Handicap help for a rubbish golfer.

[Flubster]

Hi All, New poster and poor golfer.

I joined a club 2 years ago and have had a handicap of 28 since then. I am not very good at golf so welcomed the new rules with regard to increases in handicap, however as I generally play to an estimate of 34/35 its taking an age to get my handicap increased at .2 every comp I enter. Plus as there is a fee to enter each time even though I can not win I am spending a fortune. Ive moaned at the club pro regarding it who doesn't seem to care. Is there anything else I can do? And answers of "get better at golf" may not be the most useful. There is nothing in the current system to encourage me to play comps. I am aware that some comps will have my handicap capped but most of the comps in my club don't. In the weekends medal I shot 109 (par 72 Css 72) for 44th place. Beating many golfers with lower handicaps. My best round so far was a 102 but normally around 106-110.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

You need to speak to someone from the committee and ask for a handicap review(in theory your handicap should have been part of the annual handicap review as well) and explain your concerns.

Cant help for asking.

BTW 102ish could well mean you are close to a 28 handicap, depending on your scoring on the individual holes. Therefore I would first check that this isn't the case.

 

[Slab]

I know you don’t want a ‘get better’ advise so this isn’t that… well it kinda is a little bit

While you play and wait for your handicap to rise I’m sure you’ll be working on getting better anyway but maybe worth mentioning there’s lots of different things to get better at

If as you say you are usually playing to 6/7 shots over your current handicap. So in order to play to 28 instead of 34/35 it’s pretty much just one less shot every three holes than you currently do. That could be one less putt, chip, lost ball or penalty stroke every three holes. That’s just one better decision or shot execution needed every three holes and your score will drop the required 6 shots (how others score to their handicap is out of your hands so the placing in a comp will take care of itself)

Some of the easiest ways to reduce your total score is in the accrued penalties for lost balls or being in hazards (I know they’re not called hazards anymore) So I’m suggesting looking at your course management and club/shot selection as an easy way to lower your scores without necessarily being any better at hitting the ball than you are now.
Plenty info online to cover these areas so wont drone on but for example taking an iron or hybrid off a tee where you’ve often lost a ball will mean its shorter and may even mean you need an extra shot to hole out, but that one shot extra is better than stroke and distance for a lost ball (2 shots) because you use driver, so you’ve actually ‘saved’ a shot on your round score. Taking a club that doesn’t reach the water or even playing away from water (instead of going for it because you could make it on a good day) will also more often than not add a shot to a hole but save you a shot on the round score

Sorry if this is already obvious to you

 

[williamalex1]

Hi All, New poster and poor golfer.

I joined a club 2 years ago and have had a handicap of 28 since then. I am not very good at golf so welcomed the new rules with regard to increases in handicap, however as I generally play to an estimate of 34/35 its taking an age to get my handicap increased at .2 every comp I enter. Plus as there is a fee to enter each time even though I can not win I am spending a fortune. Ive moaned at the club pro regarding it who doesn't seem to care. Is there anything else I can do? And answers of "get better at golf" may not be the most useful. There is nothing in the current system to encourage me to play comps. I am aware that some comps will have my handicap capped but most of the comps in my club don't. In the weekends medal I shot 109 (par 72 Css 72) for 44th place. Beating many golfers with lower handicaps. My best round so far was a 102 but normally around 106-110.

Welcome to the forum, you could always put in a few supplementary cards, if you have someone to mark your card. That way it wont cost you anything.
You might even get get a handicap reduction, playing in a more relaxed situation.
Best of luck.

 

[Flubster]

Thanks for the help SLAB and DRW.

I already do all those things, the 102 best every was a freak round about 2 years ago in great conditions. I've been shooting more towards 120 through this winter but have started to get it down recently as been able to play more often and find less duffed shots and more accuracy creeping in. If I can keep that up then hopefully Ill crack the magic 100 soon. I just don't have a natural hand eye coordination to suit most sports, but I do love playing golf. I just would like to be able to compete. Maybe clubs should have a handicap 24 and above division for us poor golfers.

Ill moan at the club Pro again about getting it reviewed. I understand that a lot of lower handicap golfers will just say shouldn't be allowed to enter comps with high handicaps but if its honest it's fair.

 

[woody69]

Have you ever had a lesson? Probably worth having a few to ensure you are getting the fundamentals right. It might be something really simple that you can change that will mean you're able to break 100 on a more frequent basis. Where do you find you drop most of your shots? Are you regularly 4 putting? Is it more off the tee where you are losing balls/hitting in to trouble, or more with just tee to green taking 6 or 7 shots because of thin/fats etc. You might be able to focus on 1 change and it could have a massive impact on your game.

Supplementary cards are a good idea though as you can do those as part of a normal round outside of a comp that will push your handicap in a more realistic direction.

 

[bobmac]

And answers of "get better at golf" may not be the most useful.

You may not like it but it's the best advice you'll get.

 

[Flubster]

Bobmac, thanks for the unwanted and irrelevant response. please consider that A knowledgeable person knows lots of stuff, a wise person keeps it to themselves.

 

[Flubster]

Have you ever had a lesson? Probably worth having a few to ensure you are getting the fundamentals right. It might be something really simple that you can change that will mean you're able to break 100 on a more frequent basis. Where do you find you drop most of your shots? Are you regularly 4 putting? Is it more off the tee where you are losing balls/hitting in to trouble, or more with just tee to green taking 6 or 7 shots because of thin/fats etc. You might be able to focus on 1 change and it could have a massive impact on your game.

Supplementary cards are a good idea though as you can do those as part of a normal round outside of a comp that will push your handicap in a more realistic direction.

I like the supplementary cards idea, hadn't considered that, I play with a group regularly and as we are all members should be able to submit a few cards that way as well as having a word with the Pro.

 

[jim8flog]

The best advice is to submit as many qualifying cards as you can (supplementary cards is the easiest way). If you shoot scores that give you seven 0.1 increases (not the 0.2 you have said) in a row the club must review your handicap as part of the continuous handicap review process, which the club must carry out at least once a quarter.

Your club must have a handicap committee and it should not be left to just one person which is what you are suggesting (the Pro).

 

[Flubster]

The best advice is to submit as many qualifying cards as you can (supplementary cards is the easiest way). If you shoot scores that give you seven 0.1 increases (not the 0.2 you have said) in a row the club must review your handicap as part of the continuous handicap review process, which the club must carry out at least once a quarter.

Your club must have a handicap committee and it should not be left to just one person which is what you are suggesting (the Pro).

Thanks Jim, not sure on the .1 or.2 thing, I know it seems an age to drift up. My club does have a committee but to be honest the pro really runs the show and is the person to speak to.

 

[chrisd]

Bobmac, thanks for the unwanted and irrelevant response. please consider that A knowledgeable person knows lots of stuff, a wise person keeps it to themselves.

It may be unwanted but as Bob is a teaching professional it isn't irrelevant and, as a teaching professional it really wouldn't be wise, or profitable, to keep it to himself

 

[Colin L]

It must be really annoying to be told to improve your game when you are probably trying the best you can to do so! Your handicap committee, not your pro, has the clear responsibility to ensure that your handicap reflects your playing ability. It was required to monitored your iniitial handicap to ensure it matched your performance and adjusted it up or down if it didn't. There has been at least one Annual Review since you got your handicap. If, as Jim points out, you reach 7 consecutive 0.1 increases, your name will come up in a computer report which should mean your handicap is reviewed. That being said, the Committee has to run that report and if it doesn't, won't know about the problem and nothing will happen! You need to find out who your handicap convener is and speak to him or her. Speak to your club captain.

You are absolutely right, in my view, that the system is far too slow at 0.1 a time to respond to the need for a player's playing handicap to be increased. But you are entitled to submit as many supplementaries as you like as often as you like which will speed things up. One thing, however: handicap adjustments are not based on your gross score but on what's called your adjusted gross score. The adjustment is based on a maximum score on any hole of a net double bogey i.e par +2 + your handicap stroke(s). Are you taking that into account when you look at your score of 109 for example?

 

[cliveb]

The good news is that once the new World Handicapping System comes into force next year, your handicap should quite quickly increase to what it should be.
So perhaps the simplest thing would be to just wait it out for another 18 months or so.

 

[lex!]

Hi, all the rules changed at the start of 2018 and the max competition handicap increased from 28 to 54. The new rules also came with a plea to review the playing handicaps of everyone playing off the old maximum. Could you speak to your handicap representative at your club and ask for a review? Could you provide 3 recent cards to provide evidence that an uplift is required? The whole point of the rule change was to keep more people in the game, and we don't want unhappy golfers. If you were at my club I would willingly adjust your cap, so long as evidence is provided in the form of scorecards.

 

[TheJezster]

Where do you find you are losing most of your shots?
Driving (off the tee)
Long irons
short irons
chipping
putting

Let's break it down bit by bit.

 

[bobmac]

Where do you find you are losing most of your shots?
Driving (off the tee)
Long irons
short irons
chipping
putting

Let's break it down bit by bit.

And once you find the weakness, you practice and improve.
Then you can be more competitive.

 

[Colin L]

And once you find the weakness, you practice and improve.
Then you can be more competitive.

And while practising in the hope of improving or, as can be the case of someone declining to slow down the rate of decline, a player should have a handicap which matches performance and keeps him or her competitive. A correct handicap is an entitlement, not something to aim for through improvement, not a reward for practising. That aim and reward is a reduction in your handicap.

 

[Mark_Aged_42]

Try watching some of Golf Sidekicks videos on You Tube. He is not a technique guy, more of a "dont make bad or inappropriate decisions" guy.
And as posters above have suggested, a couple of good decisions, instead of a couple of bad decisions can easily equate to 6 shots gained.

 

[Old Skier]

How many cards (supplementary) and how many Q comps have you played. Your handicap committee need info to be able to make an informed decision. No info, no decision or conclusion can be reached.