My Handicap in Sweden and England

[Laka]

My Hcp in Sweden is 16 and this season we for the first time became overseas member at a club in England. We have send them our swedish Hcp. I noticed they have given me a Hcp 11 !! To be honest, i dont have the capacity to play on that Hcp. But its funny that it can differ so much between countries. So what shall i do... play a comp at the english club in sep and really show them that im not a hcp 11 player or shall i have a discussion with them and have a more realistic Hcp?

 

[G1BB0]

Laka, didnt you come over and play several courses here? Did you play to 16 or more like 11?

Personally if I knew it was too strict I would enquire why 11 was given. they may just be trying it on to prevent a bandit turning up from overseas lol.

 

[Laka]

Laka, didnt you come over and play several courses here? Did you play to 16 or more like 11?

Personally if I knew it was too strict I would enquire why 11 was given. they may just be trying it on to prevent a bandit turning up from overseas lol.

Yes we have played several courses in England, but when we are on golf vacation, we dont note scores on our vacation, we only play and enjoy the courses and the lovely surrondings, We dont want to focus on the scores, we like to focus on being on vacation and enjoy golf,, as it was meant to be....on links courses,, Well this bandit is thinking of join a comp in sep over there, so i guess it will be a hcp correction then...

 

[Doh]

I don't really know the rules on overseas members handicaps but in all fairness it should be your home club that manages your handicap. So I don't know why they have given you a lower handicap, maybe they feel your system is generous. Are you able to play in club comps whilst you are over here?

 

[upsidedown]

Surprised you have been given 11.

When we moved back from NZ , Congu wouldn't accept my handicap as it was worked out under the USPGA system and I had to put 3 cards in .

 

[Laka]

I don't really know the rules on overseas members handicaps but in all fairness it should be your home club that manages your handicap. So I don't know why they have given you a lower handicap, maybe they feel your system is generous. Are you able to play in club comps whilst you are over here?

yes i think i can play club comps

 

[rosecott]

My Hcp in Sweden is 16 and this season we for the first time became overseas member at a club in England. We have send them our swedish Hcp. I noticed they have given me a Hcp 11 !! To be honest, i dont have the capacity to play on that Hcp. But its funny that it can differ so much between countries. So what shall i do... play a comp at the english club in sep and really show them that im not a hcp 11 player or shall i have a discussion with them and have a more realistic Hcp?

That sounds as if it's another case of a club making up rules on the hoof. I may be wrong and the club has taken advice from the County or National Union but I would have thought that the submission of 3 cards and take account of the Swedish handicap.

This is what the CONGU manual has to say on "comparable handicaps" between different systems:

Q3. A player spends f ive months in Portugal where he is a member of a club and he plays frequently in
competitions regulated by the EGA Handicapping System. His CONGU® Exact Handicap when he left
for Portugal was 13.7. On return he reported his EGA Exact Handicap was 12.4. Should a General Play
Adjustment be applied to reduce his CONGU® Exact Handicap to 12.4?
A3. No, not directly.Because of differences in the operation of the two handicap systems, an EGA Exact
Handicap is not directly comparable to a CONGU® Exact Handicap.
The player should be requested to return his current EGA Handicap Certificate to his Home Club.
This will detail the player’s EGA Exact Handicap and the Slope Rating from the competition tees
at his Portuguese golf club. The following formula should be used to determine the ‘Comparable
Exact Handicap’ that applies to his club golf in Portugal:
‘Comparable Exact Handicap’ = EGA Exact Handicap x (Slope Rating of Competition Course/113)
For example if the EGA Exact Handicap is 2.4 and the Slope Rating is 27, the ‘Comparable
Exact Handicap’ is: 2.4 x ( 27/ 3) = 3.9.
A difference between the ‘Comparable Exact Handicap’ and the CONGU® Exact Handicap of
within plus or minus 2.0 strokes is considered acceptable. A General Play Adjustment may be
considered if the difference is more than 2.0 strokes above or below.


A difference of 5 between 16 and 11 does seem excessive.

 

[patricks148]

We have a couple of American guys at my club that have houses in Nairn and spend 3 months here each summer. Both of them have different handicaps. Put in 3 cards and play in comps every week. both have more or less the same handicap as at home.

 

[woody69]

How are handicaps calculated in Sweden? What are the differences?

 

[duncan mackie]

How are handicaps calculated in Sweden? What are the differences?

the most important difference is that they are course related not course normalised (as in CONGU)

so a 16 handicap at course A might be off 14 or 18 at course B depending on the relative index (easy way to think about this is to consider a player who can play to 16 over par at a 7300 yd par 72 then goes and play at a 6200 yd par 72 course - they are going to have a handicap of less than 16 playing that course!)

as rosecott has pointed out, it's hard to see how 16 goes to 11

 

[heronsghyll]

I can accept our systems are different to Sweden, as they are to the USA. Course indexing is not applied over here. However, whenever I play in the USA, or abroad anywhere, I always use my official handicap. It is never adjusted as I don't play or am assessed to that type of system. So It would seem the same should be applied in reverse. If you have a handicap, and it official, from your club in Sweden - then that should be it for your starting point. If its wrong, over time you will be adjusted.

I would question the secretary as to why you have been given an 11 handicap, as I am sure you are allowed to at least ask politely.

Then if not happy with the reasoning, I would ask for it to be removed and then submit 3 cards as if you were a new member without a handicap for Congu accreditation and handicap status. The hold 2 separate handicaps, one for the UK and one for Sweden.

If still not happy, go join another club.

 

[duncan mackie]

How are handicaps calculated in Sweden? What are the differences?

then there's

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?52234-CONGU-v-USGA

EGA similar to USGA

 

[woody69]

then there's

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?52234-CONGU-v-USGA

EGA similar to USGA

I started that thread Still don't know why there isn't a world normalised system for a world game.

 

[duncan mackie]

I started that thread Still don't know why there isn't a world normalised system for a world game.

I know - and there will be