Playing to Handicap

[rulefan]

I found this from an old CONGU notification.

Q: How often should you beat your handicap?

A: Not often. In fact, you should average about three shots higher than your handicap.

For example, if you have a handicap of 16, and the SSS is 71, you should average 90, not 87. More than half of your scores should be within three strokes of three over your handicap (87 to 93 in this example).
Most golfers beat their handicap (86 or better in this example) only 20 percent of the time and beat it by three strokes one out of every 20 rounds.
For a person with a handicap of 16 to break 80 (beat his handicap by eight strokes), the odds are 1,138 to 1. To do it twice, it would take the average golfer more than 700 years. In other words, it won’t happen.

 

[Dannyj1984]

Last season's I was within 1 shot of my handicap 35-37 points about 80% of the time. I had 6 rounds below my handicap and a couple higher. Got down from 12->9

My 8 rounds since lockdown have been terrible. Last 5 rounds have been well well below my hcp yesterday was +22!!!

I usually play 2-3 times a week but at the moment can only play once a week on a Saturday in a comp so no practice.

 

[NearHull]

I found this from an old CONGU notification.

Q: How often should you beat your handicap?

A: Not often. In fact, you should average about three shots higher than your handicap.

For example, if you have a handicap of 16, and the SSS is 71, you should average 90, not 87. More than half of your scores should be within three strokes of three over your handicap (87 to 93 in this example).
Most golfers beat their handicap (86 or better in this example) only 20 percent of the time and beat it by three strokes one out of every 20 rounds.
For a person with a handicap of 16 to break 80 (beat his handicap by eight strokes), the odds are 1,138 to 1. To do it twice, it would take the average golfer more than 700 years. In other words, it won’t happen.

Thank you, this is a straight forward answer to my op.

 

[Backsticks]

I found this from an old CONGU notification.

Q: How often should you beat your handicap?

A: Not often. In fact, you should average about three shots higher than your handicap.

For example, if you have a handicap of 16, and the SSS is 71, you should average 90, not 87. More than half of your scores should be within three strokes of three over your handicap (87 to 93 in this example).
Most golfers beat their handicap (86 or better in this example) only 20 percent of the time and beat it by three strokes one out of every 20 rounds.
For a person with a handicap of 16 to break 80 (beat his handicap by eight strokes), the odds are 1,138 to 1. To do it twice, it would take the average golfer more than 700 years. In other words, it won’t happen.

I have similar stats somewhere but cant find them. As far as I remember, the three shots is the mean, but it varies according to handicap by approx hc/5. So the average is indeed about 3 shots, and is for a 15 handicapper. A 5hc will be more like 1 shot below, a 25 hc about 5 shots below.
That your handicap isnt your mean score is a weakness in understanding of the congu system (and an issue that still remains in the WHS). So many people judge the correctness of their hc on whether they average it, even if they play off 20. SO generally have a feeling of not being able to play to their hc. In turn, it leads and justifies in their minds anyway, some of the banditry.

 

[rulefan]

(and an issue that still remains in the WHS).

Yes. Many don't recognise that the average of the best 8 is not the same as the average of the last 8, (or 20 or 30 or .....)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

37pts stableford yesterday - hit a couple or three stinkers but got away with them all. Didn’t go into a bunker and holed a couple of good long birdie putts, and a couple dropping in the side door for pars. My five 1 pointers? Just silly careless mistakes. No bad kicks or any form of bad luck - and got a few good and lucky breaks.

And so I play to my handicap. Which for me in practice that’s what 37 Pts is for me.

 

[SammmeBee]

37pts stableford yesterday - hit a couple or three stinkers but got away with them all. Didn’t go into a bunker and holed a couple of good long birdie putts, and a couple dropping in the side door for pars. My five 1 pointers? Just silly careless mistakes. No bad kicks or any form of bad luck - and got a few good and lucky breaks.

And so I play to my handicap. Which for me in practice that’s what 37 Pts is for me.

But what tees did you play from and what was the CSS.......?! ? ?

Well played - always good to beat your handicap as much as play to it #36points

 

[SammmeBee]

Obviously it was 1 under par ?‍

Or if he wasn't in a comp, SSS is 1 under.

Do you genuinely not understand or do you think people are making it up?
You're making yourself look really stupid.

Or if it was the yellows then it was 2 under......allegedly.....but 37 is certainly a handicap breaker.....any claim that 35 points is playing to your handicap would be laughed out of any golf club bar!

 

[Backsticks]

From an SGU analysis some years ago.
Interesing points:
The Cat 1 golfers average two higher than their HC.
The Cat 4 golfers average six higher than their HC
Both are pretty much normal curves, with Cat1 having a narrower band - more consistent as one might expect.
Cat4 beat CSS approx 10% of rounds, and equal or better it approx 13% of rounds.
Cat1 beat CSS approx 21% of rounds, and equal or better it approx 32% of rounds.
Cat 2 and Cat 3 are line with those two extremes.

 

[rosecott]

Or if it was the yellows then it was 2 under......allegedly.....but 37 is certainly a handicap breaker.....any claim that 35 points is playing to your handicap would be laughed out of any golf club bar!

Playing to handicap at Sherwood Forest, Yellows 36 points, Whites 34 points, Championships 32 points

Playing to handicap at Hollinwell, Yellows 35 points, Whites 33 points, Blues 32 points

 

[SammmeBee]

Playing to handicap at Sherwood Forest, Yellows 36 points, Whites 34 points, Championships 32 points

Playing to handicap at Hollinwell, Yellows 35 points, Whites 33 points, Blues 32 points

I don’t think SILH was playing either of them......

Also why don’t you mention the red tees? Something we don’t know about?!

 

[SammmeBee]

What's the SSS off the junior tees you play off? ?

I don’t think they are measured......

 

[Soft hands]

I imagine this has already been talked about, but how can recreational rounds contribute to handicap under WHS?

 

[Rlburnside]

It’s just like a supplementary but in a different name.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

'

Or if it was the yellows then it was 2 under......allegedly.....but 37 is certainly a handicap breaker.....any claim that 35 points is playing to your handicap would be laughed out of any golf club bar!

As it happens I would consider myself playing my handicap 'standard' golf if I score anything between 34 and 37 pts. The difference comes down to luck and not how I play. I am more concerned about the 'standard' of my golf at the moment as I have been playing very poorly for quite some time and I want to get back to play my handicap 'standard' golf - so in that respect 34pts would have been as good for me as 37pts. That I got 37pts is obviously pleasing, but I know it was with just about everything going my way

BTW- it was off our back tees, and as only 4 out of the 43 players playing in our roll-up scored 36pts or more I doubt the CSS (if we bothered working one out - for the roll-up we don't bother) would be less than our par of 72 (SS of course is 72). Will be interested to see what the rest of the membership playing in the competition scored.

 

[rulefan]

I imagine this has already been talked about, but how can recreational rounds contribute to handicap under WHS?

Pre-declaration and compulsory return of score.