Handicap: limits or justifies your score? Discuss.

[Tiger]

Bob Rotella talks a lot about getting out of your own way. I think this becomes easier when you are a low handicap. At this level you play the course to par. When you are a high handicap you know that a birdie or par putt is a kerching in the points dept. String a few together and you could be on for a PB.

Out last night and scored 19 pts for 9 holes. But made four club selection errors (all against my better judgement) and missed three four foot putts (two for par/ one for double bogey).

Biggest error 4th shot on our 2nd (par 5). 80 yards, thought Lob, hit Sand, airmailed green into horrible cabbage, scored 10. Replayed hitting lob scored a 6. The second btw is my nemesis seem to blob it and ruin most rounds, except when I play the first badly!!!

Going back to the other three errors I replayed those as well and saved two more shots.

Last four nine holes: 17, 19, 18, 19
Last two 18 holes: 40, 39 (the back nine is easier)

Question is am I playing to handicap or is my knowledge of my handicap limiting my scoring? Hoping for an interesting debate.

BTW I'll be at the club tonight practicing four foot putts, bunker shots and chipping!

 

[MashieNiblick]

Maybe not so much handicap but how you approach the game.

Interesting to see you talk about scoring points. The trouble with Stableford is that it factors in your handicap and stroke indices and obscures your real score. Same with thinking always in terms of net score.

I think it's better, as suggested by many on the Stableford thread, to think in terms of your gross medal score. I think that encourages a better attitude whatever your standard of play.

 

[Imurg]

Knowing you have a shot or 2 on a particular hole can help or hinder. That safety cushion means you can afford that duffed chip or the missed putt and still return a respectable points total.
Having fewer shots does focus the mind a little more - less margin for error.
Fragger often takes a nett bogey on holes where he has 2 shots - and some of them are not too tricky - but will happily par others with only 1 shot. Is he subconcsiously thinking " If I par this 2 shot hole I'm made"? Is that making him go for shots he may not normally go for in search of the par for 4 points? In fact, playing for a bogey and getting 3 points would be a lot easier and more realistic.

 

[jammydodger]

Interesting question and one i've had some thoughts on over the years.

The way i've always approached things is relative to par. I always go out thinking about level par or better and dont take any shots into consideration. This effectively ignores the h/c and lets me just play the course as it was intended. Of course I understand I have a better chance of this than most on here but it has always been this way even when playing off 14 or whatever.

Do we all want to get better ? Why not think like a better player and try to par everything. If you cant make the distance to certain greens then fine , lay up and pitch and putt or 2 putt. I dont see why people always have to straight away accept a bogie or double on a hole cos they know they get a shot and its a 'hard' hole anyway. Thats just defeatist before the hole is played and one of the reasons I think people dont improve , they are happy to accept mediocrity.

If you have a distance that requires a a long shot to the green but think "ive got a shot here , I could play wedge wedge and 2 putt for a bogie 2 points " then thats just saying youre happy to stay at the handicap you are and arent willing to try to get better. Its a form of subconscious handicap protection. Like saying youre happy to stay having shots here and there cos that means you dont actually have to improve cos its a comfort blanket thats wrapped all nicely around you.

I've never accepted that I cant par a hole just because i've got a hard shot to the green or that I need to take on a tough tee shot to find the right position for the approach. Many people on here would just lay up with a short club and then lay up again and accept their chance of making 2 points from a bogie...sigh

 

[jammydodger]

Maybe not so much handicap but how you approach the game.

Interesting to see you talk about scoring points. The trouble with Stableford is that it factors in your handicap and stroke indices and obscures your real score. Same with thinking always in terms of net score.

I think it's better, as suggested by many on the Stableford thread, to think in terms of your gross medal score. I think that encourages a better attitude whatever your standard of play.

This is what I was just rambling on about , play to gross not nett

 

[jammydodger]

playing for a bogey

This is what holds people back , I hate this term with a passion.

 

[Jabba]

Tiger, I'm definitely as guilty as anyone. I can play bounce games below my h'cap almost every time and usually start comps very well but once I get 2 or 3 shots below my h'cap I feel as if I don't "deserve" to be scoring -5 nett or getting 45 Stableford points. I used a sports hypnotherapist for a previous sport and apparently this feeling is extrememly common in many different walks of life.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I don't even think about my h'cap as it's entirely irrelevent to how I play. I aim to make par on every hole regardless of SI. I never think 'I get a shot here so a bogey is ok' because that's a dropped shot and a dropped shot is a dropped shot regardless of whether I get a shot or not

 

[S4harris]

Being a higher handicap of 19 I often play the course as level 5's.

As to say I give myself a target of being on or under level fives each 9 and with par 3s and pars of the par 4's it meens I am alway trying to stay comepetative.

Example I did a 48 front nine and just thought to myself only 3 over level five I can get that back an then befor I new it I was on 2under level five with a 40 back nine.

the point would have been ok yet I did not even relice I only dropped 4 shots on par for back nine...

 

[Region3]

playing for a bogey

This is what holds people back , I hate this term with a passion.

I started a thread a few weeks ago with that title. I didn't mean it quite like that, it would have been more aptly named if I'd called it "Playing for no worse than bogey".

I agree that settling for bogey before you've teed off is not good, but playing a hole in such a way that bogey is the worst you'll make in a trade-off for a slightly worse chance of birdie or par is definitely worth considering, especially in strokeplay.

One of the holes at my place that I'd consider it is the 2nd. It is a horrible sickening feeling playing in a medal and watching your drive fade OOB so early in the round.

 

[Robobum]

I always bat on about this on threads like this one.

Par means nothing until I've finished. I've got 18 holes to cover in as low a number as possible. At the end of that....it all takes care of itself, do the maths and retire for a pint.

Does my handicap justify my score? No just makes it look a bit better than it was.
Does it limit me? Only to the point that it ballots me out of some things.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Many posts about playing for points, or to par, or to bogey etc but I'd say the best way is to play the course to your ability.

What I mean by that is to simply accept that for some holes par is unlikely but it should still be the target for most <18 handicappers. It is the way it is approached that is important. If you can't reach in two then don't just lob it down the fairway and think "if I knock it on and two putt it's fine". Play for position, really try to scramble that par and don't accept anything less until it happens. Far too many players play for bogey and then make double by basically having a negative mindset with regard to making par. I think this is a key difference between mid teens and single figures too.

 

[Tiger]

Thanks for all your replies guys. Based on your esteemed wisdom and insight, I have decided that my handicap is limiting my scoring. I am definitely accepting defeat before I tee off and thinking a bogey would be a good score on this hole because I get two shots, rather than I can par this hole. As a result when faced with an up and down to save par I don’t focus as much and that’s where I get sloppy. What compounds it is that I walk off with a 5 for 3 for 3 points and I’m happy. When really I should be frustrated (albeit briefly) at the poor club selection on the chip or the missed four foot putt.

Mashie I think you’re right about mindset. I consciously switched it to keep myself focussed in a round after a horror hole, whereas when I used my Medal head before I’d have a break down after a disaster and have 2 or 3 bad holes in a row. Maybe I need to switch it back…

You’ve all been very helpful. Ta muchly

 

[doubletripledouble]

Tiger,
I'd say when you are out for nine, stop putting your game up to stableford scoring. It basically falsifies how you are REALLY doing, be it good or bad.
How would you rate your course management? Do you take the sensible option or do you go for it?
Your SW you mentioned last night... Was it a full swing or 3/4? Why didn't you hit the lob wedge? What was it that changed your mind?
If you take lessons, have you had one just regarding wedge play. It is a great help and cuts shots pretty quickly.

Back to the topic. Don't try and play to stableford or handicap. Play each hole as it comes. If things go awry on a hole, just try and get back into at as sensibly as possible.

It's as easy to have a good hole as one that racks up a big score out of no where. We've all been there and bought the t-shirt!

 

[ScienceBoy]

I play every hole to my handicap, I do not let the real par get in the way. If I can go in 2 on a long par 4 I will, if I cannot I will look at the best way to make 5. With that comes chances for a lower score but also you do not take on shots you can only do 1/10 times. If I cannot do it more than 6-7/10 I will not give it a go.

Getting out of your own way is also understanding your limitations and trying to shoot the "best score you can" right?

 

[Tiger]

With regards to stableford it also relates to the fact that most golf I play is in that format. But I will, from this day forth, no longer think that way. Last night I had one par, six bogeys, one triple, one disaster. Consistent but could do better.

How would you rate your course management? Do you take the sensible option or do you go for it?

Pretty conservative. I play all our par 5's in three shots and some of our longer par 4's depending on the quality of my tee shot. With my handicap the risk often outweighs the reward.

Your SW you mentioned last night... Was it a full swing or 3/4? Why didn't you hit the lob wedge? What was it that changed your mind?
If you take lessons, have you had one just regarding wedge play. It is a great help and cuts shots pretty quickly.

Because I'm a tool. I feared the thin but it was the perfect yardage. Wind was a little behind and it was 80 yards to the middle. A half SW goes 95 so I tried a quarter swing whilst choked down and must have swung too hard. Made something simple over complicated because I am a tool. I know my wedge yardages but doubted my lob. Won't happen again. Don't worry about the lessons I'm a great believer and have them regularly. I just don't hit a full lob wedge very often and bottled it. As for course management I was aiming to lay up to 110 yards but got a lot of run and extra carry.

Mindset changed. Let's go low!!!!

 

[Brian321]

If you take lessons, have you had one just regarding wedge play. It is a great help and cuts shots pretty quickly.

what do you hope to get out of such a lesson. Is it the idea of knowing how a 1/2, 3/4 and full swing from each wedge goes, so to aid picking the best shot on course to flag, or are you on about the ball striking / ball position of wedge play?

Just interested really, as I'm a high handicapper. I've no problem with length as long hitter, it's just I'm hot & cold with pitching and putting, so know where that's where I need t oimprove most to drop my handicap.

 

[G1BB0]

I ignore handicap, I know my course is par 69 and if I shoot 100 its 31 over = shite!!! regardless what my handicap is its still 31 over for 18 holes!!!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

If I can go in 2 on a long par 4 I will, if I cannot I will look at the best way to make 5. With that comes

That's where I think differently. If I can't reach a par 4 in 2, I'm still thinking about making par by getting my second to a comfortable wedge distance and making a putt. I never think about making anything other than par until par is totally out of the question

 

[RGDave]

I never think about making anything other than par until par is totally out of the question

Well said!

I lay up short of our S.I. quite often on purpose. The bunkers are so tough, with such a steep face that 1/2 of all shots played out are done so sideways.

I make par there quite a lot.

Except not at the moment, 'cause I can't seem to be able to buy a proper 20 yarder with a wedge.