Usga handicapping

Simbo

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Following on from the thread about congu vs usga handicapping systems.
This week I played a round in myrtle beach with 2 Americans both of whom were returning cards for handicaps while playing with 2 tourists!! Lol. We had a right good old discussion about our contrasting systems. Im sticking to my judgement that theirs is crap!! They were playing from any tee they wanted, albeit with a different slope rating. Playing preferred lies on fairways and in bunkers, possibly a local rule as the bunkers were huge and the guy said they were classed as waste bunkers??were practice swinging in them aswell? Playing gimmes from inside the putter shaft. The thing that got me though was I thought that their system didn't play the stable ford rule of a maximum of a double bogey?? I thought it was just our system that done that??? Because they were playing that also. One guy played of 10 and the other 4. Both were decent players and hit a good ball but given the way they play their medals I doubt either of them could hold that handicap here, especially the 4 guy
 

upsidedown

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In NZ which is similar to USGA I think, preferred lies is good, gimmies good, matchplay cards good and indeed every thing rounded back to no more than DB .

Both systems have their merits and the USGA handicap index travels better when travelling to play away course due the Slope indexes IMHO
 

Ethan

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USGA rules do not allow gimmes or preferred lies except when allowed by local rules. Practice swinging in waste areas may be OK if local rules allow it, as was the case at Kiawah Island, for example.

A rather casual attitude to the rules is pretty common among Americans submitting handicap cards. I have played with similar, and have seen all of the above offences, and mulligans too.
 

BTatHome

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Still not sure about the 10 best out of 20 cards rules in USGA handicaps. Seems like a quick method to get a poor handicap, and if your best round goes off the end you can break your handicap and still go up !
 

harpo_72

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Is it not just the averages working themselves out if they submit so many cards and the best 10 being used? Like all systems it will be open to some abuse.
 

Simbo

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Best 10 being used???? Nobody mentioned anything about that, just said they were returning a card everytime they played
 

duncan mackie

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Handicap iinsex. s the rolling average of the best 10 in the last 20 handicap is this index applied to the course index each time ie your 4 & 10 would be different on a different course (maybe)
The us system had stableforrd adjustments before congu and we ha e css which they don't. The best bit of te usga system is the rating, esp the bogey index
Ll these elements are expected to be in the international handicapping system being finalised currently but exactly how the elements will interact is not agreed yet. Ratings are the easy bit - LGI already use the USGA rating system.

It will be hilarious to watch it develop over the next 5 years.
 

duncan mackie

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Take the best of theirs and the best of ours and that new system could as good as it gets.

I agree in theory - and basically that's what they have decided to do....... there's the small issue of whether the quality score approach of CONGU or the return everything that you feel like returning USGA or the return everything or else of South Africa is the best :)
 
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