Winter h/c Vs Summer H/c

Oddsocks

Oddsocks

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After reading a few posts on here of late its nice to read a lot of people are out playing smashing the hell out of their personal best scores currently set. Like most on here I’m experiencing a pretty good patch (I’m gonna regret saying that) and in my last 2 recent games I’ve shot 3 under my h/c and 6 under my h/c. Both of these scores were on a longish course, but I find at the moment a lot of courses seem to play a bit shorter and somewhat easier as I seem to be hitting 2/3 clubs less into each green due to longer driving or t shots that seem to be running better which is getting me into better positions.

After reading another thread here just posted about someone’s friend requesting he's card go in for a h/c check its sort of go me thinking.

At present I’m currently off 16, but haven’t played in fixed club comps for about 6 months. I have now completed two consistent rounds at course local to me which i haven’t played in 3 or 4 years and my cards are suggesting I should be more like 12 or 13 h/c. Is this recent lower scoring rounds just because courses are playing that bit shorter at the moment, or is it justified to have my h/c checked again.

The thing is I am a person who is hard on himself if he doesn’t shoot 34+ points per round, so don’t want to be cut to a level I cant play to then beat myself up all winter for not shooting the right scores.
 
Im not a member anywhere currently dave, ive been playing consistant to 16 all year at verious courses, but in the last month its just clicked and im now on average 11/12 over, so im happy to be cut. i was aiming for 12 this year anyway.

My point is do people find their summer h/c is different to their winter h/c, or in the summer they generally shoot sub handicap scores etc.

Im happy to be cut, and after playing next week i will keep them 3 cards and adjust my non official handicap accordingly. Ive played with 2 different groups from within our society so i know that both cards are 100% genuine. Pin positions as well as tee positions had both changed, and with what i would call a medioka round i still shot an 86 (13 over) so its all in the cards..... as mystic meg would say!
 
Golf is a streaky game regardless of conditions. In the summer the courses play short (which is only any use if you hit the ball straight) but the greens are hard and more difficult to hold. In the winter course play longer but the greens are easier to hold. As a result it is a different type of golf.

I played my best round of the year at the beginning of April which was probably the softest our course has been all year.

If you haven't played in comps for 6 months then your h'cap is halfway to being inactive but playing 3 and 6 under your handicap isn't an indication you're not a 16 handicapper. If however you're hitting 34 or 35 pts nearly every round and pushing 40 on occasion then 16 is probably too high. You also have to add the fact that you have no pressure as you're not playing for anything.

The thing is I am a person who is hard on himself if he doesn’t shoot 34+ points per round, so don’t want to be cut to a level I cant play to then beat myself up all winter for not shooting the right scores.
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Sounds to me like handicap protection. You need to understand that you aren't supposed to play to your handicap more than 3\4 times a year. Your handicap is an indication of your potential if you have a good day. You can't not play comps in the summer as you don't want to get crap scores in the winter. If your handicap is right you will be able to play to it at any time of year IF you have a good day.

Get yourself playing in regular comps, accept that you aren't gonna score 34\35 points every round if your handicap is right and see how your handicap changes.

If you carry on the way you are then I'm afraid to say you're on the bandit trail.
 
The thing is I am a person who is hard on himself if he doesn’t shoot 34+ points per round, so don’t want to be cut to a level I cant play to then beat myself up all winter for not shooting the right scores.
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Errrr..as the post above suggests. You are well on your way to being looked on as a bandit.
Now if you had said 30 points a round fair enough. Nobody likes to play 6 over their handicap every time.
But expecting 34 points PLUS every round and getting annoyed with yourself if you don't?
Take a bow Pedro 2
 
Hawkeye. With no valid membership to a set course, how do you plan I play in regular comps? On a week in week out routine I play different courses with different friends as I find being a one track golfer doesn’t actually do me any favours. Where I am located I’m surrounded by loads of courses, in fact the only 2 games I’ve played consistently at the same course are these last two score cards, but as I hadn’t played this course for a few years I thought again this is the best assessment of my current game.. I posted a thread on here a few weeks back about drawing a society comp on 33 points to a suspect card and the reply I got was " you didn’t even play to your handicap so stop winging ". So this wouldn’t indicate that I’m drifting down the route where I need a big hat and a donkey instead of a power kaddy

Im always happy to play to a true handicap and as a junior I would always work on getting cut from my starting h/c to as low as possible. Within 4 years I had been cut to 14 from 28 (my first ever h/c), this is exactly why I got two cards marked with no "mates rules" allowed. It was to the rule book 100% because I wanted to accurately re assess my consistency over 3 rounds to see if id progressed with the effort I have been putting in with both practice and range time as well as course time.

In my opinion with no valid membership to a set course, playing 3 rounds around the same course in the same month from different tee & pin positions was the only fair way to re asses my current playing ability for both consistency and of course playing ability. Is this not how any new club would assess your cards if you was a newly joint member joining with no official h/cap certificate from your previous club.
 
The thing is I am a person who is hard on himself if he doesn’t shoot 34+ points per round, so don’t want to be cut to a level I cant play to then beat myself up all winter for not shooting the right scores.
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Errrr..as the post above suggests. You are well on your way to being looked on as a bandit.
Now if you had said 30 points a round fair enough. Nobody likes to play 6 over their handicap every time.
But expecting 34 points PLUS every round and getting annoyed with yourself if you don't?
Take a bow Pedro 2
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So smithy, would you not agree that 3 current playing cards this month from teh same course was in fact the only true way of establishing my current h/c.

my first round was 6 under my current h/c and in all fairness that was without doubt a dream round, whether it be good bounces or puts that shouldnt go in falling it was a peach. in my honest opinion the second round i played was more level with my normal game, odd lip here, odd duff there, and i shot +13. so from 2 cards im averaging 11.5 with my third card to go. Im more than happy for another dream round of 10 over and an average of 11... that suits me more than fine.
 
Fair enough but unfortunately your original post said you have played in comps, not that you aren't a member anywhere.

If you aren't a member, check out the English Golf Union and join their associate member scheme. Send them every card and they'll give you an estimated h'cap, this is what I used to do.

I still think what you put about not wanting to get a h'cap you can't play to through the winter shows you need to change the way you think about your h'cap, as I said, you aren't supposed to play to it regularly.
 
My point is do people find their summer h/c is different to their winter h/c, or in the summer they generally shoot sub handicap scores etc.
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I find I play better in the summer, but I wouldn't want to be cut. I also play well off winter mats. Both situations are because the course is effectively shorter.

I deleted my first post because it wasn't helpful or constructive. I apologise if it read a bit tetchy.....

i.m.o. you have a pretty easy choice....go and play in a club comp and see what happens. If you play and get cut, great. If you play and discover you are actually a few shots worse under pressure, you'll have your answer.

Despite some comments otherwise, I think it's OK to want to score 34 week in, week out....that's what I try to do. If you make 34 or 35 most of the time, I don't think that makes your h'cap any more inaccurate than someone who plays 31/30/40/32/30 or something.

I heard a rumour that player at mine could be "reviewed" and cut by playing too consistently close (just under) to h'cap. Thankfully, I've never seen them bring this in.
 
Christ, i play every round i play trying to get to 40 points. That's just me wanting to play really well and find what level i can reach. Saying that, i play the same course 3 times a week so it gets a bit easier.

Wed i got 34 and felt like i'd played pretty badly - was stableford and i prob hit gross 81, off 8). For me, 81 is bad, and that's why i know i can get my h'cap lower still, as my average standard is better - prob about 74 (+4 against par).

Once i get down a few more shots then maybe i'll be 'happy' mainly getting over 30 points. I'll know i've hit my level.

But, your post did put you on awkward ground regarding hansicap protection. Try to look at it differently and get as low a handicap as possible - surely that is better than constantly scoring good point returns.

I know i'd rather be a 4 handicaper who can return 28 points, than an 8 who always gets 36+.
 
You need to get three cards in on any course and get an official handicap which you can take to any course,im with Hawkeye on this one it sounds like your protecting your handicap,my objective is to get as low as i can wether im winning or losing.As been said before you should only really play below you hp 6 times a year,and it doesnt matter wether its winter or summer its the same for everyone.
 
I'm starting to really dislike stableford. It gives the whole field a chance....

Much more in favour of strokes where one bad hole ruins it for you
 
my first round was 6 under my current h/c and in all fairness that was without doubt a dream round, whether it be good bounces or puts that shouldnt go in falling it was a peach. in my honest opinion the second round i played was more level with my normal game, odd lip here, odd duff there, and i shot +13. so from 2 cards im averaging 11.5 with my third card to go. Im more than happy for another dream round of 10 over and an average of 11... that suits me more than fine.
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If you're doing this experiment to see what your handicap would be if you handed the cards in, then it's your best round, not the average of the 3.

That's also after any scores of triple or worse are changed to a double.
 
Some of the guys on here also mentioned about the iphone app golfshot which has the handicap monitor.

My attitude to be honest is the same as yours (both hawkeye & RGdave) when i was younger and a member at a local club, if i was on the 16th/17th with 32/33 points, this was normally good enough to be in the running for the win. I always have had the attitude that 36points is bang on your handicap, therefore means you have not made one mistake all round which technically we all know is impossible. I suppose my attitude has been changed slightly by some of the people i have been playing with when some people are coming in 39/40/41.

The point i may have tried to make and failed in this thread was do people actually notice they beat the h/cap in the summer when courses play shorter, and find it harder to hit in the winter. It seems the question may have been a bit of a grey area but its good that the discussion has progressed.
 
my first round was 6 under my current h/c and in all fairness that was without doubt a dream round, whether it be good bounces or puts that shouldnt go in falling it was a peach. in my honest opinion the second round i played was more level with my normal game, odd lip here, odd duff there, and i shot +13. so from 2 cards im averaging 11.5 with my third card to go. Im more than happy for another dream round of 10 over and an average of 11... that suits me more than fine.
Click to expand...

If you're doing this experiment to see what your handicap would be if you handed the cards in, then it's your best round, not the average of the 3.

That's also after any scores of triple or worse are changed to a double.
Click to expand...

On that round i had no triples, only one double bogey, 10 bogeys and the rest was either pars or birdies.
 
My handicap has gone up during the summer as im struggling with bump and runs,in the winter it came down fast as i was able to pitch right to the hole which i like.Hopefully though im getting better with my short game and it will start dropping again.
 
you sound like me pokerjoke, i often struggle with bump and runs with either poor bounces or inconsistant lengths of shots. like you i love to be able to attack the pin on a soft green. It was my recent struggle with stopping on greens that goot me hooked on Pro V1's
 
i've played a lot better in the warm weather. which is odd cause it should be easier in the winter i think when the greens are softer
 
Last winter i found my scoring to be miles lower 3-4 shots lower on average.I even had a 66 par 68 in winter i put it down to the shorter course.

Playing in winter i thought i was a much better golfer than i was so it was a shock to go back to my usual scoring 72-74 par 68 come summer
 
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