US GA Handicapping system.

Should we in the UK move to a similar handicapping system as the USGA?

  • Total voters
    59
  • Poll closed .
I say leave things as they are. The US system seems quite complicated and I'm not convinced it offers any real advantages to what we already have. I'm also not convinced of the merits of non-competitive rounds counting toward a handicap. I can think of a number of people at my club that would misuse such a facility to assist with a bit of pre-comp sandbagging.
 
ChrisB0210 said:
I say leave things as they are. The US system seems quite complicated and I'm not convinced it offers any real advantages to what we already have. I'm also not convinced of the merits of non-competitive rounds counting toward a handicap. I can think of a number of people at my club that would misuse such a facility to assist with a bit of pre-comp sandbagging.
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I agree and I wouldn't want every round counting if I just wanted to roll up and have a game in the swindle or my mates. Can't see why these have to count
 
ChrisB0210 said:
I say leave things as they are. The US system seems quite complicated and I'm not convinced it offers any real advantages to what we already have. I'm also not convinced of the merits of non-competitive rounds counting toward a handicap. I can think of a number of people at my club that would misuse such a facility to assist with a bit of pre-comp sandbagging.
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It's actually little more complicated than CONGU, just different. Your handicap is the average of the best 10 of your last 20 returns times 0.96. Statistically better, but probably based on less good data, with all this talk of mulligans and gimmes!

A universal World handicapping system would be nice, but I wouldn't like it to be pure USGA.
 
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delc said:
It's actually little more complicated than CONGU, just different. Your handicap is the average of the best 10 of your last 20 returns times 0.96. Statistically better, but probably based on less good data, with all this talk of mulligans and gimmes!
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No mulligans where I played and gimmes were only used in matchplay bounce games :thup:
 
upsidedown said:
No mulligans where I played and gimmes were only used in matchplay bounce games :thup:
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The GB&I CONGU system requires strict adherence to the rules of golf for strokeplay, with no gimmes etc! Only qualifying comps and a certain number of supplementary rounds allowed.

P.S. I understand that you can use Matchplay rounds for handicapping under USGA, where you have to estimate how many more shots you would have taken at any uncompleted holes. Sounds like a bandit's charter to me!
 
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delc said:
If you want your h/cap to go down say one more shot, want it to go up say 4 or 5! :(
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Yeah best of luck with that !! Go to http://www.golf.co.nz/HighPerformance/HandicapRankings.aspx and click on any player you like and you can how it works , players go and players go down.
For those going up you'll see it's a gradual process, one that helps elderly or ill players who are struggling with their game, incidentally, some thing you were banging on about a while ago I seem to recall :thup:
 
upsidedown said:
Yeah best of luck with that !! Go to http://www.golf.co.nz/HighPerformance/HandicapRankings.aspx and click on any player you like and you can how it works , players go and players go down.
For those going up you'll see it's a gradual process, one that helps elderly or ill players who are struggling with their game, incidentally, some thing you were banging on about a while ago I seem to recall :thup:
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Yes, that is one of the problems with CONGU for older players whose game is declining, because however badly you play, your handicap can only go up 0.1 at a time. However a fix has been added this year where 7 missed buffer zones in a row will automatically trigger a handicap review.
 
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delc said:
Yes, that is one of the problems with CONGU for older players whose game is declining, because however badly you play, your handicap can only go up 0.1 at a time. However a fix has been added this year where 7 missed buffer zones in a row will automatically trigger a handicap review.
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Which itself opens up for people to manufacture a higher HC
 
upsidedown said:
For me ,all comp scores went in as did ones away at other courses. then added ones where I played to or bettered my handicap at home club :thup:
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Have I misunderstood your post or are you saying that you didn't add any rounds where you hadn't played to handicap?
 
rosecott said:
Have I misunderstood your post or are you saying that you didn't add any rounds where you hadn't played to handicap?
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No you've not misunderstood. Most of the rounds outside of comps/ away courses were bounce games against my wife or a very good pal where we played matchplay so didn't bother to put those rounds in but if any of us had a good round then yes put those cards in.
 
Liverpoolphil said:
Which itself opens up for people to manufacture a higher HC
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Less so than putting in 7 rubbish scores in a row into USGA, particularly if you have to drop some previous good scores. In any case the review will be carried out by the Handicap Committee, who don't have to increase the player's handicap if they don't think it is warranted. :)
 
upsidedown said:
No you've not misunderstood. Most of the rounds outside of comps/ away courses were bounce games against my wife or a very good pal where we played matchplay so didn't bother to put those rounds in but if any of us had a good round then yes put those cards in.
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I asked for clarification because it doesn't seem right to submit only the good cards. Surely this will skew things. Your playing ability is defined by a mixture of good, bad and indifferent rounds. A handicap based purely on the good rounds has to be as false as one based purely on the bad rounds.
 
rosecott said:
I asked for clarification because it doesn't seem right to submit only the good cards. Surely this will skew things. Your playing ability is defined by a mixture of good, bad and indifferent rounds. A handicap based purely on the good rounds has to be as false as one based purely on the bad rounds.
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Don't worry there were plenty of bad rounds in there from the comps and away courses ;) If you check out the link I posted earlier , choose any player , you'll be able to see how the good and bad ones interact.

PS Remember it is best 10 of your last 20
 
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On the subject of Supplementary cards under CONGU rules, at our club it only seems to be keen young players who want to get their handicaps down, and those whose handicaps have lapsed, who bother with them. And then they only put them in on easy fine weather days. If we keep CONGU, players should have to submit more than 3 returns per year. I would suggest at least 6.
 
rosecott said:
I asked for clarification because it doesn't seem right to submit only the good cards. Surely this will skew things. Your playing ability is defined by a mixture of good, bad and indifferent rounds. A handicap based purely on the good rounds has to be as false as one based purely on the bad rounds.
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In either system your handicap is biased towards your better scores anyway! It's based on best potential score rather than the average. Most players only beat their handicaps only once every four or five rounds, if that.
 
delc said:
If you want your h/cap to go down say one more shot, want it to go up say 4 or 5! :(
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Cant do that.....its called 'equitable score control'....

Adjusting Hole Scores for Equitable Stroke Control (ESC)â„¢

Q. What is the current method for adjusting my hole scores under Equitable Stroke Control (ESC)?

A. ESC is an adjustment of individual hole scores (for handicap purposes) in order to make handicaps more representative of a player's potential ability. ESC is applied after the round and is only used when the actual score or the most likely score exceeds a player’s maximum number. ESC sets a limit to the number of strokes a player can take on a hole depending on Course Handicap™. Apply ESC to all scores, including tournament scores. Below is the maximum number a player can take:

Course Handicap Maximum Number
9 or less Double Bogey
10-19 7
20-29 8
30-39 9
40 and above 10
Please visit Section 4-3 of the USGA Handicap System manual for further reference.
 
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