Playing to your handicap

[ricardodaintino]

Mine is a self-monitored handicap as I don't below to a club. So where club players official handicap can only move with official club matches, I update mine (albeit an unofficial one) with each social game that I play.

21 down to 13 is a touch challenge but 2009 is my year for hard grind with a club pro. Affectively that handicap drop means consistantly hitting 8 less strokes per round. I'm a reasonable putter but with practice and tuition I think I can drop a stroke from the green or the shortgame on at least 8 holes.

I'm on the cusp of some great golf, 2009 is my year for really working hard and making the next step. If I get a bonus at work I might even stretch to club membership too, and start competing and get an official handicap!

 

[RGuk]

I'm quite sensitive about my h'cap (surely not RGuk? you've never ranted about this before ).

I haven't played to it EVER in Qualifying comps since joining my club. I've smashed it (during the summer in social games) and played to it (exactly) or better around plenty of other courses etc. etc.

There is something strange about mine off the white tees (medals) that means no matter how good I'm playing, there's always 2 or 3 double bogeys on my card. These holes are/were designed by a total numpty (the owner and course designer (non-pro) of my course) and mess up the cards of all the players except those long off the tee or that hit a draw.

Touchy.....me?......

I add the following note: I play on occasion at an Open Qualifying/Pro tournament venue club. It's a sort of "country" membership. I knock it round to my h'cap without too much trouble, the holes are professionally designed to take into account ladies and juniors, there is nothing intrinsically "unfair" about any of them, if you can't get up for GIR, you just play for a bogey....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I hate courses like that that seem to punish a scorecard without you actually doing anything untoward. I often felt that there were a large number of those on the 9 hole loops at the Ashbury Manor hotel. Several seemed to punish you for being too long and there was also a price to pay for being short.

I think every hole has at least one weak hole whether designed by a golfer or not but often it becomes more of a mind set rather than a problem with the design.

 

[SammmeBee]

I think CONGU work on the lines that if you have a 'proper' handicap then you should play to it about 1 in 10, with some buffer zones and some dross and if you're lucky a nett somethingstupid that wins the medal by 5 shots.....

 

[CarpeDiem]

Keep playing under my handicap in general play but can never do it in comps , I keep telling myself that it is just another round but it never seems to work. But one day it will.

 

[Herbie]

I just looked back and apart from the odd friendly match and being between clubs for a while, I only played about 65 rounds of golf and a bit of practice but my memory and cards show that I have been under my h/c most of the year but bear in mind I havent played many courses or done many comps so its to be expected on regular playing of familiar tracks.

 

[toyboy54]

Again to one and all again...Started the season at 26 and came down to 24,target this time round is 20!
Lots of time at the range but can't do the short game practise needed due to crappy weather.
I'm lucky in that the guys I play with are competitive and don't like losing the money.
This is great(they are all lower than me,much lower)because this pulls me along to try harder and concentrate.
Roll on the new season ......as I certainly don't want the rep of pot hunter or bandit!!!!!

 

[backwoodsman]

Just read through with interest and have to say we seem to have a few bandits out there. Handicap is supposed to reflect what you are capable of - ie at your best on a good day. So if you play "to" or "below" your handicap on a regular basis, then your handicap is too high and needs cutting.

To my knowledge, I have ever only scored below my current handicap twice in my entire career... Which makes me think it is too high. Or yours is too low

 

[Herbie]

Just read through with interest and have to say we seem to have a few bandits out there. Handicap is supposed to reflect what you are capable of - ie at your best on a good day. So if you play "to" or "below" your handicap on a regular basis, then your handicap is too high and needs cutting.

To my knowledge, I have ever only scored below my current handicap twice in my entire career... Which makes me think it is too high. Or yours is too low

I see your point and I agree, when my cards at this new club were assessed and I was given a 9 I even suggested that my play recently, overall reflected an 8, but they calculated what they had in front of them so what can you do? Then again I find that if I play a difficult course with my best golf I will shoot even or one or two over my h/c as a norm, so in my case I think its right at the moment, I may have a chance in comps at home, then they will dock me,then I'll struggle away from home

 

[bernix]

competitively the last time i have played below my handicap was in 2001. since then alway +.1
this year i finished 3/5 in the buffer zone. during social rounds i play below 2 or 3 times a year. Last week in Turkey i stood on the 17th tee 7 over par (playing off 12), finished triple-bogey, double-bogey to play exactly 12 over