First round at new club, 75 gross for 53 points!

[Slab]

Well done to the OP

Sounds less like a wrong handicap and more like an example of how the h/cap system doesn't always transfer well between courses (at least not straightaway) with a very good round thrown it too

I know if I went back to some of the muni courses I played most before I left the UK I would shoot at least 15 shots lower than the score I'll post this Sunday on a Championship course

Relatively speaking, some courses are just easy compared to others

 

[JustOne]

Nice round..... when you hit one in the scrub you're supposed to go back to the tee and hit another (3 off the tee)... not just drop one on the fairway and carry on

 

[Colin L]

Well done to the OP

Sounds less like a wrong handicap and more like an example of how the h/cap system doesn't always transfer well between courses (at least not straightaway) with a very good round thrown it too

I know if I went back to some of the muni courses I played most before I left the UK I would shoot at least 15 shots lower than the score I'll post this Sunday on a Championship course

Relatively speaking, some courses are just easy compared to others

At 6500 yards and par 72 off the medal tees according to its website, it doesn't sound easy in terms of length. The SSS of 72 indicates that is isn't that easy taking the other rating factors into account.

Generally speaking, the relative difficulty of courses is taken into account in your handicap since it is based on SSS, not par.

What a wonderful rush of blood to the head that round was!

 

[Slab]

At 6500 yards and par 72 off the medal tees according to its website, it doesn't sound easy in terms of length. The SSS of 72 indicates that is isn't that easy taking the other rating factors into account.

Generally speaking, the relative difficulty of courses is taken into account in your handicap since it is based on SSS, not par.

After I posted I had a quick google at both clubs and the Op's new club certainly reads like a much easier course & the pics don't show a heap of trouble (I know it can be deceptive to base this on a few photos)

(another interesting point, it has three tee's noted on the card and it appears the distances off the Yellows & Reds are identical on the scorecard for Garesfield, so its either tough for the ladies or easy for the guys)

 

[cookelad]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOMBRERO-...2?pt=Adult_Fancy_Dress_UK&hash=item460731a2c2

 

[shivas irons]

Well I guess the "sour grapes" comments on here are expected as golfs a tough game and if you can achieve something like the OP did its a bit special.The game just clicked for this guy ive seen it before,he went out and it all worked for him it all came together.My suggestion to the haters on here is practise,get your golfing head on and it might happen to you,but on the other hand you'll proberly never get anywhere with the game and you might want to try tiddlewinks

 

[BoadieBroadus]

Don't bother with supplementary cards, just get entering comps and have a fun night at Prize Giving. As Tiger says, the rules are the rules. If your handicap doesnt reflect your ability it will come down soon enough. That's what comps are for.

I once had a blinding 48pts using just a 5 wood off a tee. Sadly it took me about 14 months to better that gross score by which time the handicap was a good deal lower. If you're working on your game and improving, just enjoy the success. The handicap system does massively benefit an improving golfer. Not your fault if you're getting better.

 

[mikee247]

Well done on the win but I'm sorry if you played at my place you'd get lynched or at the very least the handicap sec would! nett 55 off a 20 handicap is just off the planet in terms of accurate appraisal of your playing ability. Your obviously a decent player you have to be to get anywhere near that kind of score. One off's do happen of course but not that sort of score! I'm sorry but your handicap is a complete joke whether its your fault or not.

I've never seen anyone win any sort of comp with more than low to mid 40's in points and even then its kind of frowned upon a little for the latter. The thing is and I get it was a low level comp and a bit of fun etc, is that you are playing people for either their money/ or for prizes etc and in any form of the game that must be treated with respect. Its all right getting cut after the event but its to late and for some guys if not all of them they are going to be livid that sort of score was produced and trust me they wont like it or you at all for it and that's a shame as they should be happy or at least respectful that they lost in a fair fight! Win it with score that's believable and its a different matter. Its almost as if they've been ripped off! Sorry

 

[Hopey84]

Cheers for all the positive comments everyone.

My Handicap couldn’t be more accurate, I play at least 1 competition a week at my home course sometimes I play 3 a week if work allows.

I have only been playing the game for about 18 months so I don’t for one minute think my handicap should be anywhere near 3 over as the score would suggest, my previous best score at my home course was an 86 on a par 72 of the yellow tees, and 90 off the whites.

My handicap was coming down quite quickly last season then I didn’t play much over the winter and have struggled a bit at the start of this season with a few .1’s back creeping up to 21 then got a small cut back down to 20 a few weeks ago.

Because of the poor start I have been practicing a lot by having a few hours per day at least 3 times a week either on the par 3 course or the short game area and playing a round on the days when I’m not practicing, I always have no golf on Monday so I don’t sicken myself. Until yesterday the things I had been working on hadn’t really produced the results I am getting when I practice, I know I can play good shots as well as any handicap golfer when there is no pressure but doing it in a competitive round consistently over 3 ½ hours is a different ball game.

Matfen off the whites is about 700 yards longer than Garesfield off the yellows and is undoubtedly a harder course but it definitely isn’t a 17 shot difference.

It really was just one of those days where everything went where I was aiming and the puts dropped and I am confident I would have scored well on any course.

I wasn’t playing for anything other than having a look around a new course so I had no expectations of shooting a score either good or bad, the lad I was playing with is an old school mate and one of the reasons I joined was to play more with him so there was no sour grapes and he was full of encouragement.

My target for this year was to get down to 14 and hopefully single figures the following year, I hope this round wasn’t a one off and it can give me the confidence to push on a bit and hit those targets or better them!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Well I guess the "sour grapes" comments on here are expected as golfs a tough game and if you can achieve something like the OP did its a bit special.The game just clicked for this guy ive seen it before,he went out and it all worked for him it all came together.My suggestion to the haters on here is practise,get your golfing head on and it might happen to you,but on the other hand you'll proberly never get anywhere with the game and you might want to try tiddlewinks

I don't think there are any sour grapes or haters but 17 under h'cap just doesn't happen by fluke, it happens because for whatever reason (and I'm not suggesting anything untoward here) the h'cap is too high.

As for the practice comment, I could practice every hour of every day and I wouldn't shoot 17 under h'cap, that would mean 8 under gross.

 

[Imurg]

Your obviously a decent player you have to be to get anywhere near that kind of score. One off's do happen of course but not that sort of score! I'm sorry but your handicap is a complete joke whether its your fault or not.

These days do happen
I've played with people in the past who have played countless medals and stablefords week in week out. Their handicaps are about as accurate as you can get them.
One Guy, playing off 16, shot 1 over par gross.
He had 4 chip-ins and an Eagle from 150 yards out.
Every time he hit the ball towards the hole it went in.
He got slashed a million shots - next week he was back to normal.

I've shot 4 under par gross playing off 9 - and left 3 or 4 out there....

It's abnormal - Yes but by no means impossible.

Don't forget a Tour Pro can shoot 60 one day snd 80 the next.......

 

[Foxholer]

Wow!

Great round!

I think you should contact the handicap secretary a the new club and tell him what happened. But even slashing several shots and taking into account that SSS is 3 under par would still earn a Mexican description in a comp. Making him aware of that round puts the onus on him, though I'm not sure he would/will do anything about it.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Well played. Handicaps aside 75 blows is 75 blows and that's a cracking score.

I played with a 20+ handicapper once when he broke 80 for the first time and it was an interesting experience. What was strange was that it was clear both watching and talking to him that he really wasn't playing any differently than usual in terms of the actual quality of ball striking but he got away with his bad ones, got a some good results with his better ones (in terms of getting on the greens and near the hole), and sank lots of putts. It was great to watch the smile on his face getting bigger with every par he made. Sadly he hasn't been near that score since.

In the OP's case, especially as a new player, I hope it is a sign of things to come.

 

[Birchy]

It could just be one of them rounds but if i was the OP i would just keep an eye on scores over next few weeks. Another low score and I would either see the Hcap sec or put supp cards in because if you win a comp with a 50 odd score people will never let you forget it and it might make playing at that club awkward with people throwing that at you all the time.

Heres a question for people who probably know more. Can you request for your handicap to be cut?

 

[Wooky]

Firstly, well done to the OP.
Secondly, I can understand his delight at that score.

Some of the comments though are very unfair.
I have been in a similar situation to the OP.
A while back I shot 2x rounds within a couple of weeks of one another of net 58 & 62
These rounds were in friendly bounce games & I thought here we go then, all my winter practice has paid off.
I also got some serious flack from others about my handicap.

But, those rounds were just 2x very good days where everything went my way & I just played very well.
Now I am back to normal, I played in a Medal this week & shot a net 72 (Par 70)
All my practice rounds are the same, I nearly always shoot anything from 2 - 6 over par.