POLL: How do you feel about WHS?

[IanMac]

Do you have any actual evidence that any of the higher handicappers at your club are manipulating the system? because you are giving the strong impression that these are just frivolous accusations based on not liking a very small number of their scores - the rare good ones.

I admire your thoughts that golfers are fair minded and try to be the best they can be all the time. Everything you say suggests you really believe that. It's a lovely idea and one day it may happen. Imagine all the golfers, it's easy if you try...

 

[KenL]

What really raises eyebrows for me is when one person ends up in 3 match play finals but never “plays well in comps”.

 

[C7usk]

What really raises eyebrows for me is when one person ends up in 3 match play finals but never “plays well in comps”.

Certainly fishy...

 

[clubchamp98]

What really raises eyebrows for me is when one person ends up in 3 match play finals but never “plays well in comps”.

Yes people who complain they can’t possibly get six comp cards in but excel in all the knockouts.

 

[clubchamp98]

I admire your thoughts that golfers are fair minded and try to be the best they can be all the time. Everything you say suggests you really believe that. It's a lovely idea and one day it may happen. Imagine all the golfers, it's easy if you try...

There is no Heaven

 

[Hank]

Far too many negatives outweigh the positives. In an ideal world this system should work but it does not. The system is open to abuse too. Away scores should not qualify unless they've been scored under competition rules and approved by the approved club.

There should be a minimum of 6 qualifying scores entered over a 12 month period.

I do like how the courses are rated and your handicap goes up/down. I find some of the tougher away courses have become more enjoyable.

 

[KenL]

Far too many negatives outweigh the positives. In an ideal world this system should work but it does not. The system is open to abuse too. Away scores should not qualify unless they've been scored under competition rules and approved by the approved club.

There should be a minimum of 6 qualifying scores entered over a 12 month period.

I do like how the courses are rated and your handicap goes up/down. I find some of the tougher away courses have become more enjoyable.

I’m the opposite. Open in summer, off 2, but off 6 at home. It was not easier than my home course. Shorter, yes, but tighter and with small bouncy greens.

 

[Hank]

I’m the opposite. Open in summer, off 2, but off 6 at home. It was not easier than my home course. Shorter, yes, but tighter and with small bouncy greens.

Aye but you'll get more on the longer, tougher courses. I've not played too many courses where the slope isnt accurate.

 

[KenL]

Aye but you'll get more on the longer, tougher courses. I've not played too many courses where the slope isnt accurate.

Not sure about slope but played a few where CR seems off.
Longer does not always mean tougher.

 

[Hank]

Not sure about slope but played a few where CR seems off.
Longer does not always mean tougher.

I agree. I actually meant longer and or tougher.

 

[IanMac]

I agree. I actually meant longer and or tougher.

How hard a course plays is related to your individual strengths. WHS has standardised the golfer through over simplistic statistical analysis and that's its fundamental mistake. All golfers are different. I think I've mentioned this before but the average human being has one breast and one testicle.

 

[Hank]

How hard a course plays is related to your individual strengths. WHS has standardised the golfer through over simplistic statistical analysis and that's its fundamental mistake. All golfers are different. I think I've mentioned this before but the average human being has one breast and one testicle.

Fair point, however what is the alternative answer?

The old version of the handicap where it was an acurrate reflection of only home course competition form was probably the best way. Though your handicap only travelled from the better courses/players.

 

[IanMac]

Fair point, however what is the alternative answer?

The old version of the handicap where it was an acurrate reflection of only home course competition form was probably the best way. Though your handicap only travelled from the better courses/players.

Very rare to play an away course well unless you are having a particularly good day of ball striking. Home player will always have an advantage in any system.

 

[Hank]

Very rare to play an away course well unless you are having a particularly good day of ball striking. Home player will always have an advantage in any system.

I always like to play a course twice, i hate not knowing exactly where i'm going.

 

[Crow]

Well, we have roughly 100 votes now.
19% don't care
29% on the negative side
52% on the positive side

Make of it what you will.

 

[IanMac]

Well, we have roughly 100 votes now.
19% don't care
29% on the negative side
52% on the positive side

Make of it what you will.

Many not that bothered or neutral (don't care). That's the most interesting thing for me, particularly in a Golf Monthly forum.

A decent system wouldn't have needed the question to be asked at all.

 

[tobybarker]

I'm still slightly on the negative side. I don't like how your handicap seems to fly up very quickly after a couple of bad rounds. And a lot of course ratings just don't make any sense to me (i.e. tight, tricky courses being rated easy just because they're not long).

I think the rating bit is the biggest weakness.... After all what makes a course hard or easy depends on the player to a degree....i played on a slope 138 yesterday and found it easy and scored 3 under my handicap, whereas i find my home track (103) much harder for lots of reasons i won't bore people with here. If the rating process is faulty then the whole system breaks down.

 

[RichA]

Many not that bothered or neutral (don't care). That's the most interesting thing for me, particularly in a Golf Monthly forum.

A decent system wouldn't have needed the question to be asked at all.

A decent system asks how it can be improved all the time.

This thread doesn't prove anything - it's a non-binding, fun poll on a social website.
I just wondered if the frequently repeated assertions of some that WHS is "universally despised" would be held up as accurate. Turns out it was false conjecture and speculation.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I think the rating bit is the biggest weakness.... After all what makes a course hard or easy depends on the player to a degree....i played on a slope 138 yesterday and found it easy and scored 3 under my handicap, whereas i find my home track (103) much harder for lots of reasons i won't bore people with here. If the rating process is faulty then the whole system breaks down.

I tend to score better Score Differentials on courses with higher Slope Ratings.
I find nothing strange about that, however.

I view Course Rating as an indicator of difficulty against par.

The higher the Slope Rating then the lower (My Score -Course Rating)x113 will become when it is divided by that Slope Rating.

I look upon gross score as my golf score and Score Differential as "what I played to".

 

[IanMac]

A decent system asks how it can be improved all the time.

This thread doesn't prove anything - it's a non-binding, fun poll on a social website.
I just wondered if the frequently repeated assertions of some that WHS is "universally despised" would be held up as accurate. Turns out it was false conjecture and speculation.

I don't think anyone suggested that. Personally I always knew there were loads of pay and play guys who were not big into competitive golf who'd probably either not care too much about handicapping or quite liked the ability to watch it all on an app.

The previous system didn't need an improvement in its workings but it may have benefited from better accessibility for pay and play, less serious golfers. I can see that was an aim, especially in England and Wales. Ireland hasn't got that problem. Of course creating that app would cost money and obviously the R&A would want to spend as little as possible so that's probably one of the factors that made them move away from our tried and tested UK and Ireland system in order to spread the cost.

Now they have a problem. There is no doubt about that. They either have to spend money and go back or persuade the rest of the world to fix this system adequately for competitive play in UK and Ire to be credible again, at least from many players' viewpoint.