Handicap Cards - Difference in Rounds

[slowhand]

Having just joined a club, 2 weeks ago and last Sunday I posted my first 2 cards towards my handicap. The course is a par 70 with a SSS of 65. There was a bit of a difference between the 2: the first I shot 103 , and 2 days ago I shot 87!!
I'm sure plenty of people here have had large differences between subsequent rounds, but I am now a little bit worried that I will get an artificially low handicap as the last round was better than I have ever played before. Very steady, nothing worse than a double bogey, and I even opened birdie - par!
ne:

 

[r0wly86]

don't worry too much about, the handicap secretary will take it all into account. Will of course depend on your third card. But when giving a handicap if they think you had an unusually good round they will take it into account.

But if your handicap is too low, don't worry too much either it will right itself over time

 

[Orikoru]

don't worry too much about, the handicap secretary will take it all into account. Will of course depend on your third card. But when giving a handicap if they think you had an unusually good round they will take it into account.

But if your handicap is too low, don't worry too much either it will right itself over time

I don't think that's true is it? I thought they pretty much work the handicap out from the best card.

Your handicap may feel low to start with but if you played to it once you can do it again. It will give you a target to focus on anyway. At least no one will accuse you of being a bandit. :lol:

 

[User101]

don't worry too much about, the handicap secretary will take it all into account. Will of course depend on your third card. But when giving a handicap if they think you had an unusually good round they will take it into account.

They will take your handicap on your lowest score because that is what you are capable of playing to.

 

[patricks148]

They will take your handicap on your lowest score because that is what you are capable of playing to.

what he says.

Without any indication of rounded down holes the 87 is what they will take unless the last card is lower so 22. unless you had any scores over double bogey,which will be rounded down.

 

[duncan mackie]

what he says.

Without any indication of rounded down holes the 87 is what they will take unless the last card is lower so 22. unless you had any scores over double bogey,which will be rounded down.

Nearly.....more like 20-21 based on the current formulae - then potentially adjusted as you outline.

 

[r0wly86]

It's not that simple.

The basic equation is that you have to get the adjusted gross score so moving everything above double bogey down to double bogey. Then subtract the SSS of the course from the AGS to give you the Adjusted Gross Differential. You then go through all 54 holes to get your Lowest Adjusted Gross Differential.

Then you put it into the formula of (LAGD+(LAGD*0.13))/1.237 which you then round to the nearest whole number.

But most importantly the Handicap Committee have discretion to give a lower or sometimes higher handicap than the formula gives you if they feel it more appropriate.

A handicap is not just a record of your absolute capability, you should be able to play to your handicap around 30% of the time, if it was a reflection of you best possible 18 then no one would ever play to it.

But most importantly CONGU states that the Handicap Committee should regularly review any new handicaps given out and they can adjust if need be

 

[User101]

I'm aware of the formula, I managed to work my own handicap out using it before I was given mine, but I was certainly not aware they would look at all three cards, as my lowest card was 6 shots better than my next best.

I worked mine out exactly using said formula on my lowest card and it was what I got.

 

[r0wly86]

I'm aware of the formula, I managed to work my own handicap out using it before I was given mine, but I was certainly not aware they would look at all three cards, as my lowest card was 6 shots better than my next best.

I worked mine out exactly using said formula on my lowest card and it was what I got.

The formula will look at your best score, however the handicap committee will look at everything. If you shoot 100, 110 and 70 and the committee member that went out with you reports back saying his 70 was totally out of character he chipped in 5 times and, bounced off the OOB markers etc then the committee will take it into account with the other cards

 

[jim8flog]

what he says.

unless you had any scores over double bogey,which will be rounded down.

This is no longer correct.

Now-

Any score on a hole worse than twice the par is treated a twice the par.

 

[jim8flog]

It's not that simple.

The basic equation is that you have to get the adjusted gross score so moving everything above double bogey down to double bogey.

This is no longer correct see above

 

[jim8flog]

The handicap committee very rarely looks at initial handicaps it is all done by the computers now.

The new 'allowances' for bad holes are very generous.

 

[2blue]

The handicap committee very rarely looks at initial handicaps it is all done by the computers now.

The new 'allowances' for bad holes are very generous.

IMO... way, way, too generous... causing us all kinds of problems. eg. worst being a new member's first 3 rounds, after being allocated a H/cap, all in buffer with best being a net -12, medal score of 57!!!

Last years double-bogy allowance & the algorithm that accompanied it produced a much more realistic starting H/caps IMO..... anyone know why it was changed??

 

[duncan mackie]

IMO... way, way, too generous... causing us all kinds of problems. eg. worst being a new member's first 3 rounds, after being allocated a H/cap, all in buffer with best being a net -12, medal score of 57!!!

Last years double-bogy allowance & the algorithm that accompanied it produced a much more realistic starting H/caps IMO..... anyone know why it was changed??

Firstly I believe it was changed to reflect the differences between the use of gross double bogey for initial allocations and net double bogey for subsequent adjustments. In this context your example would/should result in a hasty revision of the new allocation but it's not really the system that's at fault - he's clearly improving quickly and such progress suggests he put in the first 3 cards he ever played (not that unusual nowadays).

Second, and here Rowley will no doubt comment for himself, the most important committee action is to monitor new allocations through the early days (in the same way as any ESRs and AR adjustments made) for signs of issues (they can be many!). I wouldn't expect a new allocation to be scrutinised beyond a cursory look at the system output; something like a 110,111 and 79 being listed would then cause further scrutiny!

 

[jim8flog]

Last years double-bogy allowance & the algorithm that accompanied it produced a much more realistic starting H/caps IMO..... anyone know why it was changed??

Simply because it would have needed to be changed to triple bogey anyway to account for the new higher handicaps.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

My experience is that my initial handicap from my first three cards was calculated on the lowest score ... like the OP, my lowest was an exceptionally good round (for me, that is) and I was given a handicap that I had no hope of playing to. At 0.1 a time, it would take ages to get to the right level and so, after a couple of competitions, the Handicap Secretary put me up 2 immediately and is going to review it after a few more cards.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

It is a tough, I ended up with 10 from a best round of 12/13 over par(and sss is 2 below par) due to the formulas and the committee. Took about 6 months to shot my handicap once allowing for sss adjustments and about a year before I could play to it on a slightly more regular basis.

As a result not quite sure I agree with the formulae, maybe works for rapidly improving golfers but for everyone else, not sure.

If you cant play to the handicap then I would suggest going back to the committee for a review.

 

[slowhand]

hanks for all the responses. It seems it confirms my suspicions that I will end up with a handicap that is too low for my ability. Didn't know about the new formula though, so that makes it even worse by 2 strokes!

I still have 1 card left to submit so I might get in touch with the handicap secretary and put my case forward. Of course, if I go round again in the mid-80s then I can't really complain!

 

[Orikoru]

hanks for all the responses. It seems it confirms my suspicions that I will end up with a handicap that is too low for my ability. Didn't know about the new formula though, so that makes it even worse by 2 strokes!

I still have 1 card left to submit so I might get in touch with the handicap secretary and put my case forward. Of course, if I go round again in the mid-80s then I can't really complain!

I really wouldn't worry. If you played to it once then you have that incentive to do it again. If you struggle really badly it won't take them long to adjust you to a higher handicap. Just take it as it comes.

 

[slowhand]

I really wouldn't worry. If you played to it once then you have that incentive to do it again. If you struggle really badly it won't take them long to adjust you to a higher handicap. Just take it as it comes.

Problem is the first rounds once I gain my handicap will be the Old Farts vs Whippersnappers at Forest Pines. Not the time nor place to have an unrealistically low handicap!