Huge Handicap Index Increase. Possible reasons?

ttupeerth

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Hi All,

A club member at the course I play recently had a handicap index increase of 4 shots from one medal to the next.

Scores dropping off their last 20 rounds are comparable to new scores, so there is no apparent reason why their best 8 score total would have jumped up by around 32 from one new recorded score.

Is anyone aware of a reason why a handicap could change so drastically?

It is also apparent that the score differentials for this player are different to that of other competitors with the same score in medals. For example, this player had the same gross score as 3 other competitors in a medal. The 3 other players differentials were 4.3 yet this players record has a differential of 7.3.

Is this normal and is there potentially a valid reason for this?

WHS under scottish rules, in case this would have an impact.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Neilds

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Hi All,

A club member at the course I play recently had a handicap index increase of 4 shots from one medal to the next.

Scores dropping off their last 20 rounds are comparable to new scores, so there is no apparent reason why their best 8 score total would have jumped up by around 32 from one new recorded score.

Is anyone aware of a reason why a handicap could change so drastically?

It is also apparent that the score differentials for this player are different to that of other competitors with the same score in medals. For example, this player had the same gross score as 3 other competitors in a medal. The 3 other players differentials were 4.3 yet this players record has a differential of 7.3.

Is this normal and is there potentially a valid reason for this?

WHS under scottish rules, in case this would have an impact.

Thanks in advance.
Have the other 3 competitors got the same handicap?
 

ttupeerth

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Has the person had a handicap review?
No idea. The person in question 'drives the tank', so would be reviewing himself. We only have one other M&H sec and he had no idea of the situation, so a Committee-applied adjustment can't be the solution.

I assume reviews would be posted to make members aware? I also assumed reviews were an annual thing done over winter months, not mid season.
 

rulie

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"Facts and data kill arguments."
Showing the records would permit analysis rather than speculation/guessing.
 

LizAig

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Have you asked them? If yes and no good answer then I’d be asking one of the other handicap people at your club why the big jump! I don’t see how best 8 average would jump from 9.6 to 13.6 even if a great score had dropped out of the top 20! As someone else said maybe the player has been highlighted on the review report because of the 91,91 and 96…but most clubs wouldn’t do such a drastic increase to a single figure player.
 

LizAig

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No idea. The person in question 'drives the tank', so would be reviewing himself. We only have one other M&H sec and he had no idea of the situation, so a Committee-applied adjustment can't be the solution.

I assume reviews would be posted to make members aware? I also assumed reviews were an annual thing done over winter months, not mid season.
There’s a review report that handicap committee are supposed to check monthly _ it highlights players to review …..a change shouldn’t happen without agreement of the player. You are supposed to have a minimum of 3 active members on a competition and handicap committee! At our club I check monthly and then a review should involve at least 2 but 3 if it’s about a handicap committee member’s handicap.
 

NearHull

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There’s a review report that handicap committee are supposed to check monthly _ it highlights players to review …..a change shouldn’t happen without agreement of the player. You are supposed to have a minimum of 3 active members on a competition and handicap committee! At our club I check monthly and then a review should involve at least 2 but 3 if it’s about a handicap committee member’s handicap.
Where is this requirement laid down?
 

LizAig

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In my note book!! We were told this at the last WHS forum by Ruth Goodwin, Yorkshire EG handicap advisor. No idea if/where it’s written down anywhere else!
 

D-S

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There’s a review report that handicap committee are supposed to check monthly _ it highlights players to review …..a change shouldn’t happen without agreement of the player. You are supposed to have a minimum of 3 active members on a competition and handicap committee! At our club I check monthly and then a review should involve at least 2 but 3 if it’s about a handicap committee member’s handicap.
Surely this annually? Of course a committee can review a player at any time.
 

jim8flog

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I assume reviews would be posted to make members aware? I also assumed reviews were an annual thing done over winter months, not mid season.
No reason to advise other members so no changes are not posted.

Reviews can be done at any time following a players own request or other members request (peer review request) although the latter may be very cursory.
 

jim8flog

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There’s a review report that handicap committee are supposed to check monthly _
I thought that went out with the WHS.

Definitely there before, 'Continuous review report', it was mainly there for reviewing players with 7 consecutive 0.1 increases.
 

D-S

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I thought that went out with the WHS.

Definitely there before, 'Continuous review report', it was mainly there for reviewing players with 7 consecutive 0.1 increases.
No such thing as the continuous review report anymore, although you can run the Handicap Review report at any time, over any time period, but you only are required to do one complete review per year. As you say Peer review can be done at anytime as can individual review. However I have never heard the advice to run a monthly review.
 

NearHull

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In my note book!! We were told this at the last WHS forum by Ruth Goodwin, Yorkshire EG handicap advisor. No idea if/where it’s written down anywhere else!
I could have asked this morning, I played in the group behind her.
 

ttupeerth

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So my understanding is that the only plausible explanation for such an increase would be a handicap review which, funnily enough, would be administered by the player himself.

Given the other M&H committee members have no knowledge of this increase, it would appear this member must have done it by themselves. I will put a letter in for the Committee to discuss at their next meeting.
 
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