Does your handicap matter to you?

[chrisd]

Yes, my handicap matters and in always trying to improve it.

However, I'm getting closer to 70 years old, I got down to 9.9 a few years back and still quite often hit the ball as we as I did then but the biggest problem has been medical issues and the new handicap system. I was 14 h/c the day before the WHS, 15 the day it changed and now 16 - the real issue though is that our slope rating gives me an 18 handicap off whites and yellows so getting to a lower playing handicap is much more unlikely I feel

 

[williamalex1]

For me, there is an element of wanting to do well in comps but a much stronger element of wanting my handicap to come down. I wouldn't think of quitting as you grow older and you don't like your handicap going up - just accept it and keep trying to play your best. You can see my age from my profile and, after a very poor spell, I have managed to reduce my HI by 2.5 since the end of lockdown. There's always hope.

Jim, I take it you're still the handicap convener

 

[LincolnShep]

I want it to go down, but not enough to bother with any practise.

 

[rosecott]

Jim, I take it you're still the handicap convener

Of course - wouldn't let anyone else near it.

 

[chrisd]

Of course - wouldn't let anyone else near it.

Playing off +1 then?

 

[Blue in Munich]

Yes, my handicap matters and in always trying to improve it.

However, I'm getting closer to 70 years old, I got down to 9.9 a few years back and still quite often hit the ball as we as I did then but the biggest problem has been medical issues and the new handicap system. I was 14 h/c the day before the WHS, 15 the day it changed and now 16 - the real issue though is that our slope rating gives me an 18 handicap off whites and yellows so getting to a lower playing handicap is much more unlikely I feel

Are you getting younger then?

 

[chrisd]

Are you getting younger then?

I'm just finishing my letter to "hate crimes against the elderly" in which your name is high up in the list of perpetrators ??

 

[Vikingman]

I care enough about it to practice.

Had a dreadful start to the season and index went from 14.4 to 17.0.

Worked at it and managed to turn it around, currently index is 12.4 with something like 7 of my counting scores in my last 10.

Pretty consistent shooting between 83 and 87 but reckon I'm somewhere near the limit of my ability.

 

[Yorkshire Hacker]

Yes, my handicap matters and in always trying to improve it.

However, I'm getting closer to 70 years old, I got down to 9.9 a few years back and still quite often hit the ball as we as I did then but the biggest problem has been medical issues and the new handicap system. I was 14 h/c the day before the WHS, 15 the day it changed and now 16 - the real issue though is that our slope rating gives me an 18 handicap off whites and yellows so getting to a lower playing handicap is much more unlikely I feel

I'm 70 next ChrisD, and I'm playing off virtually the lowest handicap I have ever had. Started playing at 51. We have a lot to thank for modern equipment!!

 

[need_my_wedge]

Used to matter to me, always looking to lower it, then it started going backwards fast. Got a bit upset in myself over that, but got over it. Then it came down again for a bit, now just like to pay to it once in a while.

 

[GB72]

My handicap stopped mattering to me. Golf is now more of a social thing to me now rather than anything else. I just do not have enough time for it to be anything more.

 

[chrisd]

I'm 70 next ChrisD, and I'm playing off virtually the lowest handicap I have ever had. Started playing at 51. We have a lot to thank for modern equipment!!

I'm 69 shortly but 70 is looking!

Like you I started late (47) the modern equipment is good but I did hit one of Crows one irons (from about the 1960's) the other week and absolutely spanked it ?

This year I've been having eye injections for wet AMD and that's harmed my golf but I've turned the corner I believe, and won two of the clubs "honours board" comps recently. I'd love to get back to about a 12hc but my winter league partner wants me off 18 ??

 

[rosecott]

Playing off +1 then?

Just like you, I'm a semi-respectable 16, and you seem to be catching up with me in age.

 

[jim8flog]

I wrote back in July that I wanted to get to single figures but wasn't sure I ever would.

Now I'm pretty determined to. Got myself down to 11 without seemingly doing too much different and I'm shooting single figure rounds in more casual rounds fairly frequently.

Beyond that I don't know how much scope there is in my ability but if I could hover around the late single figures I'd be pretty happy. I want it to be reflective of my ability as opposed to something I rarely play to.

When I was able to put more time into golf I found that getting down to mid single figure (6 with a SSS of -2) was moderately easy and fairly easy to sustain to sustain but going much lower was definitely a much harder prospect. By the time I got there age was certainly showing it's effects on yardage. There was the occasional sub par round but most good rounds were around the level par mark with enough bad rounds to stop the handicap going lower.

Maybe with the WHS it is more easily achievable as the bad rounds will have less of an effect if there are enough good rounds.