half handicap for a scratch golfer?

[Foxholer]

It is logical but not for the reason that may be assumed. The intention is to create a progressive bias in favour of the lower handicap player to balance the greater tendency of higher handicaps to get net birdies and pars in 4 ball.

So mathematically, +3 is clearly not 3/4 of +4, but that is not the intention.

But it was intended for 4 ball matches, and 3/4 was the suggested correction factor. 1/2 handicap in singles sounds extreme and an overbalance.

It's totally equivalent though. And for something like an eclectic (often half handicap) it's appropriate! That Decision does not specify Pairs comps. 4 Ball Matches (4BBB) are calculated differently - as 3/4 of the difference from the lowest player, so it doesn't matter whether the lowest playr is a Plus-capper or not!

And how is +3 not 3/4 of +4!

 

[Ethan]

It's totally equivalent though. And for something like an eclectic (often half handicap) it's appropriate! That Decision does not specify Pairs comps. 4 Ball Matches (4BBB) are calculated differently - as 3/4 of the difference from the lowest player, so it doesn't matter whether the lowest playr is a Plus-capper or not!

And how is +3 not 3/4 of +4!

When +3 is actually really a negative. +4 is lower than +3 in handicap terms. It would make more sense to denote the handicaps we mere mortals have as + handicaps and those of the super players as -. Then they would fit more logically on a number line.

What I had meant, of course, was that it would appear that the intent might be to reduce handicap shots available to all players, but that is not the case. The intent is to disproportionately reduce handicap shots available to higher players, on a reducing basis to players of progressively lower handicaps, but that leads to an inflection point where the reducing factor goes to 0 then becomes flips over to become an addition, as happens to the plus players here.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

I understand that, but at least the low handicapper has a bit of a fighting chance. Let's be fair in a half handicap comp, high handicappers have a 1 in a million shot. Waste of the entry fee!

It is probably only a couple of quid to enter the comp anyway and surely it is better to play as many comps as possible. Would there not also be Div 2 or 3 comps that the higher handicapper would have a reasonable chance of doing well in?