Winter matchplay unfairness for low handicappers

[Slab]

Name and club to back up cat 1 for 40. Years status claim? Look at the comments from other low handicappers most agree it's much easier for high handicappers. It's fact. There is no way if you had all this experience you wouldn't be able to see this. How many yards are knocked off your course in winter? Maybe you have never experienced this and so have no knowledge. Our course has large revines with tight tee shots through trees but in winter these are missed out, takes all the danger from hole and shortens them massively so accuracy and distance no longer important just comes down to a chip and putt. Still a few holes that we don't mind giving shots. Birdies are not particularly easier in winter, yes you get closer but putting on winter greens is bobbly and ball doesn't hold its line but pars are easier as greens slower and so much easier for lag putts with a shot.

Late to the discussion on this topic but it does sound like you have a course where the primary/sole defense is these long/tight carries from the tees (bit like Augusta & their greens) and combined with your Cat 3&4 membership having deadly short games, (which also makes sense in that the higher h/cap guys are simply using their shots up the rest of the year on these carries/tight tees, and they'd probably clean up when playing a more 'normal' course layout) then yeah I'd say you're gonna get pummeled a fair bit in a winter match

Maybe one for your AGM but artificial ground cover on these teeing areas would seem to offer a solution to keep the length up so no need to protect them in winter, because I don't see too many other courses having to cope with this 'perfect storm' scenario that you face, so its unlikely they will be any widespread call to change the 90%

Might seem an extreme measure but if the design off the tee is that integral & critical to the play-ability of the course it might be worth considering

 

[rosecott]

Sandy Scott (+5)shot a gross 65 last year, in a handicap comp, i think he was 3rd he had a 2 though and got the gross
thats why we have a net a gross for all the medals and silver trophies.... not the stablefords though

So, Sandy (off +5) had a net 70. Nothing really surprising about being 3rd with that score, surely.

Oops, just seen that Jacko beat me to it.

 

[patricks148]

So, Sandy (off +5) had a net 70. Nothing really surprising about being 3rd with that score, surely.

no you are right, but net 70 wins quite often.

best one was when he went up 0.1 for shooting the lowest on an extremely windy day when hardly anyone else even broke 80, no one could work out why its wasn't RO.

thems the breaks when you are that low

 

[rosecott]

Why does it smell of elitism? It makes it fairer across the board.

Noone is limiting who can enter, just how many shots can be given, ie a maximum of 18 (1 per hole)

It's 4BBB, these are NOT qualifying comps, and never have been, so why even state that?

It's nothing to do with qualifiers or not. CONGU states that the handicap allowances for 4BBB must be based on 90% of playing handicaps - must, repeat must.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

We play doubles matchplay full course 0.9 difference. We do well for first 4 or 5 matches when the course is still full length. Then when the course is shortened in January we find it near impossible to win a match against the higher handicappers. Such an advantage for them. Often I birdie a shot hole and still lose or at best get a half. We played 2 under par today against 16 and 20 handicapper and still only managed a half. We both play off 9 and both probably slightly better than 9 both been down to 7 at one point. Been the same for years, win our first 4 lose second 4 matches. I think if the course is shortened should be 0.75 or maybe less 0.4 or 0.5. it's the same with stablefords, often 48-50 points from higher handicappers, playing off single figures it's near impossible to get that many points would need to be 7 or 8 under par. Does anyone club do anything to reduce this massive unfairness Inthe handicapping?

As a 'lower' handicapper, I would have thought you'd be more interesting in the summer competitions than winter ones which are generally just a bit of fun and exercise.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

...but many single figure handicappers will protect their handicap fiercely and refuse to play in tricky conditions or even play more than a handful of medals a year.

Lower players tend to want to play medals. I'd gladly never play another stableford in my life id I could play medals every weekend.
It's normally our only chance of winning a prize!