Initial handicap

[Deleted member 21258]

How has your handicap changed since you got the 10?

Not really, quite a number of plus .1, think one buffer and one very good round which was large cut, which means I am now 9.7. Struggling to play to it really (did used to play to a better standard going back 12 years or so ago tbh, if only I could find that game again!).

I assume your a member at Garons in shoebury, played many a round there when I took up the game 17 years ago. Played it in February17 again and was quite surprised with all the changes made there(course and clubhouse). Hows it playing at the moment ?

 

[jhills89]

Not really, quite a number of plus .1, think one buffer and one very good round which was large cut, which means I am now 9.7. Struggling to play to it really (did used to play to a better standard going back 12 years or so ago tbh, if only I could find that game again!).

I assume your a member at Garons in shoebury, played many a round there when I took up the game 17 years ago. Played it in February17 again and was quite surprised with all the changes made there(course and clubhouse). Hows it playing at the moment ?

I am, only been playing the game 4 years so its my first membership I have ever had and worth every penny. Course is in fantastic condition. Greens are running true and extremely fast. Only played it for the first time the day I became a member but from what I have been told it has come on a lot over the last few years.

Great layout with 27 holes now so means I can always change up the combination I play

 

[94tegsi]

To those who are new to golf - or to official handicaps - always worth remembering that although you hand in three cards, it is only the best one (after the "double bogey adjustment") that gets used. One may wonder why you need to submit three in that case, but really it's only to demonstrate that the card is indeed the best of three.

Wow. So, if I handed in 3x cards of 80, 95 and 95 (which is quite possible for me) on a par 72 course. They would calculate my handicap as 8 x 0.9135 and give me a handicap of circa 7??

I'd never be able to play to that consistently!

 

[backwoodsman]

Wow. So, if I handed in 3x cards of 80, 95 and 95 (which is quite possible for me) on a par 72 course. They would calculate my handicap as 8 x 0.9135 and give me a handicap of circa 7??

I'd never be able to play to that consistently!

Could well be !!

For those of us in the mid to high categories, we quite frequently chuck in a disastrous hole or two. So, if you have a card of, say, 18 over SSS, then rounding those disasters down to a mere double bogey can easily mean your handicap could be looking like 14/15 rather than 18.

 

[SteveJay]

I encountered a similar scenario. Submitted 3 cards, all in roll ups where I had played to 18 in the last 2 (and was 3rd in the last one when they let me play off 18).

With the adjustments and the algorithm mentioned above, I worked out I would be about 16, so was surprised when I was allocated 14, having never played to that level!

To make matters worse (although don't get me wrong, I have the potential to play to 14 or less), those cards were in Winter, off yellows with preferred lies. The last couple of competitions/roll ups have not seen me anywhere near my handicap and I am expecting another +1 this weekend.

Ironically I did play in a work Society comp at an away course and scored 34 and 35, so maybe its not too far out.
Concur that it is frustrating knowing you have no realistic chance of competing in a club comp though.

 

[94tegsi]

Could well be !!

For those of us in the mid to high categories, we quite frequently chuck in a disastrous hole or two. So, if you have a card of, say, 18 over SSS, then rounding those disasters down to a mere double bogey can easily mean your handicap could be looking like 14/15 rather than 18.

And 14/15 would seem fair enough to me given the above. But if I did happen to throw in one of my good rounds that seem to happen in around once every 10-12 rounds, I would likely have a lifetime of HC increases..

 

[louise_a]

Out of interest, when was this algorithm introduced? I have a mate who had a new handicap a few months ago, want to check whether this method was used. Thanks

I don't know as I have only been doing handicaps since the beginning of last season, but it was in last years CONGU manual. so at least since 2016.

 

[MartynB]

Sorry to thread-jack. I play social golf and we all play off 18 stableford. I don't belong to a club and am not bothered about competitions etc. Wondering what my handicap would be based on these last 3 rounds all at different but familiar course and all from the yellow tees.

85 at par 72 with a SSS of 69 and nothing over double bogey.
83 at par 67 with a SSS of 65 and nothing over double bogey.
89 at par 70 with a SSS of 68 and just the one triple.

 

[jhills89]

Sorry to thread-jack. I play social golf and we all play off 18 stableford. I don't belong to a club and am not bothered about competitions etc. Wondering what my handicap would be based on these last 3 rounds all at different but familiar course and all from the yellow tees.

85 at par 72 with a SSS of 69 and nothing over double bogey.
83 at par 67 with a SSS of 65 and nothing over double bogey.
89 at par 70 with a SSS of 68 and just the one triple.

would be a 12 I would of thought

 

[MartynB]

would be a 12 I would of thought

I thought similar, seems low for my crappy swing though.

 

[jim8flog]

Hello newbie here.

The biggest error most new players make in calculating there approximate handicaps is assuming it is based against the par of a course. It is calculated against the Standard Scratch Score (SSS) for the course.
The adjustment for ladies is 3 not 2

From the manual

1. Adjust any score of more than 2 over par for men and 3 over Par for women at
any hole to 2 [3] over par respectively.
2. Add the nine-hole scores (if applicable) to make up 18-hole equivalents in
chronological order. If a club has more than one
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]Designated Nine-Hole[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]Courses
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic][/FONT][/FONT]each pair of nine-hole scores must be returned over courses having
the same
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]Designated Nine-Hole [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic][/FONT][/FONT]SSSs for the gender of player concerned.
3. Calculate the Adjusted Gross Differential (‘AGD‘) scores from the three 18 hole
(or 18-hole equivalent) scores; these scores being calculated by comparing
the returns relative to the SSS’s of the courses/tees used:
AGD = Adjusted Gross Score – SSS for the course/tees used
Determine the Lowest Adjusted Gross Differential (‘LAGD‘) from the three
Adjusted Gross Differentials
4. Reduce the resulting LAGD according to the formula;
Initial Handicap = (LAGD + (LAGD*0.13))/ 1.237 truncated to provide a whole
number.
For example, a player with a Lowest Adjusted Gross Differential of 31 is
allotted an initial handicap of 28 (which is recorded as an
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]Exact Handicap [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic][/FONT][/FONT]of
28.0) as shown below:
Initial Handicap = (31 + (31*0.13)/1.237
= (31 + 4.03)/1.237
= (35.03/1.237)
= 28.31 truncated to 28 and recorded as an Exact Handicap of
28.0.
After these adjustments have been made the whole number
[FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic]Exact Handicap [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Italic][FONT=Arial,Italic][/FONT][/FONT]shall,
subject to the provisions of Clauses 16.3(c) and 16.3(e), be allotted.