Rusty Bucket
New member
What is the incentive to reduce your handicap when the club has very few scratch competitions and members prefer to protect their handicaps to enhance their chances of appearing on the Clubs Honour Boards?
Handicaps
- Thread starter Rusty Bucket
- Start date
rulefan
Tour Winner
Pride or vanity in no particular order.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
A personal commitment to improvement and appreciating the satisfaction that is provided when diligence and hard work achieves a desired outcome
Backache
Assistant Pro
Our only honours board is for the Scratch club championships (Men, women and juniors).
Personally I'm always trying to get my handicap down, though I agree the current system has made manipulation a little easier the majority don't appear to manipulate.
Personally I'm always trying to get my handicap down, though I agree the current system has made manipulation a little easier the majority don't appear to manipulate.
wjemather
Well-known member
What have handicaps got to do with scratch competitions?
Handicaps are simply there to enable players of different ability to compete against each other or in a competition, with each player having an equitable chance of winning or finishing near the top of the leaderboard. Handicaps are not an incentive to improve, although they do provide a measure of ability against which any improvement (or decline) can be judged.
Golf is a sport of integrity. Cheats are not welcome.
Handicaps are simply there to enable players of different ability to compete against each other or in a competition, with each player having an equitable chance of winning or finishing near the top of the leaderboard. Handicaps are not an incentive to improve, although they do provide a measure of ability against which any improvement (or decline) can be judged.
Golf is a sport of integrity. Cheats are not welcome.
Voyager EMH
Slipper Wearing Plucker of Pheasants
What is the incentive to reduce one's handicap?
To behave with integrity and honesty.
According to the rules of handicapping a player is required to attempt to make the best score possible at every hole.
If that is not enough incentive for a golfer then he/she is a bounder, a rotter, etc and should be shunned by all good honest golfers.
To behave with integrity and honesty.
According to the rules of handicapping a player is required to attempt to make the best score possible at every hole.
If that is not enough incentive for a golfer then he/she is a bounder, a rotter, etc and should be shunned by all good honest golfers.
nickjdavis
Head Pro
I do not recognise this behaviour at all within my clubs membership.
Everyone I know who plays comps goes out and scores whatever they score, their handicap is what it is, and they finish wherever they finish in whichever comp they happen to be playing in.
90% of players who play comps rarely submit GP rounds. 90% of the players who submit GP rounds never play comps.
Neilds
Assistant Pro
As the competition sec (posted in May) surely the OP would be well placed to have more scratch competitions if the members actually wanted them and would also be able to see if handicaps were being manipulated?
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
The purpose of the game is to get the ball in the (18) holes in as few shots as you can. I want to see how few shots it takes me to do that. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to see how good they can be at a game they've invested so much time & money into?
A competition handicap (reduction) is a result/consequence of the above and is not the purpose of playing golf
SteveJay
Head Pro
Rusty Bucket
New member
Do you not have a handicap limit on your trophy competitions?
Backache
Assistant Pro
It is rather unfortunate then that our authorities have seen fit to introduce a system that enables cheaters so well.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
As already said handicaps have nothing to do with scratch comps.
We only have 5 scratch Comps
Men's Club Champ
Ladies Club Champ
Junior Club Champ
Men's Senior Club Champ
Newton (our 9 hole course) Club Champ
Given the fall off in support for comps generally at our club I would seriously doubt that there would be much support for more scratch comps.
We only have 5 scratch Comps
Men's Club Champ
Ladies Club Champ
Junior Club Champ
Men's Senior Club Champ
Newton (our 9 hole course) Club Champ
Given the fall off in support for comps generally at our club I would seriously doubt that there would be much support for more scratch comps.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
What evidence do you have to back that up particularly when compared to the UHS.
Some players I knew to 'manipulate' their handicaps also did so under the UHS. Failure to return cards and deliberately 'blowing up' on the last few holes being examples.
wjemather
Well-known member
It's more unfortunate that a few people are eager to label anyone scoring well a cheat purely because of their own ignorance and mistrust.
Backache
Assistant Pro
It's clearly very unfortunate when people are labelled as such, again the WHS induces such suspicions which is a shame.
wjemather
Well-known member
No. Why would we?
FYI , a handicap limit of 24 (which seems to be most common) wouldn't change the winners of any of our board/trophy comps over the last few years.
wjemather
Well-known member
Mostly due to ignorance (of handicapping in general, including WHS and all that preceded it) and mistrust of others.
Backache
Assistant Pro
In which case every one I know is ignorant and the explanations have been very poor from the authorities. I know literally no one who does not think that manipulation is easier now than it was before. Nor have I seen any thing clearly explained why it is not. I just see people blaming handicap committees for allowing such manipulation to occur. Other people saying that we now have to scrutinise low handicappers more carefully for entry into scratch competitions as their handicaps are easier to manipulate. Such is life.
wjemather
Well-known member
Confirmation bias often results in misreading, misunderstanding or misinterpreting even the simplest of things.
Manipulation to get into scratch events was always a problem - it's only now we have tools that provide good evidence to be able available to do something about it that everyone is taking notice - with some completely misunderstanding EG policy because they have already decided that GP scores are bad.
