Handicap choice

[matriga]

Hey everyone!

I'm Mathilde from Belgium
Here is what I need help for:

Every year the golf federation does an annual review of the handicaps. With the one this year I got cut from 12,0 to 10,0 with stableford scores of (33 36 39 40 41 40).
But since I was playing this interclub tournament which requires a minimum handicap of 10,5 , my club, who really wanted me to play in this tournament cancelled the annual review putting me back to 12,0 . ( All this without me knowing...)
Anyway, I ended up hearing I had an opportunity to be cut to 10 so I talked to the captain and he said I could get my handicap cut to 10 after the interclubs if I still wanted to. Now that they're done, I can ask him to change my handicap to 10.

What do you recommend:
1) Shall I just try to get down to 10 playing tournaments?
2) Should I ask to get cut knowing my aim is 9,0 hcp this year ?

thanks!

 

[Foxholer]

Hi and Welcome,

Do you mean you have to have a handicap of 10.5 or more to be eligible?

Sounds like an obscene (imo) fiddle by the club - if the Annual Review was due. Had a similar occurrence at a previous club - re Pearson Trophy which is for players of 10 or more. Manipulation of players handicaps by either player or club is cheating (by player/club resp.) in my book!

If those are the only scores you have had in comps, I'd say they indicate you should be off less than 12 - 10 would be about right. So If you should be cut, you should be cut!

How did you do in the Interclub tournament btw?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Welcome to the forum. Personally I'd want to play my way to the right h'caps, vanity handicaps are pointless.

 

[duncan mackie]

I am afraid I am confused between the actions of the federation and the club

The way your post reads there is significant cause for serious concern regarding apparent handicap manipulation - but I'm sure it's just a confusion.

 

[matriga]

Yeah I mean I had to have 10,5 or above to participate in the interclubs for which I had already signed up.

Yes these were my only scores.

I won 3/3 of my matches finishing two at the 15th hole and the 3rd match at the 11th! (Matchplay)
The one where I finished at the 11th I played +4 on 11 holes which I'm pretty happy about!!

Anyway, I guess it'll save me some time getting cut directly. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with it because it's a legal cut

 

[North Mimms]

Anyway, I guess it'll save me some time getting cut directly. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with it because it's a legal cut

There's nothing wrong with the legal cut.

The reversal of it sounded very dodgy. I'm glad that you have conviced them to keep you at 10

 

[pbrown7582]

Hi and welcome I think your club was out of order cancelling the annual review it should of gone through and the cut taken place regardless of upland coming comps I personally would get no satisfaction from winning matches off a false handicap.

 

[matriga]

ok i'll get it changed.
Don't worry the interclubs had nothing to do with handicaps no one got shots from another

 

[Doh]

So what your saying is that your club had you playing off a handicap of 12 in match's against other clubs when you should of been playing off 10

 

[pbrown7582]

ok i'll get it changed.
Don't worry the interclubs had nothing to do with handicaps no one got shots from another

You need to do what you think is right, the interclub thing may well have been off scratch and handicap not relevant other than the qualifying criteria if I understand correctly in that you had to have a handicap of 11 or above to play.

 

[Foxholer]

Yeah I mean I had to have 10,5 or above to participate in the interclubs for which I had already signed up.

Yes these were my only scores.

I won 3/3 of my matches finishing two at the 15th hole and the 3rd match at the 11th! (Matchplay)
The one where I finished at the 11th I played +4 on 11 holes which I'm pretty happy about!!

Anyway, I guess it'll save me some time getting cut directly. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with it because it's a legal cut

No probs with the cut - and you did nothing wrong.

However, from what you've posted. I believe you club manipulated things in order to make you eligible to play in the tournament. As I posted, I've seen this happen before in England and it's as close to cheating as sandbagging is.

My suggestion to the club was to move the 'traditional' date of its Annual Review from immediately after the Club Knockouts (where there were also some automatic cuts that I thought were wrong) to after the date of the competition where a cut might affect eligibility for some event (and there was only 1). Still not truly kosher, but wouldn't be actively cheating - which not applying a proper/recommended cut, in order to allow participation in a comp is. It's just something that comps with 'lowest handicap' limits played off scratch/level have a tendency to 'encourage'. Participation actively discourages real improvement in honest players and encourages others to manipulate the system.

So well done on the results - and you imminent cut.

 

[matriga]

You need to do what you think is right, the interclub thing may well have been off scratch and handicap not relevant other than the qualifying criteria if I understand correctly in that you had to have a handicap of 11 or above to play.

You got it