Loss of competition handicap.

[Orikoru]

Nowadays there are phone apps that can keep an approximate unofficial handicap for you when you put all your scores in. A lot of people probably use those to keep their private games competitive when they don't have an active official handicap.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I think some people become obsessive about there own personal scores and stats, it always makes me laugh when someone tells me there own score when we’ve played 4BBB forgetting about all the putts they awarded themselves when the hole was lost or their partner was in.

That's something that has always baffled me.

Do they hole out on every hole regardless?
If so then 4BBB must become awfully slow and, in any event, putts after the hole has been decided hardly have any pressure attaching to them so pretty meaningless.

 

[jim8flog]

That's something that has always baffled me.

Do they hole out on every hole regardless?
If so then 4BBB must become awfully slow and, in any event, putts after the hole has been decided hardly have any pressure attaching to them so pretty meaningless.

I have mate who does that and keeps asking me my score when I have already picked knowing I cannot better my partners score.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

This is incorrect, as we have been informed by England golf, all players with a CONGU handicap will be given a Handicap Index.

According to rulefan this will be achieved by giving the players who have no scores since January 2018 3 scores equivalent to their current handicap.

If this is true it's a great shame in my opinion.

What is the point of trying to establish a new handicap system based on a new premis if you are just going to give people and artificial handicap as they can't be ******* to put in 3 cards in nearly 2 years.

If you don't want a handicap, fine. Don't degrade the system by giving people a false handicap for the rest of us who want to play competitive golf!

Rant over.

 

[jim8flog]

If this is true it's a great shame in my opinion.

What is the point of trying to establish a new handicap system based on a new premis if you are just going to give people and artificial handicap as they can't be ******* to put in 3 cards in nearly 2 years.

If you don't want a handicap, fine. Don't degrade the system by giving people a false handicap for the rest of us who want to play competitive golf!

Rant over.

When I initially published that players must put in 3 cards to get a Handicap Index there was a spat of complaints to the club manager with many threatening to leave the club if that was the case. There was also a lot who thought that we were the only club bringing in the new handicap system and there were going to go to another club where it was not happening.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

When I initially published that players must put in 3 cards to get a Handicap Index there was a spat of complaints to the club manager with many threatening to leave the club if that was the case. There was also a lot who thought that we were the only club bringing in the new handicap system and there were going to go to another club where it was not happening.

Did you mention to them that the earth was no longer flat?

 

[Old Skier]

Yes.
9 hole comps count in both the old and new systems.

9 hole qualifiers.

 

[MrC]

To me golf is unique and such a great game.

Firstly players with different abilities can come together and play the same course and in their own world. I mean if I play snooker with a friend of mine who is very good I feel like I am literally there to count for him....

Secondly there are handicaps and comps for those that want and there is social golf for those that prefer...

Thirdly as long as people follow etiquette we can all get along and enjoy being outside, playing a sport where ability doesn’t matter

 

[rosie]

This season is my 9th year of having a handicap, I enjoyed qualifiers to start with, then moved to a new club where I never felt my golf was quite good enough, heaped pressure on myself and stopped enjoying handicap comps. This season I was due to play a comp on a Saturday but was chatting to a friend the day before, who was off to a local course with a group of friends that he plays with a regular basis, he was looking forward to his game and I was dreading mine.
At this point I remembered that I was supposed to be enjoying my retirement, enjoying golf and being in the company of friends on the course. So I decided that I wouldn’t play any qualifiers this season and see how I feel next season. I’ve played in some team comps, a couple of opens and thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Having a rough idea of handicap has the benefit of being able to play anyone at matchplay anytime, anywhere.

1v1 matchplay is the truest form of the game and can be played up until your last putt on your last hole before you retire the clubs, put your feet up and look back on a happy golfing life.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Having a rough idea of handicap has the benefit of being able to play anyone at matchplay anytime, anywhere.

1v1 matchplay is the truest form of the game and can be played up until your last putt on your last hole before you retire the clubs, put your feet up and look back on a happy golfing life.

I thoroughly enjoyed singles matchplay during my competitive years.

However, the satisfaction of competing against a better player is somewhat tempered by the knowledge that one is only doing so because one's opponent is being handicapped.

In truth it's a little artificial. If you acknowledge that your opponent is a better golfer than yourself then, surely, the only time that victory is truly satisfying is if it is achieved off scratch.

 

[Orikoru]

I thoroughly enjoyed singles matchplay during my competitiv years.

However, the satisfaction of competing against a better player is somewhat tempered by the knowledge that one is only doing so because one's opponent is being handicapped.

In truth it's a little artificial.

I don't think that's true at all. Without handicaps there would hardly be any point in playing 60% of the matches. If you win it means you played better than your opponent relative to your normal standard. I don't think that's worth less just because he's normally better than you. That's golf.

On the flipside of course, you don't need handicaps to play a match with someone, you can obviously just agree how many shots are given based on how you perceive your abilities.

 

[Swango1980]

When I initially published that players must put in 3 cards to get a Handicap Index there was a spat of complaints to the club manager with many threatening to leave the club if that was the case. There was also a lot who thought that we were the only club bringing in the new handicap system and there were going to go to another club where it was not happening.

It's strange that players that can't put in 3 cards actually care enough about having a handicap index anyway.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

It's strange that players that can't put in 3 cards actually care enough about having a handicap index anyway.

Absolutely!

As I have said for me a handicap index is unwanted as it is irrelevant but if someone feels the need even if only for their social golf then at least submit the three cards.

 

[ScienceBoy]

you can obviously just agree how many shots are given based on how you perceive your abilities.

That’s how I’m doing it right now and its working well.

Played a mate and gave him 7 shots based on how good we think we are, I won it with a better tee shot on the last and he played well all round. I didn’t initially but my steady golf kept me in it.

 

[need_my_wedge]

It sounds like you've reached a kind of Golfing Nirvana. Most of us spend our golfing lives chasing the the dream of 'single figures' or 'Cat 1' or winning a major etc. All these this things are great but can lead to some epic temper tantrums or mood swings on course.

Where you are sounds great, just enjoying golf!

this.....

I'm slowly getting there too. Like many on here I'm pretty competitive, mostly with myself though. I got down to 13 a couple of years back and always felt I could get to single figures. However, the swing went bad, I didn't do anything about it so the handicap crept back to 15, now 16. It got to the point where I couldn't compete with anyone because I was actually playing to about 28.

I stopped playing comps and stopped playing in my Sunday swindle (where I played of 18) because I wasn't enjoying getting beaten up every time by the course, let alone coming last in the swindle every time. Have been playing a lot more social golf this year and enjoying it way more.

The problem is, i still think there is a better player in there somewhere, so I still punish myself in the swindle once a month, and still play the odd comp. I think I would be much happier though if I can get to the same point as the OP and purely play for fun without thinking about a handicap.

 

[jim8flog]

this.....

I'm slowly getting there too. Like many on here I'm pretty competitive, mostly with myself though. I got down to 13 a couple of years back and always felt I could get to single figures. However, the swing went bad, I didn't do anything about it so the handicap crept back to 15, now 16. It got to the point where I couldn't compete with anyone because I was actually playing to about 28.

I stopped playing comps and stopped playing in my Sunday swindle (where I played of 18) because I wasn't enjoying getting beaten up every time by the course, let alone coming last in the swindle every time. Have been playing a lot more social golf this year and enjoying it way more.

The problem is, i still think there is a better player in there somewhere, so I still punish myself in the swindle once a month, and still play the odd comp. I think I would be much happier though if I can get to the same point as the OP and purely play for fun without thinking about a handicap.

One of the hardest things in any sport is accepting that you are not as good as you once were.

There was time in my life when every single round was either to handicap or better, now I never know what is coming, worst this year being 15 shots over my handicap but it has not stopped my enjoyment of the game.