Handicap question

[Ricksy]

Hi,

I'm looking about to join a club soon and was wondering how they decide your handicap, is it purely from putting in 3 cards and then they take the average of the 3 scores?

 

[jammydodger]

It varies as some on here will tell you.

Officially I think it should be the best card you put in out of 3 as that shows what you're capable of.

Also you will get anything over a nett double bogie rounded down to a nett double.

In fact I think some handicap secretarys just make it up as they go along cos who knows how they end up with some h/cs

Welcome to the forum btw

 

[RGDave]

Officially I think it should be the best card you put in out of 3 as that shows what you're capable of.

Also you will get anything over a nett double bogie rounded down to a nett double.

In fact I think some handicap secretarys just make it up as they go along cos who knows how they end up with some h/cs

Welcome to the forum btw

Also, welcome to the forum.

It should be the best card i.m.h.o. but there are always some other factors. I know a chap that played 7 over, 7 over and then 3 over, they (presuming at a higher level than just the club) gave him 4.5

Just beware of playing for your card(s) on a short course or winter mats/ temporary greens.

- - - - - -

If I had my time again, I'd have ONLY submitted cards off the white tees.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Yes, in the absence of other factors it should be the difference of the best "netted down" score and the SSS of the course played. Should be a whole number too.

As already said be particularly careful of playing on the winter course. This is much easier and you may find yourself off a handicap you simply can't get near to in the summer which will spoil your enjoyment. The committee should take this into account but may not as they tend to err on the side of caution. Most members feel that if a new player beats his handicap then something is "wrong" but in reality, if it's been assessed fairly a new member should have the same chance as anyone else of shooting a good score. Doesn't stop the membership moaning if it happens though !!

 

[viscount17]

calculating h/caps off the yellows then not subsequently accepting cards played from the yellows for h/cap adjustments is a real mystery.

we've recently had the whites and reds remeasured but they had no plans to remeasure the yellows! loads of complaints about the difficulty this creates - don't want you to play off the the whites but won't accept cards off the yellows.

the sections have decided to pay to get them measured so they will have no excuse not to accept cards.

no idea why they bothered with the reds - the ladies <u>never</u> play their medals from them - some talk about their only being one marker(?)

 

[RGDave]

As already said be particularly careful of playing on the winter course. This is much easier and you may find yourself off a handicap you simply can't get near to in the summer which will spoil your enjoyment. The committee should take this into account but may not as they tend to err on the side of caution.

Well said!

 

[Fyldewhite]

calculating h/caps off the yellows then not subsequently accepting cards played from the yellows for h/cap adjustments is a real mystery.

Any measured and SSS assessed course should be eligible for handicap adjustment. We play our seniors and junior competitions from the yellows and last season played our summer stableford league off the yellows. The whites were only used for the Saturday Medals. All of these qualified for handicap adjustment.

CONGU advice is to run all competitions for handicap wherever possible. The system is based on statistics so the more rounds played the better it works (in theory!!).

If you are implying that casual rounds played off the yellows should be accepted then this is a no no as all qualifying competitions should have a CSS calculated.

 

[Pants]

we've recently had the whites and reds remeasured but they had no plans to remeasure the yellows! loads of complaints about the difficulty this creates - don't want you to play off the the whites but won't accept cards off the yellows.

the sections have decided to pay to get them measured so they will have no excuse not to accept cards.

Unless I'm missing something here, someone on the committee needs sacking. Why pay to have the reds and whites measured and not yellows?? Are the yellows located well away from the other tees or somewhere between the other two? Surely someone in the club has a long tape measure and can mark the yellows using the measured reds and whites as reference points?

 

[JustOne]

It should be the best card i.m.h.o. but there are always some other factors. I know a chap that played 7 over, 7 over and then 3 over, they (presuming at a higher level than just the club) gave him 4.5

Don't tell anyone but that sounds familiar ssssshhhh!



My handicap had lapsed and I joined a new club so they asked me to put in 3 cards, the lowest of which was 3 over par. The club secretary actually said to me, and I QUOTE...

"We should give you a h/cap of 3 but as it's category 1 we'd have to get it authorised by the County Golf Union, so we're going to give you 5.5 instead"

Who was I to argue getting handed 3 extra shots for nothing No worries though, I can't hit a ball for toffee now that I'm using that new 'Stick and Twist' swing method thingy

 

[viscount17]

we've recently had the whites and reds remeasured but they had no plans to remeasure the yellows! loads of complaints about the difficulty this creates - don't want you to play off the the whites but won't accept cards off the yellows.

the sections have decided to pay to get them measured so they will have no excuse not to accept cards.

Unless I'm missing something here, someone on the committee needs sacking. Why pay to have the reds and whites measured and not yellows?? Are the yellows located well away from the other tees or somewhere between the other two? Surely someone in the club has a long tape measure and can mark the yellows using the measured reds and whites as reference points?

Pants, the situation is that the club doesn't own the course - the owner employs the course manager and the greenskeepers. I have no idea what their thinking was but Dave, the manager, is quite happy for us to have a measured yellow tee. And yes, I suggested the tape measure, even offered to bring my gps but they want it properly measured by the county.

 

[Pants]

Unless I'm missing something here ......

Pants, the situation is that the club doesn't own the course - the owner employs the course manager and the greenskeepers. I have no idea what their thinking was but Dave, the manager, is quite happy for us to have a measured yellow tee. And yes, I suggested the tape measure, even offered to bring my gps but they want it properly measured by the county.

Sorry mate. Thought it was a bit of a strange situation. That's what I was missing

 

[viscount17]

de nada, nothing to be sorry about

 

[Fyldewhite]

It's not just a case of having the course measured by the county union, they also asign the SSS for that course which may be different to the whites. They have all sorts of guidelines such as number and position of hazards, general terrain, amount of rough, OB etc that they take into account as well as the length of the hole.