Does your handicap matter to you?

[Deleted member 3432]

Used to matter, I was an achievement to get to cat 1, some even lied about it too to be the big I am.

But now I could care less, even though I'm at my lowest of 2.6, but with the new system I could be off 9 in a few weeks

You could also be off +2 in a few weeks ??

 

[Rlburnside]

It matters to me although I’ve been playing for over 30 years I still hope to go lower.

Hope and reality are two different things though, been around 17/18 h/c for years but I’m 16.6 at the moment and put my first general play round in today had a net 69 so hoping I might get a cut.

Still love competitive golf and never lost my enthusiasm for the game.

 

[Ethan]

Yes it's important to me, as it's a barometer of how well I can play. Getting to Cat' 1 was a very proud day for me.

When out on my own I can hit every shot in the book and hole putts for fun. But it's similar to marking your own answers when studying for an exam, you are a little too lenient on yourself.

How you score with a card in your hand, in competition golf, is the true measure of your golf, and that should be reflected in your handicap. Even if the new system is a little weird and inconsistent.

I don't think the WHS is inconsistent, but it has a very short memory. CONGU had a lot of drag because it was pinned to the running handicap, WHS can completely change over a relatively small number of rounds. If WHS was the best 16 out of 40 rounds, it would change a lot more slowly.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I don't think the WHS is inconsistent, but it has a very short memory. CONGU had a lot of drag because it was pinned to the running handicap, WHS can completely change over a relatively small number of rounds. If WHS was the best 16 out of 40 rounds, it would change a lot more slowly.

I think it is, because you can beat your handicap and go up, you can play over your handicap and go down or stay the same etc etc

The old system was consistent in that you knew (with some certainty) at the end of your round if you'd go up, down or stay as is.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I look at other team sports at amateur level and see a parallel. Many hockey and rugby clubs will run 4 teams, some more. Those in the 4ths will be a mixture of kids starting out, those who are poor but love the game, and those on the way down due to injury or age but enjoy the game still. Some 1st teamers can't handle dropping through the teams and just give up, take up golf on the whole . Others take it on the chin, they take the change mentally and accept it. As long as everyone playing enjoys it it doesn't matter but I do understand that those who have been good may struggle to accept a decline.

How come no-one ever says stick to the Hockey to you?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

How come no-one ever says stick to the Hockey to you?

There is an obvious answer but I wont go there

 

[sweaty sock]

Yes guy at ours shot 58
I would have to beat the course record by 2 shots to tie.
But I have heard decent golfers say they need to go up just to compete in the comps.
The very low men have stopped playing in some comps now and only play the board comps.

This has just recently started to happen at ours, course is being obliterated. We have a really hard working comps team too so they are all over the handicaps. I am hoping that its just the course playing relatively easy because the average hitter is all of a sudden bouncing so far they are hitting much less club in, but it'll take a few more weeks to work out.

I've absolutely lost interest in handicap competitions as the scores I would need to compete are totally unachievable. My club dont give gross prizes, so no incentive there. My main goal used to be lowering my handicap. But the system is so volatile and susceptible to manupulation its totally lost its soul.

Getting cut a few shots used to take months (or years!) of consistent effort. And so was rewarding. Now I can muddle on until I hit form, then play a round a day until it fades. And hey presto my handicap tumbles!! I dont find that rewarding at all compared to congu.

There are guys at the club who's handicap record is entirely replaced in the course of 4 weeks, I take longer than that to figure out the green speeds!!

 

[patricks148]

You could also be off +2 in a few weeks ??

Not if I can help it

 

[azazel]

Yes guy at ours shot 58
I would have to beat the course record by 2 shots to tie.
But I have heard decent golfers say they need to go up just to compete in the comps.
The very low men have stopped playing in some comps now and only play the board comps.

There's a comp on at ours today. A 21 handicapper has shot a gross 80 for 47 stableford points (nett 59) so any prospect of me bothering to play after work has gone out the window. To make matters worse, it's a 5 club comp so won't even count for handicap

 

[jim8flog]

I'm not even that impressed by scratch. Once someone is into a proper +HC, that is impressive.

There would only be one player at our that would impress you then.

He still impresses me nearly 60 and still a plus handicapper. Could have been a pro but earnt more money as a builder.

 

[patricks148]

This has just recently started to happen at ours, course is being obliterated. We have a really hard working comps team too so they are all over the handicaps. I am hoping that its just the course playing relatively easy because the average hitter is all of a sudden bouncing so far they are hitting much less club in, but it'll take a few more weeks to work out.

I've absolutely lost interest in handicap competitions as the scores I would need to compete are totally unachievable. My club dont give gross prizes so no inventive there. My main goal used to be lowering my handicap. But the system is so volatile and susceptible to manupulation its totally lost its soul.

Getting cut a few shots used to take months (or years!) of consistent effort. And so was rewarding. Now I can muddle on until I hit form, then play a round a day until it fades. And hey presto my handicap tumbles!! I dont find tgat rewarding at all compared to congu.

There are guys at the club whos handicap record is entirely replaced in the course of 4 weeks, i take longer than that to figure out the green speeds!!

My club is lucky in that we have a gross prize for most things apart from the Sunday Stapleford. Some of the silver trophy comps are gross prize anyway with handicap as a side medal, but all the Stableford this year have been won by high handicaps with 44 plus scores, before the change you would win with 36-38. Also we have a bogey comp and that was usually won by one or two down, now they are 10 up at least, last one was 17 up!!! I've also noticed since I've been playing a few senior opens that there are very few if any low guys playing in them , unless there is a gross prize.

 

[sweaty sock]

My club is lucky in that we have a gross prize for most things apart from the Sunday Stapford. Some of the silver trophy comps are gross prize anyway with handicap as a side medal, but all the Stableford this year have been won by high handicaps with 44 plus scores, before the change you would win with 36-38. Also we have a bogey comp and that was usually won by on or two down, bow they are 10 upat least, last one was 17 up!!! I've also noticed since I've been playing a few senior opens that there are very few if any low guys playing in them , unless there is a gross prize.

17 up is a farce.

 

[patricks148]

17 up is a farce.

I think they have changed how it's scored, guy who won is off 19 was 16 before

 

[Ethan]

I think it is, because you can beat your handicap and go up, you can play over your handicap and go down or stay the same etc etc

The old system was consistent in that you knew (with some certainty) at the end of your round if you'd go up, down or stay as is.

That is not inconsistent. The new handicap system is based on a moving average, much like some of the Covid data. That change reflects the fact that you aren't a good golfer last weekend and bad one this, your form is better estimated over a longer period. Within the 8 of 20 scores, bad and good are treated symmetrically.

CONGU was anchored to previous handicap and did incremental adjustment and was asymmetrical. That meant that even if you were playing crap, it would take a while for the handicap to adjust to that because there was more downward pressure for a good score than upward for a bad.

 

[Ethan]

My club is lucky in that we have a gross prize for most things apart from the Sunday Stapleford. Some of the silver trophy comps are gross prize anyway with handicap as a side medal, but all the Stableford this year have been won by high handicaps with 44 plus scores, before the change you would win with 36-38. Also we have a bogey comp and that was usually won by one or two down, now they are 10 up at least, last one was 17 up!!! I've also noticed since I've been playing a few senior opens that there are very few if any low guys playing in them , unless there is a gross prize.

Sounds like the course rating is wrong. The course is easier than its rating, and if it is the high players winning everything, slope may be off too.

17 up is a ridiculous score. That must equate to 55 points if every win was just by the smallest margin of 1 shot, because a half hole would be 2 points and a win (net birdie) a 3.

 

[SteveJay]

But if your focus is on getting your handicap down, then once that battle is lost, a lot of the appeal of the game goes. I have never been one for just enjoying the walk. Once a round is lost (no real prospect of a decent score), I am no longer interested at all.

I definitely won't be taking up fishing, though!

Jeez, there is no hope for me then........aged 57......struggling to get my handicap down.....and I already go fishing

 

[patricks148]

Sounds like the course rating is wrong. The course is easier than its rating, and if it is the high players winning everything, slope may be off too.

17 up is a ridiculous score. That must equate to 55 points if every win was just by the smallest margin of 1 shot, because a half hole would be 2 points and a win (net birdie) a 3.

I'm told there is a new scoring method with bogey , hence the silly scores. I'm sure someone said net bogey now wins the hole??
We've still got the same slope as before, we were rated before WHS came in. I think part of the problem was all the comps are from before the Am when there was little or no rough, now its pretty brutal. Mind the guy that won the bogey won the Stableford last week with 45 points

 

[Maninblack4612]

Less than it used to. I hung onto single figures by the skin of my teeth until I was 70 but I don't think I'll see 9 again, short of a miracle. Unlike some others, I think the WHS makes it easy to see where your handicap is heading. If, for example, you've got a low, counting, score about to drop out of the 20, you know you need to return an average or below average score to stand still. Looking at my own, my 11.2 should be safe for a while because a good number of my counting scores have a long way to go before they drop out. Handicaps certainly reflect current play more under the WHS.

 

[Ethan]

I'm told there is a new scoring method with bogey , hence the silly scores. I'm sure someone said net bogey now wins the hole??
We've still got the same slope as before, we were rated before WHS came in. I think part of the problem was all the comps are from before the Am when there was little or no rough, now its pretty brutal. Mind the guy that won the bogey won the Stapleford last week with 45 points

Really? Net bogey can't win the hole. That makes a mockery of the event.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Every time I go out to record a score for handicap assessment and/or adjustment I am trying to play to the best of my ability.

I would hope this is true for everyone. (Playing deliberately poorly is not something I am considering anyone here is doing)

If so, then you do care about your handicap as you are trying to get as low as you can every recorded round. This should be true for everyone.

Please someone, tell me where I am going wrong with my reasoning!