Men vs Women hcp

[matriga]

Hi there, had a chat with a friend today.
We ended up arguing (in a friendly way surely) about whether or not a woman and a man both playing off 5 hcp had the same ability/level. Now I thought that was a nice subject for a conversation.
What do you think about it?

Imo if both of them shoot +5 on the same course, both teeing off from their respective tees (i.e. adapted to their distance) then it is a fair game. He said it wasn't, because not only teeing further is harder, but the men's tees aren't always in a favorable position to get to the green in comparison to the women's tees. Fair point I guess..

 

[In_The_Rough]

Tough one but a good question. Mens tees are usually I find in much harder positions compared to womens. So overall I would say a man off 5 would be a better player

 

[duncan mackie]

they have the same relative ability - they do not have the same absolute ability.

there really isn't anything to discuss 'cos it's a fact - and your post already covers the reasons.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

When my daughter was about 13 we both played off 4 handicap for around a year.
If we went out for a knock we would both play off the yellow tees and it was nearly always a close game.
If we played off the mens whites I would have expected to beat her, if we played off the red tees I would have expected her to beat me.

Bottom line is that men and women play different courses and the difference of the SSS defines the difference in the handicap, either up or down.

So if a 5 handicap woman playing on a SSS 70 course plays against a 5 handicap man playing on a SSS 71 course the woman would give the man a shot.