If they scrap the handicap system would you still play the same amount of golf?

[Slab]

Posted in another thread but on reflection it might make a good topic on its own...

So comps etc still exist but everyone is off scratch

If yes/no then why?

I would say yes as my golf is all about besting my own previous score &/or the course or hole I'm playing (even if its a comp)


Edit: I'd ask you to think a little before answering as I guess anyone off double figures is never likely to 'place' in a comp ever again (and that includes me)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Comp golf is comp golf and I go out with the intention of shooting the best score I can every time I play. Yes I'd get fed up of having little chance to win off scratch but it wouldn't deter me

 

[Mail Man]

It's never going to happen so not really a valid question.

 

[road2ruin]

I'd continue to play although the club would have to stop the entry fee for comps as no one would bother if they had to.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yep would still go out and hit the little white ball into the hole :thup:

 

[Birchy]

No because it stops being competitive when only 2 or 3 people can win.

I like to rock up to a comp thinking this week could be the one etc.

 

[19thagain]

Whilst I agree that it is never going to happen,, the plus three boy would have his name on every board, people like me, being a wee bit competitive, would cease playing due to being an also ran every weekend,

I do subscribe to competitions during the year being off scratch to sort out the Cat one pecking order but on that day I am playing an open elsewhere, with my clubhouse losing the normal trade from us lesser mortals.


Clubs would go bust and pay and play would maybe be healthier.

So the answer to the OP is no.

 

[mab]

Absolutely.

In all honesty, if I ever 'beat' friends off a lower handicap in a game or 'win' a competition, I always feel slightly awkward anyway that I've 'won' even though I took more shots than someone else.

 

[HickoryShaft]

No I would probably give competitions a wide berth.

We do most medals in divisions anyway so I am usually competing against similar handicap players, I don't set out thinking I will win my division (even if is ultimately what you are aiming for) but I do always set out with the intention of getting my handicap down. The additional pressure of holding a decent round together is important for me - I can and have shot better scores in bounce games but not really a true test of my game under pressure .

Some of my favorite games have been matchplay with both higher and lower HC's - having the ability to play against all levels makes it attractive - without that whats the point of playing someone you are always going to loose to or always going to beat?

 

[Siren]

I would play as often as I do now but I admit I probably would not play in that many competitions as they would be pretty pointless at my current club.

 

[patricks148]

I raised the same question a few years ago and it was a resounding no.

But, i would still play i enjoy shooting as low as i can each week and when i started i didn't know anything about handicaps, thats not why i took up golf, it was to get as good as i could.

 

[c1973]

I would still play although I realise I wouldn't be in with a chance of winning. It wouldn't bother me too much as my mindset is usually 'me v course' anyway.

 

[cookelad]

I would as I'm only really playing against myself/the course anyway!

As someone else said the courses would have to drop the entrance fees for comps as no-one beyond a small group of low single figure and better golfers would play!

I reckon swindles would continue using some sort of handicapping system just to keep them together!

 

[guest100718]

Id still play the same amount.

 

[Stuey01]

I'd still play golf, but as others I wouldn't be paying to enter comps whose winnings were going to the same few chaps each week. What would be the point of funding them? They already get to compete for lowest gross and take a regular chunk out of the 2's pot.

 

[BoadieBroadus]

i don't care particularly about winning comps, but i do care about beating my handicap whenever i can.

if that was effectively taken away i'd fear that i'd lose a little bit of interest and possibly play a little less. only a little though.

 

[mcbroon]

I'd still play. I never play hoping to win anyway, I play hoping to get as good as I can get and get my h/c cut.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

I don't think it would change me at all.

I barely play comps. I play a lot of social golf either with one mate at my own course, or with my group of mates at different courses. Although our handicaps playing together were originally based on our official handicaps, we have now narrowed it down such that these have been adjusted based on a number of rounds, to make it a more even playing field!

So if the official system was scrapped, I would still just use my social handicap

 

[Curls]

I go out to win but in reality rarely get anywhere close, winning for me is getting cut, so I would miss that aspect of competitive golf if they just scraped handicaps. Every week would be about shooting your lowest score ever, would become tiresome quickly enough I'd imagine cos you're only going to have 1 or 2 rounds a year when you go really low compared to your current h/c. In a medal if you got 3 holes in and were having a mare there's little to keep you out there, whereas with a h/c you're trying to get shots back to buffer even if you know the win isn't possible.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Yes. My view on this is well-known. Comps should be won by the best player on the day. I may not stand much chance of winning but when I did, I'd know I was the best on that day. Even now, getting the lowest gross in a comp would mean more to me than winning.

That said, scrapping handicaps would leave very few people to compete with and would destroy club golf.