Handicaps controversial?

[RichardC]

Surely all Cat 1 golfers should then be playing on the Pro Tour getting their arses kicked by the likes of Tiger and Ernie, then saying they don't have a hope in hell of winning anything!!!!

I hate playing in knockout competitions due to the fact that the "bandits" ALWAYS seem to do well in them, and having categories for medal play just means that a cat 4 player that actually wants to improve gets his/her chance to win something against their fellow cat 4'ers and get cut, while the cat 1 player can equally still win theirs.

Am I right in saying that in CONGU you can no longer be cut on observation/rule 19 by someone in H&G?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

At our place we have to play 6 qualifying comps. There is a medal the 1st weekend of every month and 10 months a year a stableford on the 3rd weekend. On top of this there is also a monday medal and a monday stableford per month. The weekend medals are played on both saturday and sunday and you can choose to play on either day, but not both. More than enough opportunity to qualify for club championships etc.

 

[bobmac]

They whine and moan that it's harder for them because they have to shoot a 72 when they're off scrach to beat a 21 handicapper who 'only' has to shoot a 92.

If only it were that easy.
The problem starts when the 21 handicapper starts shooting 82
I played in a monthly medal at Weston-Super-Mare and shot 16 pars and 2 birdies off 3 and won nothing. 9th net

I can only wish, hope and dream to have these worries in the future.

Then you'll moan like the rest do

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Then you'll moan like the rest do

I actually look forward to it

 

[bobmac]

Then you'll moan like the rest do

I actually look forward to it

You'll spend years practicing, lessons, more practice, C/F, more practice, get to Cat I, 5.4, then 4x0.1s back to 5.9, then a cracking round down to 4.8, then down to 4, then 3 then 2, shoot level par gross in a medal then some muppet off 18 turns up with a hangover and a wrong h/cap and beats you.
Believe me, you wont like it.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Umm.... it isn't the winning, it's the taking part that counts

 

[Imurg]

The 21 handicapper shot 12% below h/cap - you shot 8% below. IF he'd shot 8% below he'd have still beaten you!

And you'd still have got a cut which is really what its all about. Innit?

 

[haplesshacker]

I suppose a lot depends on why we play this game. Is it to win competitions regardless of what handicap you are? Is it to achieve the lowest handicap possible for your own personnal satisfaction and perhaps have some recognition from your peers. Or is it just for a bit of relaxation?

If it's to win trophies, it would appear that you don't need to be any better than a 16 handicap. Unless of course you want to be club champ off of the lowest gross score.

I get the impression on this forum, that many are in the 'reduce handicap' to the lowest that they can get it camp. And if you win the odd comp or two then yippee!

I guess the problem when you've possibly reached your pinnicle, as maybe Freddielong has, the challenge and focus changes and I can see how that can be frustrating.

Out of interest. Doesn't the county or clubs in a local area just organise 'open' events for cat 1 players to compete against other cat 1 players?

 

[jammydodger]

There are a couple of county events that limit entry to 5 or 4 h/c at most , but usually county "opens" are about 12 h/c limit. There are also club events that ask for maybe 6 h/c at most and if oversubscribed start balloting out the 'choppers' off 6

These all cost extra dosh in the region of £40-60 so it can get pretty expensive to find lower h/c comps.

 

[haplesshacker]

Can't golf clubs in a particular area hold one game a month for example for those at 5 or better. No green fees as it would be a reciprecol arrangement. Therefore the only cost would be traveling. Each club could put up a prize or have a nominal entry fee to cover prizes. But I'm sure that the kudos would probably be more important at this level.

It would also give those at a higher h'cap something to aim for.

As long as the player is a full member at one of the clubs, I don't see what the problem is. If nothing else, there's always the revenue from the food an drinks. This should not be considered a society event, but a proper competition.

Whether handicaps should be allowed as a net comp or just go for a gross comp, I don't know. Perhaps it would be better for the players to decide that?

As a thought. The format eg.

7 clubs, 14 competitions. 18 hole medal, (net or gross, see above comment). Due to individuals commitments with hols and family etc, only the best 10 of the 14 to count, so you could play in 10 to qualify or play more to increase your chances of having a blinder of a round. Individual smaller prizes for each meeting, (maybe, maybe not!) and a final prize for the full comp.

Entry limited to 40 players, so that it wouldn't take up more than an hour and a half of tee times. Games to be held in the weekend afternoon when courses are geneally quieter, and so not as to interfere with the regular club comps. No greens fees, as based on a recipricol arrangement. Players should have a valid h'cap verified by playing in 10 comps, within the last 6 months at their local club to qualify. Better than 5 handicap. Perhaps even have an entry fee to cover the cost of someone organising the series and collating the results. Say around £50?

For the better players on here. Is that something that would tickle your fancy, or is it just too much faffing?

If it were me, if I was at that level of handicap, it's certainly something that I'd like to have a go at. At least then I know that I'm not going to be robbed by a high handicapper. I'd also be playing different styles of course and meeting other 'better players'.

What d'ya think?

 

[john0]

Excellent idea Hapless, your skills are wasted on flogging golf gadgets

 

[jammydodger]

Sounds like a great idea to me HH. I would play in something like this instead of the usual monthly stablefords and medals at my place.

 

[haplesshacker]

Excellent idea Hapless, your skills are wasted on flogging golf gadgets

I don't know if that's meant as a compliment or not?? I quite like my little website and from the feedback I've had from customers, so do they. (There I go, getting all defensive about my business!)

But thanks for your comment.

 

[muttleee]

Btw HH, do you mean for the image in your sig to act as a link like this?

 

[haplesshacker]

I didn't. As it's not obvious that it's a link until you run the mouse over it, which is why the URL is underneath it. And maybe I didn't know how to do it!!

But I like what you did there.

 

[muttleee]

In that case you could always do it like this:


www.improvemygolf.co.uk

It would look better without the trailing [ /url]. Just a thought.

 

[haplesshacker]

Okay. Yep that does look better. But I think we should take this to pm as it's not really in the realms of this thread.

So how do I do it?

 

[Screwback]

This is a very interesting thread.

For me i have to agree with the earlier points of freddielong and bobmac.

A couple of years ago i shot our then course record of 67 - 1 for a tasty 66 really pleased quite a windy day so i thought that would be great course record and a win i thought wrong a 20 handicapper had shot 86 to tie me. i have to point out that the day before i had shot 72 - 2 for 38 points and he had had summit like 22 points. so theres me 5 under for two rounds and won nout fair???

IMO All club competitions should be to a limit of 18 handicap for winning but i would not stop the higher handicappers playing and getting their handicaps down to compete i would then have it in two divisions for splitting the prize fund. But the overall best score on the day wins the comp.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Personally I've never heard any such controversy and can't imagine anyone but the best players playing competitive golf without the handicap system.

I guess muttleee, if nothing else comes out of this thread, you can now say you have heard some controversy about the handicap system

 

[shagster]

i can see both sides of the argument, and having won comps off handicaps of 16,15 and 12, and was chuffed to bits, i understand winning, but was rather be a very low handicapper, and play well week in week out, then shooting high 80's normally [ 9 increases in last 10 comps ] with the occasional low score and win something.
i like the handicap system, as it creates a semi level playing field, and if the low handicappers feel hard done by i am sorry, but i wish, like most golfers i know, that they could play to there level, but a point made earlier, if they went up against pro's who were only slightly lower handicap then they were, they would not win anything.
the low handicappers will most certainly win all the big trophys, ie club champion, and that is the one that matters.
one way around the "banditry" debate is for every round of golf you play to be recorded, and you go up and down accordingly. but i like every golfer i know, they want two things, to play consistantly and be as low as they can be, and if they win anything, then thats a very big bonus.
a very good topic that will always raise its head, and a short term answer maybe more divisions