Should I Be Shooting My Handicap?

[Vardon11LDN]

I recently got my first official handicap of 18. Since getting it I have pretty much shot 17-18 over par including 17 over at Woburn on Friday. Is normal that I am consistantly shooting on or just below my handicap. Someone else mentioned to me that he very rarely shoots on or below his actual handicap.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Shouting your HC regualry means they have your HC about right.

 

[chrisd]

My understanding was that Congu say you should play to your handicap around 30% of competitions so you are probably heading for a cut - is it the lessons with Howard making the difference?

 

[Vardon11LDN]

My understanding was that Congu say you should play to your handicap around 30% of competitions so you are probably heading for a cut - is it the lessons with Howard making the difference?

Howard is my "club guy" not my teaching pro. But the lessons are paying off big time. I have just installed Howard as my short game coach though! First lesson later this month

 

[patricks148]

I recently got my first official handicap of 18. Since getting it I have pretty much shot 17-18 over par including 17 over at Woburn on Friday. Is normal that I am consistantly shooting on or just below my handicap. Someone else mentioned to me that he very rarely shoots on or below his actual handicap.

you also need to take into account the CSS/SSS par is not what you compare against.

 

[Fish]

Shouting your HC regualry means they have your HC about right.

I disagree, I was always of the belief that you should play to your handicap and within buffer only 33%, (3/10), the cuts then offset against the 0.1's and eventually you plateau to your playing handicap, playing to it regularly tells me you should be lower.

 

[delc]

I recently got my first official handicap of 18. Since getting it I have pretty much shot 17-18 over par including 17 over at Woburn on Friday. Is normal that I am consistantly shooting on or just below my handicap. Someone else mentioned to me that he very rarely shoots on or below his actual handicap.

I think that makes you a bandit! I average 89, 17 over par, and my handicap is currently 12 and has been as low as 10 in the not too distant past. Your handicap should be based on your best performances, not your average score. I maybe get into the buffer zone (CSS to CSS + 2 for me) 1 time in 3 and beat my handicap perhaps 1 time in 6.

 

[louise_a]

If you are regularly playing to or below your handicap then it is probably too high, however if it is just bounce games then wait to see how it goes in qualifiers.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think that makes you a bandit! I average 89, 17 over par, and my handicap is currently 12 and has been as low as 10 in the not too distant past. Your handicap should be based on your best performances, not your average score. I maybe get into the buffer zone 1 time in 3 and beat my handicap perhaps 1 time in 6.

How exactly does it make him a bandit shooting 36 points over the winter on soft short courses ?!

If he was shooting 3 or 4 or 5 over every time during non qualifing period then yes his HC could be a bit too high

But recently given the HC and shooting to it at the moment - when qualifiers start then the true HC will come clear

But calling him a bandit ?!

 

[Crawfy]

If you are regularly playing to or below your handicap then it is probably too high, however if it is just bounce games then wait to see how it goes in qualifiers.

Very good point. All well and good shooting HC in relaxed bounce games. The true measurement is in medal conditions.If you maintain then what your scoring now, then a cut maybe around the corner

Well done so far and good luck

 

[Vardon11LDN]

Great comments so far guys, in all fairness it has just been in bounce games, it is different doing it in comps.

 

[WWG]

I disagree, I was always of the belief that you should play to your handicap and within buffer only 33%, (3/10), the cuts then offset against the 0.1's and eventually you plateau to your playing handicap, playing to it regularly tells me you should be lower.

Yep, that is what I was told by my pro. I would also add that if this is your first handicap, you must be natural

 

[delc]

How exactly does it make him a bandit shooting 36 points over the winter on soft short courses ?!

If he was shooting 3 or 4 or 5 over every time during non qualifing period then yes his HC could be a bit too high

But recently given the HC and shooting to it at the moment - when qualifiers start then the true HC will come clear

But calling him a bandit ?!

He is a bandit in the sense that his handicap is probably too high for his playing ability, but probably (I hope) not intentionally. This happens all the time to new and/or improving golfers because of the ponderous way the handicapping system works. Generally such players win everything in sight for a few months before their handicap eventually catches up to their ability, after which they join the rest of us and win very rarely, and then only on very good days.

 

[chrisd]

Howard is my "club guy" not my teaching pro. But the lessons are paying off big time. I have just installed Howard as my short game coach though! First lesson later this month

I did one lesson recently with Howard on my short game and it really came good. He showed me the shot that checks on the second bounce and I also don't often chunk the ball now. Its amazing that I was able to learn it solely on a computer with GC2

 

[Vardon11LDN]

I did one lesson recently with Howard on my short game and it really came good. He showed me the shot that checks on the second bounce and I also don't often chunk the ball now. Its amazing that I was able to learn it solely on a computer with GC2

I am really pleased to hear that mate, my ball striking is good at the moment andmiles ahead of my short game and putting. Hopefully howard can sort me out.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

In my view your handicap is correct if you score 31-32pts stableford if you have just an average 'day at the office'; when good luck and bad in the round balance out; you aren't hitting too many 'sunday best' shots; and you are not canning them from all over the green. When you start scoring 35-36pts or more on a regular basis in friendly 'knock-ups'/'bounce games' then your handicap is too high.

 

[WWG]

He is a bandit in the sense that his handicap is probably too high for his playing ability, but probably (I hope) not intentionally. This happens all the time to new and/or improving golfers because of the ponderous way the handicapping system works. Generally such players win everything in sight for a few months before their handicap eventually catches up to their ability, after which they join the rest of us and win very rarely, and then only on very good days.

Yep, it is a little silly to say the least. I have only been playing 5 months, and am just on the edge of paying to my 28 handicap. I play with a bloke who has played for over 40 years, and has only just been given his first handicap. He handed in his cards in December, whilst playing on a very wet course. He was also given 28. Now the course is improving, he is hitting well under, and nobody can get near him. He has only played in one competition, which he won quite easily, so his handicap has not been reduced. During friendly matches, he nearly always scores 36 upwards, and wins with ease. I am a very good loser, as I have had a lifetimes experience, but what chance does anyone have ?

 

[rosecott]

In my view your handicap is correct if you score 31-32pts stableford if you have just an average 'day at the office'; when good luck and bad in the round balance out; you aren't hitting too many 'sunday best' shots; and you are not canning them from all over the green. When you start scoring 35-36pts or more on a regular basis in friendly 'knock-ups'/'bounce games' then your handicap is too high.

A bit of a sweeping generalisation. You may well be correct for courses where SSS is equal to Par but there are many courses out there where that is not the case. 32 points on SSS76/Par72 is pretty good going.

 

[chrisd]

Yep, it is a little silly to say the least. I have only been playing 5 months, and am just on the edge of paying to my 28 handicap. I play with a bloke who has played for over 40 years, and has only just been given his first handicap. He handed in his cards in December, whilst playing on a very wet course. He was also given 28. Now the course is improving, he is hitting well under, and nobody can get near him. He has only played in one competition, which he won quite easily, so his handicap has not been reduced. During friendly matches, he nearly always scores 36 upwards, and wins with ease. I am a very good loser, as I have had a lifetimes experience, but what chance does anyone have ?

If he played and won a competition why was his handicap not reduced?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

A bit of a sweeping generalisation. You may well be correct for courses where SSS is equal to Par but there are many courses out there where that is not the case. 32 points on SSS76/Par72 is pretty good going.

Yes - it is a generalisation - but I thought the OP question was framed in a pretty general way