Pairs Competitions, Full Handicap, 3/4 or the new 90% of the difference?

[Senseicads]

I've only been playing golf two months. I've just joined a club and I'm in the process of getting my handicap. One of the reasons of me joining a club was so I can take part in competitions. Currently, I am terrible. My best round was 103, my worst is 124. I am having lessons and I am definitely improving however I fully expect a 28 handicap when I get mine. Quite rightly too. However with the amount I am playing and the lessons, and the improvements I can already see, I am hoping to get under 100 soon! On a round last week I scored 48 out but then imploded on the back 9 with a 61(Three balls lost in water!! Eek!!) Am I likely to get people getting pissy with me about my handicap if I keep improving for a bit and I'm obviously playing better than my handicap each week which I'm hoping to do? What am I supposed to do about that? I mean I want to play competitive golf as well as social golf, it's one of the reasons I joined a club. Will people see me as being unfair? I'm probably over estimating how much I will improve like but it seems like a no win situation for a new person starting golf!

 

[Underwood74uk]

If you get a 28 handicap and then don't play in any comps until you have improved to say the standard of 22 and clean up in the Major board comps then you may get some ill feeling and sarcastic comments. My advice would be integrate yourself on the social side as much as possible, play with lots of different people and probably best start with the stableford comps where you can pick up on your bad holes.

If they see that you are improving then they won't begrudge you doing well but if you leave the clubhouse as soon as you finish your round then the resentment will be there.

 

[USER1999]

At what other sport would someone expect to be competitive only two months after taking it up?

 

[Slab]

At what other sport would someone expect to be competitive only two months after taking it up?

Skydiving

 

[woody69]

At what other sport would someone expect to be competitive only two months after taking it up?

Your point being? Why is it that golf has it wrong rather than the sports that don't enable a participant to be competitive as soon as possible?

 

[Crazyface]

The only option relates to introducing cat 5 fir competitions within your club (I'm guessing from your comments that this is unlikely at your club - but this will have a knock on to CSS when those 28.0 players who shouldn't be off 28 are included in the calculation ).

I confidentially predict it will be 100% in 4BB by 2020- CONGU bottled it initially due to the uninformed reactions to the overall system changes.
Lower handicaps still have a huge mate mathematical advantage in most forms of competition (obscene advantage in medal play).
New Zealand went to 100% many years ago and have been carefully monitoring results from clubs to see if the maths works out in practice - it does.
I play a lot of 4bb matches - about 40 a season, and statistically the lower handicaps win most of the time; the sad element is that when they loose it's always a talking point and it's always the opposition playing better than their handicaps (damm bandits. ..) rarely that they weren't on their game or that the others simply gelled better.

Having said all the above I do accept that none of the above can cover new entrants to the game or fast improves (juniors/life event etc) but this is where clubs do have options. Whether you wish to welcome new players or not is entirely up to you - personally I don't support any limits, restrictions etc (and we have juniors playing all events without restriction). I don't think you can talk inclusion on the one hand and then start applying arbitrary restrictions - there no more logic to 18 than 8.

what a brilliant post !!!!

 

[Underwood74uk]

The only 'Men Only' competition we have at our club is the singles where juniors have to be single figures to enter.

Our four other majors are all part of order of merit meaning Ladies can enter but it is a club rule to say that they can't go on the majors board.

The argument is that the Ladies have their own club championship which men obviously can't enter.

Do you think this is fair? My son plays at a different club and most comps he plays in are male only comps, as a junior he can only enter due to his handicap being less than 12.