Radical thoughts for the WHS article

[Golfnut1957]

I've always had an issue with matchplay being used for handicaps....and I hope it doesn't come into force here....
At an Old Pharts vs Whippersnappers gig a few years back, I partnered a now ex- forumer in the 4bbb.
I contributed nothing...Zero...not a sausage....not even a putt for a half.....
How can a display like that be used to determine a handicap..?
How can a "most likely score" be generated from playing 1/4 of a round..?

It would get even more complicated than that. What about matches that finish early. What about our last truly competitive round which was anything but.

We played Greensomes, both drive, choose the best one and play alternative shots from there. We got smashed 7&6, both played terrible, nowhere near our handicaps. They played very well, certainly better than their handicaps would suggest.

So Mr Handicap secretary, how are you sorting that one out?

 

[Golfnut1957]

Actually it might not be the worst idea that every round is automatically reflected on your handicap record - even if you choose not to submit your card afterwards. Many people posting here seem to just play a few rounds for the "lols" between "serious" rounds. If you saw that someone had played 10 "practice" rounds since their last card vs someone who has submitted their last 10 cards you'd be able to form an opinion on that person and the validity of their handicap.

And as has been asked already what about those people who neither play for "lols" nor for practice but who choose to play competitive matches instead.

Or what do you think of the golfer who instead of playing 10 "practice" rounds spends all of his time at the range practising. Is the validity of his handicap questionable too?

 

[sweaty sock]

Old system used to work (in that general play rounds were rare). Everybody turned up on the same day, played the same course, and there was an adjustment for the difficulty of weather, pin placement, speed of greens, length of rough etc etc.

If you didnt play enough, your handicap clearly stated this and you often couldnt play in events with decent prizes.

It suited the golfing culture very well.

Maybe the idea is to change the golfing culture to encourage more players? Would be interesting as covid grew the game exponentially, lets see how we hold the interest of new players....

 

[WGCRider]

And as has been asked already what about those people who neither play for "lols" nor for practice but who choose to play competitive matches instead.

Or what do you think of the golfer who instead of playing 10 "practice" rounds spends all of his time at the range practising. Is the validity of his handicap questionable too?

If you asking do I think differently about people who use the practice facilities for practice vs those that keep "forgetting" to register their general play round - then the answer is yes.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

It would get even more complicated than that. What about matches that finish early. What about our last truly competitive round which was anything but.

We played Greensomes, both drive, choose the best one and play alternative shots from there. We got smashed 7&6, both played terrible, nowhere near our handicaps. They played very well, certainly better than their handicaps would suggest.

So Mr Handicap secretary, how are you sorting that one out?

No problem with matches that finish early - just use the current WHS formula for holes not played (you have to play at least 10 to win or loose).

Have not seen anyone suggesting foresomes or greensomes will be acceptable for handicap. Maybe this is the "Baldrick cunning plan" to fix pace of play!

 

[IanM]

No problem with matches that finish early - just use the current WHS formula for holes not played (you have to play at least 10 to win or loose).



Have not seen anyone suggesting foresomes or greensomes will be acceptable for handicap. Maybe this is the "Baldrick cunning plan" to fix pace of play!

Handicapping on holes not played is hilarious Given that directive, foresomes can't be far behind, especially as, if you can count a hole "not played" ...surely you can count half a hole!

 

[Deleted member 30522]

No problem with matches that finish early - just use the current WHS formula for holes not played (you have to play at least 10 to win or loose).

Oh yeah, that's "no problem"

What's the point of putting all these cards in, if some of them are just fantasy? utterly ludicrous

 

[wjemather]

Handicapping on holes not played is hilarious...

What about 9-hole scores? The mechanism for scaling up 10-17 holes played is not fundamentally different from how they are scaled up.

 

[IanM]

Fundamentally, there's something very wrong with a hole not played or completed counting for handicap.

Bit like the American telling you he shot 75 because mulligans don't count!

 

[IanM]

What about 9-hole scores? The mechanism for scaling up 10-17 holes played is not fundamentally different from how they are scaled up.

Not sure that should count either.

Never seen points awarded at half time in any sport.

 

[sweaty sock]

There was a 150 page thread that discussed all this, 3 years later its all remained unresolved...

 

[AussieKB]

In OZ they have 9 hole twilight comps, then they add two together for 18 holes, does not matter that they are played on different courses (crazy) and could be weeks apart, just so long as they happen within the last 20 scores.

Each club decides if they want to use this method, as it is not mandatory.

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Steve Carrol is off on one again, his hobby horse at the moment

https://twitter.com/x/status/1622938334149455872

Seems we should just suck up the problems with WHS and get used to pointless inaccurate handicaps like Murica

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

When the Wednesday Seniors Roll up became qualifying, a large group stopped playing in it. They said two qualifying comps a week was plenty!

Same thing happened with our Thursday rollup - by far the largest club rollup - the large majority playing in it being seniors. When it was decided it should be a WHS qualifier the numbers dropped from 60-70 to about 40. Many just didn’t want to put in a card when playing in it.

 

[evemccc]

Old system used to work (in that general play rounds were rare). Everybody turned up on the same day, played the same course, and there was an adjustment for the difficulty of weather, pin placement, speed of greens, length of rough etc etc.

If you didnt play enough, your handicap clearly stated this and you often couldnt play in events with decent prizes.

It suited the golfing culture very well.

Maybe the idea is to change the golfing culture to encourage more players? Would be interesting as covid grew the game exponentially, lets see how we hold the interest of new players....

Certainly fits into ‘modern thinking’ on how organisations / sports clubs / modern society operate

Hack off your core constituency, to chase an ephemeral new market to make money, dressed up as inclusivity and ‘growing the game’

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Certainly fits into ‘modern thinking’ on how organisations / sports clubs / modern society operate

Hack off your core constituency, to chase an ephemeral new market to make money, dressed up as inclusivity and ‘growing the game’

Yup, it's absolute drivel. Your casual or even non-golfer isn't suddenly going to go "oh wow, now I can get a golf handicap without entering competitions, where do I sign up?"

Honest tae god, what a farcical state we've got into

 

[wjemather]

Yup, it's absolute drivel. Your casual or even non-golfer isn't suddenly going to go "oh wow, now I can get a golf handicap without entering competitions, where do I sign up?"

Are you sure, because it would seem that tens of thousands have done precisely that (e.g. over 25,000 have joined England Golf's iGolf scheme).

 

[evemccc]

Yup, it's absolute drivel. Your casual or even non-golfer isn't suddenly going to go "oh wow, now I can get a golf handicap without entering competitions, where do I sign up?"

Honest tae god, what a farcical state we've got into

Cricket lovers have had to put up with this sort of bilge for years

 

[Crow]

Are you sure, because it would seem that tens of thousands have done precisely that (e.g. over 25,000 have joined England Golf's iGolf scheme).

How many do you think would have done so if Covid hadn't rumbled in?

 

[sweaty sock]

Are you sure, because it would seem that tens of thousands have done precisely that (e.g. over 25,000 have joined England Golf's iGolf scheme).

Honest question, hows that going? There was alot of hearsay that many open comps wouldnt welcome igolfers? As I refuse to sign up to golf empire ive now way to check if thats true or not!