Does WHS make it easier to get to single figures?

[Crow]

I haven't worked out any actual figures but going on the "Quick poll on your new handicap index" thread, more people have gone down than up.

More significantly, peoples handicap index seems lower still before the calculations to find playing handicap are made.

Does this mean that WHS has made it easier to achieve the goal of single figures if we use handicap index as the equivalent to CONGU handicap?

 

[BubbaP]

Yep.
https://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/t...single-digit-handicapper-post-nov-2nd.106873/

 

[Orikoru]

In Index, yes, but not in terms of how many shots you get on the course. It seems to me that even if your index is lower than your Congu handicap, you still get those shots back when you actually play so it works out the same mostly? So someone could bring they've gone from 10 to 9 in index (and this single figures) but they're still getting 10 shots at their home course so nothing has really changed.

 

[BubbaP]

In Index, yes, but not in terms of how many shots you get on the course. It seems to me that even if your index is lower than your Congu handicap, you still get those shots back when you actually play so it works out the same mostly? So someone could bring they've gone from 10 to 9 in index (and this single figures) but they're still getting 10 shots at their home course so nothing has really changed.

I agree but Crow's question specifically referred to index. ?

 

[Ethan]

Especially if you are a course with a high slope which is not too difficult for the better player.

Remember that those scores of 3 or 4 shots worse than handicap, 32 points-ish are important because your handicap is now influenced more by the not great but not terrible scores than it was before, when under CONGU it didn't matter if you missed buffer zone by an inch or a mile. Now it does, so when you are tracking for 30 or 31 points squeezing out another one or two will help.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Getting a lower handicap and playing to it are quite different things though. Presumably once a period of adjustment has taken place it will be just as difficult again?

 

[Orikoru]

I agree but Crow's question specifically referred to index. ?

What I'm saying is, yes more people will be single figures but in name only - since they won't actually play off single figures.

 

[robinthehood]

What I'm saying is, yes more people will be single figures but in name only - since they won't actually play off single figures.

It's going to people's heads a bit. I'm .6 lower but will actually get an extra shot at my home course .

 

[Ethan]

What I'm saying is, yes more people will be single figures but in name only - since they won't actually play off single figures.

Is that true, though? The HI is the handicap with your course difficulty stripped off, and although in most cases the HI will be a bit lower, for some it won't. But saying that you are a 10 at Carnoustie was never a reliable indicator of ability, nor was saying you were a 10 at a 5000 yard wide open chicken run. Now at least people can compare their HI more evenly.

 

[Orikoru]

Is that true, though? The HI is the handicap with your course difficulty stripped off, and although in most cases the HI will be a bit lower, for some it won't. But saying that you are a 10 at Carnoustie was never a reliable indicator of ability, nor was saying you were a 10 at a 5000 yard wide open chicken run. Now at least people can compare their HI more evenly.

I do agree with that, in fact that's probably the only positive I've taken from the WHS.

 

[BubbaP]

What I'm saying is, yes more people will be single figures but in name only - since they won't actually play off single figures.

Aye. I had my little celebration last year when finally making it, and did post on here I was glad to have done so on the "old rules" as that was what the goal was based upon. Have recently gone back up to 10 (with rounding). I hadn't posted the index yet as it may change, but currently showing as 7.9. CR & slope isn't showing yet but think that would come out as playing off 9 on usual comp tees. Just have to wait and see.

 

[patricks148]

Yep, seems pretty clear.

Someone else (Ethan?) mentioned playing with Yanks who had laughably low handicaps, now we see it for ourselves.

most of the Cat 1 yanks i've caddied for wouldn't have even been single fig here.

 

[OnTour]

seems so with all the cuts for everyone I know playing good or bad. then again is it hard to get to single figures anyway! getting the 0-2 is hard

 

[ScienceBoy]

Even with all these changes Golf hasn’t changed.

You still need to get the ball into the hole in the fewest strokes.

Handicaps only affect how that score compares to others and we all know we can’t control other people’s scores.

I guess I am looking in from the outside but it seems to me that people shouldn’t complain if they jump up, maybe a few good rounds a while back had kept it down and the new one reflects it more. Those complaining it has jumped down should still get extra shots on harder courses and will still have roughly the same number of shots compared to their fellow home club members.

As expected a lot of the reporting is lapping up all these complaints, throwing comments And complaints around without context of what course and what scores were submitted recently. An index is just that in the end, it doesn’t mean the same thing as a CONGU handicap and we shouldn’t equate it to pride or achievement as much as we did before as it lacks context of the field of play. Also it may go up even after a good score if we knock a better better score out of out top 20, good golf needs to be consistent and we are now only as good as our last 20 scores!

So get out there, play the best golf you can, don’t worry about how, why and what has been calculated or will be calculated, just play golf. We should focus on that even more now we have WHS, in many ways it liberates us from the worry of 0.1s and we can relax, that one bad round probably won’t matter as much!

 

[rulefan]

we are now only as good as our last 20 scores!

 

[jim8flog]

Taken the other way round it is certainly easier to get away from being a single player when you are not one

As I said in another thread the oldest HI in my 20 is 7.4 it is currently 9.4 and will go up higher when the October Rounds are added

In the same period my UHS handicap has gone from 9.4 to 10.1

Clearly a much faster to respond system when you are going either way provided you submit plenty of scores.

 

[USER1999]

Will the new system lead to slower rounds?

With the old system, once any chance of buffer has gone, a lot of guys stopped stalking putts, and having 5 practice swings, and just got on with it. Quite often a slow front 9 was followed by a more rapid back 9, as some effectively gave up.

In the new system, nursing home a net 78 might matter, so more people will remain focused until the end. It will be interesting to see, although I guess it will take more than a few comps to pan out, as initially many will not understand the process.

 

[rulefan]

The incidence of a particular moderate or poor score pushing out of the last 20 one of the best of your top 8 and thereby having a significant effect on your average is probably very low. Remember, net double bogey still applies.
Just play as required. ie to the best of your ability