Playing to your handicap..how often?

[Bunkermagnet]

So the question is, how often should you play to your handicap?
I was always under the impression about say 10-25% of the time, but I get many a different answer.
So what is the correct answer, and more importantly what are your thoughts on the matter.

 

[Hovisbap]

I just looked at my stats for this year so far.

53 rounds - 11 rounds equal to or better than handicap (approx 21%)

An additional 17 rounds in buffer (approx 50%)

But I think you'll get many, many difference answers / opinions on this, as I don't think there is a definitive answer

 

[Dasit]

Checking howdidido for my comp rounds,

Played 18 comps, 9 have been better than handicap, 6 worse, and 3 have played to exact handicap.

So 66% to handicap or better.


Although CSS at my club is usually 1 or 2 below par, so to get a cut have to beat handicap by 3 shots most the time.

 

[duncan mackie]

It's easy to work it out using the handicapping formulae, and you will immediately see that it varies significantly across the handicap range.

Basically if a cat 1 golfer doesn't do it approaching half the time he plays his handicap will increase. A cat 4 could do it well under 25% and still remain static!

 

[jim8flog]

4 times (all play) and just once in competition (24 rounds) during the past year for me but I know I am getting worse as I get older.

Previous good year probably about once in every 5 or 6 rounds.

Handicap varied between 6.7 and 9.6 over the past year.

 

[TheJezster]

I get frustrated every round I don't play to handicap. Just checked results for this year, played 11 and buffer or better 7 times.

 

[Foxholer]

It's easy to work it out using the handicapping formulae, and you will immediately see that it varies significantly across the handicap range.

Basically if a cat 1 golfer doesn't do it approaching half the time he plays his handicap will increase. A cat 4 could do it well under 25% and still remain static!

Er... Not quite! in fact your maths is seriously faulty!

That calc you state doesn't have any consideration for how many times they play above their handicap, but within buffer!

Nor does it consider how far below CSS they play! It's only ever +0.1, but 2 or more below CSS will have a huge effect - and would require a far greater number above buffer to 'balance' the handicap! Same applies, to a lesser extent to cat 1, 2 and 3 too!

As to the actual percentage, it's actually impossible to predict, simply 'observe'! Even for Cat 1s, there are 'Wild Willies' and 'Steady Eddies' who will have different 'score cf handicap' attributes!

 

[LincolnShep]

Of 27 rounds in 2017...

• 55.6% worse than handicap
• 25.9% buffer or on handicap
• 18.5% better than handicap

I've been Cat3 for most of the year but just dropped back into Cat4

 

[Backsticks]

Of 27 rounds in 2017...

• 55.6% worse than handicap
• 25.9% buffer or on handicap
• 18.5% better than handicap

I've been Cat3 for most of the year but just dropped back into Cat4

Thats a bizarre one. Could you give us the breakdown of your 0.1s and cuts ? 18.5% cuts should generally more than outweigh the 55.6% gains, and you should be falling not rising.

 

[LincolnShep]

Thats a bizarre one. Could you give us the breakdown of your 0.1s and cuts ? 18.5% cuts should generally more than outweigh the 55.6% gains, and you should be falling not rising.

Those are the stats for all rounds, not just qualifiers. I haven't had a cut this year unfortunately. Qualifiers are measured against CSS, non-qualifiers against SSS.

 

[Backsticks]

It all depends on what you mean by playing to your handicap. Most people misunderstand this to be hitting CSS. But that means really you have played better than your handicap. The handicap system is not designed to have you play to it on average - but worse than it.
An average 17 handicapper hitting 32 pts is likely playing to his handicap : even if he walks off feeling he didnt play well or even moaning that he cannot play to his hc. In reality he should only hit CSS about one in 10 rounds, and better it one in 20.

 

[GG26]

Just checked my stats from when I got my first handicap two years ago.

34 Qualifiers.

3 cuts
11 buffers
20 +0.1

Cat 4 players are far less likely to play to handicap, but when we do we get 0.4 cut per shot to compensate.

 

[BTatHome]

Last year played approx 32 qualifiers, 8 times in buffer, and 6 h/cap cuts.

Changed course in mid-Feb and have played 14 qualifiers since then, have been cut three times, and hit buffer once!

 

[palindromicbob]

10 qualifiers for me so far so percentage is easy to work out.

4 X 0.1 back
1 cut of 0.9
And 5 buffers.

Cut was last week after a run of 32/33 points.

No cuts last year at all.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Twice a year usually

 

[duncan mackie]

Er... Not quite! in fact your maths is seriously faulty!

That calc you state doesn't have any consideration for how many times they play above their handicap, but within buffer!

Nor does it consider how far below CSS they play! It's only ever +0.1, but 2 or more below CSS will have a huge effect - and would require a far greater number above buffer to 'balance' the handicap! Same applies, to a lesser extent to cat 1, 2 and 3 too!

As to the actual percentage, it's actually impossible to predict, simply 'observe'! Even for Cat 1s, there are 'Wild Willies' and 'Steady Eddies' who will have different 'score cf handicap' attributes!

I will try again...i could answer on many levels but thought I had pitched the principles roughly right for the question posed.

Everyone's scoring will be represented by a bell curve.
The lower the handicap the tighter the curve on the horizontal access and the higher the handicap the further to the right of the curve will the playing handicap sit.

 

[louise_a]

15 qualifiers so far this year, 5 better than handicap, 6 buffers, 4 outside buffer.

 

[KenL]

Just checked my stats from when I got my first handicap two years ago.

34 Qualifiers.

3 cuts
11 buffers
20 +0.1

Cat 4 players are far less likely to play to handicap, but when we do we get 0.4 cut per shot to compensate.

This is not always the case. It is much easier to improve quickly off a high handicap. A cat 4 golfer can easily take a few whole numbers off their handicap in a season, that almost never happens with cat 1 players.

 

[chrisd]

I was told that CONGU expect that you should play to your handicap in 33% of comps.

 

[Junior]

Out of 14 qualifiers, i'd probably buffer in 5, have a couple of smallish cuts, and half will be 0.1. I'm hoping to rectify this this season