Lumbered with a low handicap!

[collins]

I moved club this year after being given a handicap of 9 at my old club (Blacknest near Farnham)to Goodwood. Since then I have not even come close to that h/c. 28pts being my best stableford score. Have gone up to 9.7 now but feel at best like a 12 handicapper. On tues this week I was 14 over my h/c in a medal round after not playing for 5 weeks!

2 reasons for this are less time playing and practicing due to faamily commitments and being given a low h/c on an easier course which does not transfer fairly to tougher challenges.

Am off on a society tour in 4 wks to play Formby, Wallasey and Hillside and they want to know our handicaps. Some of the other guys on tour are good players who keep their h/c's up a couple of strokes to give themselves a good chance but I feel it's gonna be tough for me on recent form.

Can you get a handicap reviewed or adjusted if you feel it is not accurate, does anyone have any thoughts or experiences on this.

 

[Smiffy]

Some of the other guys on tour are good players who keep their h/c's up a couple of strokes to give themselves a good chance

I'd be more inclined to try to get theirs down than mine up...tantamount to cheating that is!

I think an "in touch" secretary will bring a handicap down if your standard of play warrants it, but put a handicap out???
I doubt it very much.
If these guys you are going with are fair, couldn't you just appeal to their better nature, explain the situation, and hope that they could award you an extra couple of shots to give you a fair crack?
I know the mates I play regularly with would.
If they are decent blokes they should. If they don't then this, allied with the fact that a few of them are keeping their own handicaps artificially high to win a few games would see me looking for new mates to be honest.

 

[collins]

On tour the strugglers go up and the winners might get cut a shot after each round depending on how far adrift they are and it is all agreed by everyone which I think is fair.
So there is a bit of adjustment. I'm not gonna fall out with them as the whole spirit of the tour is for fun and banter!

But I feel a bit fed up looking at the results at Goodwood and seeing myself near the bottom of the pile. If I'd put my first 3 cards in from there I would be playing of 14 - 16! Which I wish I'd done instead of handing them my certificate from Blacknest!

 

[bobmac]

Collin, it seems to me that you feel that your initial handicap was issued at an inappropriate level and doesnt reflect your current playing ability and........you have the comp results to prove it.
You may be in luck.

Q. Clause 23.7 of the CONGU UHS states that 'In exceptional circumstances the Handicap Committee may adjust the handicap of a player in the period between Annual Reviews if there is compelling evidence that his Exact Handicap does not reflect his current playing ability'.

What are 'exceptional circumstances'?

A. Circumstances that may be regarded as 'exceptional' include:

Impaired golfing ability resulting from extended illness or injury.
The need to correct a handicap that was allocated at an inappropriate level.

http://www.congu.com/template1.asp?pid=234


Go and see your h/cap sec , explain the situation and back it up with comp results and see what he says.
Good luck

 

[SandyBalls]

If you consistently play inside or outside your handicap the Handicaps Committee at your club 'should' review this and you could gain as many as 4 shots at an annual review. Our club has these at Christmas time and start the new year with a change if its warranted. Keep trying but if you consistently score 20-30 point you should get an increase.

 

[RGDave]

This is an old chestnut. Go and talk to the secretary; explain your circumstances and ask for a re-think.
On planet RGDave, I would make it compulsory for new players to have their h'caps reviewed after 6 months of joining provided there are enough cards/scores to form a picture.

 

[Fyldewhite]

As above, the committee always have the power to adjust if they think your handicap doesn't reflect playing ability up or down but the Annual Review advice specifically mentions newly allocated handicaps and to ensure that they look to be right. Problem is that players who don't play in comps can get missed.... but there again that's their fault. You have to be playing regularly for the computer to flag you up and to give the committee the evidence they need to justify the adjustment. They will rarely do so just on word alone.....again quite rightly.

 

[collins]

I rang one of the h/c secs today and it is being looked into already. I got the impression it could go up 3-4 shots but will wait and see.

Mentioned it to one of the tour bandits(!) - who won it last year and has come down one shot and he got all grumpy and said we can't have you going up more than 1 shot! I said we'll see what my new handicap certificate says when I bring it!

Thanks guys for all the replies.I really appreciate your help as I just thought I was gonna keep struggling on handing in cards and watching my handicap rise for along time - but I will be trying my best to start getting it to fall as the target still remains to be a single figure player!

Will let you know what the new h/c they give me is and how I fair off it in next tuesdays medal.

All the Best
Ali

 

[daymond]

This post confirms my view that we should have the US slope rating system. Looked up the USGA web site; very interesting. Will we ever do it? Pigs might fly.

 

[Bigfoot]

This backs up my previous posts. Slope allows handicaps to be transported from course to course - you get fewer shots on an easier course and more on a more difficult one.

 

[GRAEMBO]

My older brother is in the exact same boat as yourself mate.

He was given 10 to start with, and hasnt held once, causing a rise in handicap to somewhere around 12, costing him a good 15quid in medal fees!!

We reckon due to my older brother and myself being fairly decent players, his bad scores were given a body swerve and his one good score, a 10 over 79 off the foward tees was used to calculate his handicap!

I will bring the rule pointed out above to his attention!