Is this cheating 2

[User 99]

As a roll on from the other topic I'm interested to hear views on this, I've worked bloody hard to get down to Cat 1 this year and am currently sitting 5.3 and want to remain cat 1 til end of season, which I'll explain why in a sec.

I only play Saturday/Wednesday and there is only two more Wednesday comps and 6 more Sats but I can't make at least two of the Sats, so essentially at most I can play 6 more qualifiers this season.

I want to remain cat 1 due to entry in certain comps that come up for entry over the Winter though obviously not played in Winter as it will boost my chances of entry, so am I cheating by not entering the qualifiers that are left to protect my handicap but in the opposite way from the previous topic ??

I do hope that all makes sense.

 

[duncan mackie]

Completely unrelated to the post you reference.

You have no basis to expect your handicap to either go up, or go down, as a result of anticipated scoring in the period you reference.

Basically you are avoiding Q rounds as a risk avoidance play rather than one based on manipulating your handicap to the detriment of others.

You certainly aren't alone; happens all the time and, arguably, its most prevent at elite amateur level!

You will gain confidence in your ability to play at this new level over time; you have to or you will spend the rest of your golfing career on the margins of cat 1 (well at least until the end of 2019 when cat 1 disappears!)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Get what you are saying and understand the reasoning behind it. Personally, and it's just my point of view, I'd be entering as many comps as I could, certainly the next one as you'd only go to 5.4. What's to say it won't go the other way and you get a cut to cement your chances of entering other events?

 

[shortgame]

👆👆 What Duncan said 👍👍

 

[User 99]

Completely unrelated to the post you reference.

You have no basis to expect your handicap to either go up, or go down, as a result of anticipated scoring in the period you reference.

Basically you are avoiding Q rounds as a risk avoidance play rather than one based on manipulating your handicap to the detriment of others.

You certainly aren't alone; happens all the time and, arguably, its most prevent at elite amateur level!

You will gain confidence in your ability to play at this new level over time; you have to or you will spend the rest of your golfing career on the margins of cat 1 (well at least until the end of 2019 when cat 1 disappears!)

I'm not entirely sure whether you are endorsing what I'm thinking or criticising it but at a guess are you saying bash on, you just never know, what will be will be ??

 

[3565]

I’d say no. I’d be the same if I knew that it would boost my chances of entry. If the entry is going to be against the better players in your club it will only make you play better yourself.
An old coach said to me, hcs don’t work, if they did you’d all be shooting the same score, play better golf and that will take care of your hc.

 

[duncan mackie]

I'm not entirely sure whether you are endorsing what I'm thinking or criticising it but at a guess are you saying bash on, you just never know, what will be will be ??

Neither.

I understand it; you aren't the first, and won't be the last. It's a recognised phenomenan based on timing and future entry criteria.

If you had got to 5.3 in June you would have simply gone on playing and may, or may not, have ended up in the same place.

 

[Hobbit]

Not cheating but do you want to spend the winter playing off a handicap you struggle with? What fun would there be in, potentially, staying artificially low and struggling to play to it.

I'd just go out and play the next few comps with the mindset of getting lower. If it doesn't happen, and you go up, you'll then be playing off a handicap that reflects your ability.

 

[User 99]

Winter handicap means nothing, certainly nothing to me as we just play in our own 4 ball match every Saturday.

 

[Jamesbrown]

Your only cheating yourself here. Personally I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my head that I protected my handicap to enter a competition.
But in hindsight people play a lot less qualifiers than me so what are they?

 

[Siren]

Not cheating at all, I know a number of + handicappers who only play in board qualifiers each year to maintain handicap.

 

[User 99]

Your only cheating yourself here. Personally I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my head that I protected my handicap to enter a competition.
But in hindsight people play a lot less qualifiers than me so what are they?

It would only be protecting it til the season started again, it's not like I'm protecting it to win a competition.

 

[Imurg]

So there's a difference between not playing qualifiers in order to keep your handicap high and not playing qualifiers in order to keep your handicap low.....
One is handicap protection and the other is....handicap protection......

 

[rosecott]

Not cheating at all, I know a number of + handicappers who only play in board qualifiers each year to maintain handicap.

And how are they any different to any other golfer doing the same thing?

 

[Tommo21]

No not cheating at all. You only need to play a few per year to keep an active handicap. Because there's more comps on the horizon doesn't mean you have to play them. If you want to stay at 5 then use the rest of the season to hone your game.

 

[bladeplayer]

So there's a difference between not playing qualifiers in order to keep your handicap high and not playing qualifiers in order to keep your handicap low.....
One is handicap protection and the other is....handicap protection......

phew I thought I was only one thinking this . Probably not as frowned upon as the other case but doing something on purpose to maintain a handicap that does not reflect ability is cheating .
As for cheating only ur self what if maintaining a falsely low handicap keeps another player out of a comp they genuinely should be in (over here there are elite comps with limited numbers often with reserve list ) it's not right ,
not as frowned upon as first one but in reality what is the difference .?

 

[User 99]

phew I thought I was only one thinking this . Probably not as frowned upon as the other case but doing something on purpose to maintain a handicap that does not reflect ability is cheating .
As for cheating only ur self what if maintaining a falsely low handicap keeps another player out of a comp they genuinely should be in (over here there are elite comps with limited numbers often with reserve list ) it's not right ,
not as frowned upon as first one but in reality what is the difference .?

That's an interesting take on things, so lets say I hurt my back and am out til mid October, what then ? If I then enter said comp over Winter, am I still keeping someone else out ?

As it stands, I'm a cat one, there is nothing to say if I play all 6 quals I may get cut further, afterall, I've played well enough to get there in the first place.

 

[patricks148]

phew I thought I was only one thinking this . Probably not as frowned upon as the other case but doing something on purpose to maintain a handicap that does not reflect ability is cheating .
As for cheating only ur self what if maintaining a falsely low handicap keeps another player out of a comp they genuinely should be in (over here there are elite comps with limited numbers often with reserve list ) it's not right ,
not as frowned upon as first one but in reality what is the difference .?

if he isn't entering any comps how is he keeping someone else from getting in a comp.

Not cheating IMO, it not like the other instance where they are playing well below there current handicap but are not playing in comps in order to do well in a MP comp. some may frown upon it, but not the same thing

 

[Deleted member 16999]

That's an interesting take on things, so lets say I hurt my back and am out til mid October, what then ? If I then enter said comp over Winter, am I still keeping someone else out ?

As it stands, I'm a cat one, there is nothing to say if I play all 6 quals I may get cut further, afterall, I've played well enough to get there in the first place.

You’re not injured though and if you were confident of playing qualifiers and keeping or even lowering your handicap you wouldn’t of started the thread.
Personally, as much as we are amatuers, why shouldn’t you plan your season and goals accordingly.
You’ve worked hard to get were you are, relax, sit back, practise hard and look forward to the Cat 1 comps you plan to enter.

 

[User 99]

You’re not injured though and if you were confident of playing qualifiers and keeping or even lowering your handicap you wouldn’t of started the thread.
Personally, as much as we are amatuers, why shouldn’t you plan your season and goals accordingly.
You’ve worked hard to get were you are, relax, sit back, practise hard and look forward to the Cat 1 comps you plan to enter.

I'll be honest, I'm too competitive to sit out comps, I will play in all those that are left that I can, I started the topic to see what the response would be in relation to the other topic.