US GA Handicapping system.

[seochris]

So, as a matter of interest, how does one determine which scores to enter and which ones not to enter?

All completions are registered and usually by the club....so you have to put is a score or you get penalized by the system as a score of par is entered onto your profile....

If you want to register a score ten you have to do it before you play....

And you don't have to register every game....or any games that are not official competitions....bit like CONGU really....

 

[seochris]

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.

Err...whats the difference?

 

[delc]

Err...whats the difference?

Suppose under USGA handicapping, which is based on your best 10 scores out of the last 20, you had a run of 7 good rounds in a row a few months ago, but then put in 7 bad rounds in a row which cause the good rounds to drop off the system. There is much more potential for a big increase in handicap than with CONGU! As I said, it's a bandits' charter!

 

[Ethan]

Suppose under USGA handicapping, which is based on your best 10 scores out of the last 20, you had a run of 7 good rounds in a row a few months ago, but then put in 7 bad rounds in a row which cause the good rounds to drop off the system. There is much more potential for a big increase in handicap than with CONGU! As I said, it's a bandits' charter!

Yep, you can pretty much rewrite your handicap every 20 rounds. CONGU is based on incremental change so there is more drag in the system.

 

[Backsticks]

If you played anywhere in Europe, you probably were using the EGA handicapping system, which is a sort of hybrid between CONGU and USGA. I don't think I like the idea of the USGA system where every round has to count, because I sometimes like to play just for fun without worrying about my handicap. On the other hand, strict qualifiers only, as in CONGU, means that some players do not put in enough returns to give a meaningful handicap!

I think Congu is fundamentally a better system but the number of cards issue above, is its weakness. I would go for keeping it, but 'suspending' it when people drop below some thresholds of cards entered in a given period, so that they are not able to compete with those with active handicaps. They then play, in counting comps as if they were in the competition (for free), and enter the necessary cards to reactivate their handicap again.

 

[seochris]

So it looks like most people would opt for the EGA system.....as this seems to be a hybrid of CONGU and USGA, taking into consideration slope, course rating (SSS), qualifying rounds, buffer zones and CSS....in fact all the things that people liked about the USGA system and CONGU....

This must be a vote for staying in Europe....:smirk: