Handicap - How often do you play to it ?

[SugarPenguin]

Basically as I am not a member at a club at the moment me and my work friends and colleagues (around 11/12 of us) do a 5/6 weekly stableford competition at different courses in Yorkshire.

Whoever wins loses 3 shots, second loses 2 and third loses 3. Whoever comes last as we aren't a cruel bunch gains 1 shot

Basically I have no idea what my official handicap is (as I didnt play for years) but they make me play off 12 at this moment since I usually finish pretty well. Think I started off 19 and we have done this 5 times now, and I have averaged around about 34 points, with my worst score coming last weekend at 29.

Being in my mid 20's everybody gives me the usually bandit banter and all that jargon so I just thought I would find out how many people play to their handicap? What is the average expectation? Should you regularly be playing to your handicap?
I was under the impression it should be an average whilst my society thinks it should be what you shoot on a very good day.

Since everybody plays different amounts and do different competitions I just want to quantify this:
In 10 rounds of golf, how many times would you expect to play to your handicap?


​(I love a good poll ! )

 

[jamielaing]

I would hope to play better than my handicap in 1 out of 3 competitions hopefully playing to buffer in the other two. I can deal with the few 0.1 increases but obviously like to minimise them.

I am a typical can't play with a card in the hand player and would expect to play at least around my handicap in 90% of bounce games.

 

[fundy]

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/sh...you-hit-your-handicap&highlight=play+handicap

 

[Tongo]

In the last couple of years i've only played to mine about 4/5 times and those would have been on easier courses.

 

[User20205]

Every time I play. I'd be really annoyed if I shoot less than 40 points. Not in comps though, I don't really want to get cut.

 

[duncan mackie]

I would hope to play better than my handicap in 1 out of 3 competitions hopefully playing to buffer in the other two. I can deal with the few 0.1 increases but obviously like to minimise them.

I am a typical can't play with a card in the hand player and would expect to play at least around my handicap in 90% of bounce games.

you self evidently have the wrong handicap unless you are off scratch! If you play to handicap (buffer) in 2, and better in the third, you handicap will be coming down ....

the arithmetic to this simple equation changes for each category of handicap but is very simple for the OP to do. After that it's easy enough to overlay a normal distribution curve to see the likely range of scores for any given handicap.

I've been cat 2 for the last 5 years of data and beat handicap about 20%, buffer 30% and miss 50%; it makes no difference to me whether they are competitions, matches, swindles or just 'games'. My actual handicap movement is mainly a function of how well I beat the handicap when I do.

for the poll I count playing to handicap as buffer or better!

 

[duncan mackie]

Every time I play. I'd be really annoyed if I shoot less than 40 points. Not in comps though, I don't really want to get cut.

:clap:

 

[pbrown7582]

Every time I play. I'd be really annoyed if I shoot less than 40 points. Not in comps though, I don't really want to get cut.

:whoo:

:rofl:

 

[Break90]

3-5 for me, although realistically closer to 3 than 5

tend to go through phases and cycles and plenty of 0.1s along the way. Last year 4 cuts (2 in one day) out of around 20 comps, with 7 buffers I think

if you are beating your handicap more than that you're playing off the wrong handicap

 

[pokerjoke]

Every time I play. I'd be really annoyed if I shoot less than 40 points. Not in comps though, I don't really want to get cut.

WUM ive seen you annoyed everytime ive played with you.

 

[jamielaing]

you self evidently have the wrong handicap unless you are off scratch! If you play to handicap (buffer) in 2, and better in the third, you handicap will be coming down ....

the arithmetic to this simple equation changes for each category of handicap but is very simple for the OP to do. After that it's easy enough to overlay a normal distribution curve to see the likely range of scores for any given handicap.

I've been cat 2 for the last 5 years of data and beat handicap about 20%, buffer 30% and miss 50%; it makes no difference to me whether they are competitions, matches, swindles or just 'games'. My actual handicap movement is mainly a function of how well I beat the handicap when I do.

for the poll I count playing to handicap as buffer or better!

I'm hoping to come down this season, planning for a 4-6 shot reduction closer to cat 1. I started playing golf again last season in May so am looking for the big reduction!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I would hope to play better than my handicap in 1 out of 3 competitions hopefully playing to buffer in the other two. I can deal with the few 0.1 increases but obviously like to minimise them.

I am a typical can't play with a card in the hand player and would expect to play at least around my handicap in 90% of bounce games.

So you hope to never have a round worse than your HC ?!

What HC are you currently

 

[Deleted member 15344]

WUM ive seen you annoyed everytime ive played with you.

Maybe the reason isnt too far away

 

[pokerjoke]

Maybe the reason isnt too far away

Yes I can drag most down to my level

 

[User20205]

WUM ive seen you annoyed everytime ive played with you.

Saving myself for the big one

 

[rickg]

my last 12 qualifying rounds:

0 cuts
4 buffers
8 x 0.1
Life sucks!!

 

[User20205]

my last 12 qualifying rounds:

0 cuts
4 buffers
8 x 0.1
Life sucks!!

Bandit!!!! Managing your handicap ready for the new season

 

[fundy]

my last 12 qualifying rounds:

0 cuts
4 buffers
8 x 0.1
Life sucks!!

Nothing to do with life that your CSS is at least 6 shots too low, thought they were getting it reviewed!!!! Guarantee if you played those 12 rounds at most courses youd have had a couple of cuts minimum

 

[drewster]

I reckon I play to my handicap or better in competition rounds about once in ten rounds but intend to improve this season with improved driving and better course management.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

I only played 3 counters last year, the results being...

1 x 1.6 cut
1 x buffer
1 x +0.1

On that basis, I should play to it 2/3rds of the time, but in reality it's much less than that. I've gone for three times from ten, as a bit of a guess