that wouldn't happen to be a handicap that you couldn't care less about but include in every single post on this forum?

 

[clubchamp98]

Going to be a pain looking that up regularly but thanks for the heads up. I am sure it'll all seem second nature in time

Mate said to me “ you need to know your worst qualification score”
If you beat it your cap will change,
If you don’t nothing happens unless one of the Q scores is number 20 you might go up.

 

[sunshine]

Last comp before lockdown2, I was playing rubbish, lost a ball and decided to NR. This has been recorded as 121 in the WHS database! No idea how that was worked out! But if you want to inflate your handicap this is a quick way to do it.

Now hopefully this will never count as one of my best 8 scores, but it has replaced an 80 in my record of last 20 scores. Looks funny on my chart of scores, probably a good incentive not to NR again!

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Don't have a HC at the minute as I'm not a member anywhere. But when I was I didn't really worry about it. It was just a product of my ability.

I've always viewed my ability in terms of what score I shoot gross. As that is the ultimate test in my opinion. I had that option from starting all the way down to my lowest HC of 5.5. I won a few comps as my HC came down which was nice. But my proudest moment was coming 3rd in the club scratch 36 hole stroke play and winning lowest gross with a level par on Captains Day.

I also shot one other level par round at a scratch event at a very windy Woodhall Hills in Leeds. Which is probably the best 18 holes I've ever played. And came nowhere near winning ?. That is when I was pulled to 5.5 and was the peak of my abilities.
I got married a few weeks later!