Great article - and so so true!
- Thread starter Jacko_G
- Start date
User20204
Well-known member
I rarely play matchplay for handicap reasons but I do play in senior 4bbb matches though as I feel my length off the tee does give me an advantage,however not always. In the Summer we played a seniors match and we were 5 under gross bb, and only won 2/1 due to the shots we had to give away.
pendodave
Tour Rookie
Haha. I regularly play 4bbb with a couple of higher handicap mates who are convinced that 90% is an elitist conspiracy to do them out of their rightful inheritance...
User20204
Well-known member
I recently played with an 11 handicapper who would have received 6 shots from me if we were playing matchplay, he'd have absolutely spanked me and I had a run of being 3 under for 14 holes
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
Oh dear. Another thread where lower HC players don't/won't accept the facts. Ah well, get me the popcorn...
Jacko_G
Blackballed
Another thread where the obvious is pointed out to crap golfers.
How many other sports reward crap play but giving them an advantage, why bother trying to improve if you can just receive "free" shots off of guys who put in time and effort to improve.
Do bowls give poorer players extra attempts to get close to the bull? Does tennis give 4th and 5th serves? Does darts give crap players 9 darts to get a double??
Nope, nope, nope.
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
If you want to play scratch golf, fine, play scratch golf. If you can't accept handicaps, then that's the way to go. But there's no point in moaning about handicap allowance in face of the facts. Simple choice.
Aussie Swinger
Newbie
Long gone are the days where you had to Practice any sport and get better to be picked/selected. Barring injury or ill health some of the 60 year old pus golfer who were good in the day are still good. It’s those that are happy cleaning up trophies for minimal effort and saying they can’t ever compete with people who are plain and simple better and more dedicated than they will ever be that grind my gears. Man/woman up and try to get better as you would in any other sport. Life’s tough, so should being good at golf..
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Why did they jump it from 75 to 90 then? Maybe there's a happy medium at 80 or 85??
There has to be maths involved in this. Take a cross section of players of various handicaps, pair them up in loads of different combinations and see what scores they would get at 75, 80, 85 & 90% of their handicaps and you'll eventually find the best answer as the one where all the scores are closest to being even?? Just off the top of my head.
There has to be maths involved in this. Take a cross section of players of various handicaps, pair them up in loads of different combinations and see what scores they would get at 75, 80, 85 & 90% of their handicaps and you'll eventually find the best answer as the one where all the scores are closest to being even?? Just off the top of my head.
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cliveb
Head Pro
Someone like Duncan or Colin or Rulefan will correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the allowance was increased from 75% to 90% because the stats showed that it probably should be 100% but the powers that be realised they wouldn't get away with that.
inc0gnito
Assistant Pro
Having never played in a comp I have no idea what effect 75, 90, or any other number has in matchplay 🤔
Looks like it grinds peoples gears tho!
Looks like it grinds peoples gears tho!
Maninblack4612
Tour Winner
And the other side of the coin. In what other sport can an 80 year old have a close game with a young player playing to a high standard? I used to play a bit of handicap tennis - it didn't work, the better player always won. The problem, I think, is that high handicappers who are rapidly improving don't come down fast enough. Its been said that a 10 handicapper should play to his handicap once in 10 outings, a 15 one in 15 etc. The trouble is that a rapidly improving high handicapper will do it much more often.
We have regular 4BBB opens throughout the winter & a couple in the summer, where a 90% allowance applies. These, together with our club competitions, are sometimes won by high handicap players but more often by people off single figures or low teens.
I don't see that 90%, rather than 75% is a big problem. It's more to do with the way high handicaps are reduced.
pendodave
Tour Rookie
Haha! Does the phrase "I don't normally play like this" ever pass the lips of someone you're giving bucketfuls of shots to? Sadly, in that case it was true....I recently played with an 11 handicapper who would have received 6 shots from me if we were playing matchplay, he'd have absolutely spanked me and I had a run of being 3 under for 14 holes
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
Then again what I took from his post was 'I had a run of being 3 under for 14 holes' which seemed to put the boot firmly on the other foot for a 5 handicapper!
All our club BB match results are recorded for posterity on the system, and individual (and pairing) stats are available....the lower the handicap the higher the percentage wins hasn't changed with the move to 90%. There are times when a high pair will win, but more times when they don't.
Bring on the 100% I say 🤗
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Ah it’s always amusing when this pops up
What I always look at when this happens is - the people who have won comps at my place and I reckon it’s a pretty fair reflection across the board
Our Handicap KO this year - won by a 5 handicap
Autumn HC KO - a 3 and a 6 HC in the final
Main board comps - won by low to mid handicaps
Could go on and on
It always boils down to sour groups from someone who has been beaten in a handicap event - tough , get over it and if you don’t like that then go and play scratch events but then I suspect people won’t do that because then they would get a proper smashing by the scratch boys
It’s just an Amatuer sport for us ffs
It’s going to be amusing when it becomes 100%
What I always look at when this happens is - the people who have won comps at my place and I reckon it’s a pretty fair reflection across the board
Our Handicap KO this year - won by a 5 handicap
Autumn HC KO - a 3 and a 6 HC in the final
Main board comps - won by low to mid handicaps
Could go on and on
It always boils down to sour groups from someone who has been beaten in a handicap event - tough , get over it and if you don’t like that then go and play scratch events but then I suspect people won’t do that because then they would get a proper smashing by the scratch boys
It’s just an Amatuer sport for us ffs
It’s going to be amusing when it becomes 100%
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Turn up play your best and see what happens. That's what golf and matchplay has been about regardless of handicap allowance. I've played 24+ guys and given loads of shots and sometimes you see why they're off that mark and other days they'll play well and win. Thats life. Our major knockouts are played off the white plates anyway so better players get an advantage in terms of a longer course (most high handicap players won't make some par 4 or par 5's in regulation which to some extent nullifies any shot received)
peld
Active member
Even being mostly on the beneficial side of the rule I think 75% is fairer, especially now in winter with winter set ups. I was paired with a 35 handicap the other week, did feel sorry for the guy off 6 we were against when a good par would be matched by a scrappy double. We finished all square though so fair in the end I suppose!
bobmac
Major Champion
It's going to be even funnier when the 15-20 h/caps start getting stuffed out in the country by the 30-40 h/cap guys.
Golf handicap, the biggest deterrent to ambition
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Why is that going to happen ? The 30/40 handicaps are nowhere near stuffing anyone at the moment
We played winter league against someone who is off 34 - he had 27 shots from me , they lost 6&5 and that team have lost all three so far
The majority of people I play with all want to get their handicap down
rulefan
Tour Winner
Where did the 90% come from?
Match Play Singles Full difference between the handicaps of the players
From CONGU - Myths
Numerous researchers and golfing bodies including the United States Golf Association, English Golf Union and Scottish Golf Union have investigated the relative merits of full versus three-quarters difference in handicap.
All of these independent pieces of research have come to a single conclusion – full difference between the handicaps of the two players is clearly the more equitable allowance.
A Scottish Golf Union survey covering 4000 handicap singles matches showed:
Matches won by lower handicap player
3/4 Diff 61% Full Diff 55%
Matches won by the higher handicap player
3/4 Diff 39% Full Diff 45%
From the above it can be seen that even when conceding full difference the lower handicap player retains an advantage.
Match Play Singles Full difference between the handicaps of the players
From CONGU - Myths
Numerous researchers and golfing bodies including the United States Golf Association, English Golf Union and Scottish Golf Union have investigated the relative merits of full versus three-quarters difference in handicap.
All of these independent pieces of research have come to a single conclusion – full difference between the handicaps of the two players is clearly the more equitable allowance.
A Scottish Golf Union survey covering 4000 handicap singles matches showed:
Matches won by lower handicap player
3/4 Diff 61% Full Diff 55%
Matches won by the higher handicap player
3/4 Diff 39% Full Diff 45%
From the above it can be seen that even when conceding full difference the lower handicap player retains an advantage.
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