World Handicap System

[upsidedown]

@upsidedown no I don't go expecting to shoot lights out, I'll work on things to know how they'll hold up under comp conditions. Appreciate you have played under it, I'd imagine I wouldn't be handing every card in. What happens if you just play 9?

You can hand a card in for 9 holes and that would be held on the system till you did another card with 9 on. I didn't used to bother putting them in but then again very rarely played 9 as mostly did 18

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Have to say i'm not convinced by the current system.

Handicaps go up far too slowly for me, handicaps are also totally irrelevant to the course difficulty. For golfers who like to trave more appropriate course ratings could help.

The current system is also open to abuse, however i guess all systems can be manipulated.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I would like it.


Silly situation at the moment I only get a few chances a month to hand in cards, when I play twice a week.

My handicap does not reflect my playing standard. And it is the same for a lot of other people I see, both too high and too low handicaps.

Why don't you put in supplementary cards then if you believe your HC should be lower.

 

[Dasit]

Why don't you put in supplementary cards then if you believe your HC should be lower.

Only get 3 supplementary cards a year. Not sure if that is for all clubs or just mine

 

[mcbroon]

Having played under New Zealand's version of the USGA system the sooner the better. I was very much against it when we emigrated but having got used to it feel it's a much fairer system for handicapping , it's your best 10 of your last 20 and yes every round can count but when you tee it up aren't aiming to to play the best round of golf you've ever played ? It certainly takes out the premise " OOh I cant play with a card in my hand " Yes you can , it's your mind set that's wrong.

Await developments with interest

When I tee it up I'm trying to hit it as well as I can every time but my shot choices will differ sometimes in bounce games. I might go at a pin when I would play safer in a medal, or try a risky recovery shot where otherwise I'd chip out. Or I might bet my mate that I'll get nearer the pin on a daft approach. If every round counts, when else do you get a chance to practise those kinds of things?

I don't like the sound of a system where 'experimental' rounds are treated as equal to competition rounds. Seems like it could suck a bit of the fun out of bounce games.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Only get 3 supplementary cards a year. Not sure if that is for all clubs or just mine

http://www.englandgolf.org/shared/get-file.ashx?id=21376&itemtype=document

Suggest you pass this to your club

Can submit up to 10

 

[Dasit]

http://www.englandgolf.org/shared/get-file.ashx?id=21376&itemtype=document

Suggest you pass this to your club

Can submit up to 10

thanks did not know that will show my club pro.

I would have had a 0.9 cut today but did not do a card.

 

[drdel]

If you need to hand in a card each round that will be another reason youngsters will not take up Golf.

 

[Crow]

I play a lot of my fair weather non-competition golf with vintage gear, I don't score as well with this compared to my modern gear, where would that leave me?

 

[TheJezster]

I think people are thinking about it too much. If this came into play tomorrow then in two or three years time we wouldn't think about it, we'd just hand our card in at the end of the round. I think it's as simple as that, play then hand in. It'll become second nature, just something you do after golf. Don't worry about the handicap that will take care of itself. As is now there will be a natural level you'll play at for a while before moving either way if you improve, get injured etc. Take the ego out and you'll get an accurate reflection of where you are. If that's the goal it could be good.

 

[delc]

I think people are thinking about it too much. If this came into play tomorrow then in two or three years time we wouldn't think about it, we'd just hand our card in at the end of the round. I think it's as simple as that, play then hand in. It'll become second nature, just something you do after golf. Don't worry about the handicap that will take care of itself. As is now there will be a natural level you'll play at for a while before moving either way if you improve, get injured etc. Take the ego out and you'll get an accurate reflection of where you are. If that's the goal it could be good.

I think the USGA system is a lot of extra bureaucracy to achieve pretty much the same result!

P.S. I'm glad I didn't have to submit my card for a friendly match with my mate yesterday, cos I only scored 22 points!

 

[backwoodsman]

Glad I didn't have to submit my card for a friendly match with my mate yesterday, cos I only scored 22 points!

Isn't that the point though? You only scored 22 points - but it is reflective of how you played. If it was a one off low score, then it wouldnt feature in the h/c calc. But if it was one of many in that range then it would indeed be reflective of current form and would be include in the calc - to make handicap reflect current form.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

One of the problems with the current system is that it cannot keep up with either a rapidly improving player, or a player getting worse.
For example at The Zoo, I'll probably be able to put in 6 cards this year as they run one midweek comp a month (Apr-Oct) I've just gone up to 19.5 so 20.

If I score 27 points in each comp I'll still be off 20 in 12 months time probably feeling a bit uncompetitive , whereas if I was able to include social rounds (playing twice a week) my handicap would quickly catch up with my actual ability.

So I'm in favour

 

[Deleted member 15344]

One of the problems with the current system is that it cannot keep up with either a rapidly improving player, or a player getting worse.
For example at The Zoo, I'll probably be able to put in 6 cards this year as they run one midweek comp a month (Apr-Oct) I've just gone up to 19.5 so 20.

If I score 27 points in each comp I'll still be off 20 in 12 months time probably feeling a bit uncompetitive , whereas if I was able to include social rounds (playing twice a week) my handicap would quickly catch up with my actual ability.

So I'm in favour

Its the same as Dasit - supplementary cards

The system is there to allow more cards to be put in

Hopefully they don't include social rounds into any form of HC system because they then become 4/5 rounds with people hoping everything out

Two levels of golf - fun social roll up golf , serious competitive HC affecting golf - keep them separate

 

[El Diablo]

Seen + handicap juniors come over here from Europe and then have to submit cards to CONGU qualify and typically a CONGU handicap is 2 or 3 shots worse than what they bring with them so will be interesting.

Lets face it, the final system will be driven off the power of the governing bodies and given our courses are under a slow process of slope rating (already in place in US/Europe) we know that will be used it is just which combination is used for the rest of the process so US will probably win !

I played 50 + qualifiers over the last year and my handicap fluctuated up and down massively (6 shots between best and worst) but is pretty accurate now however when I was playing badly it did not go up fast enough.

Given I play a lot my scores tend to vary within a narrower range but is far harder to score really well very often (but does happen from time to time).

I play plenty of roll ups with the sub 6 qualifying rounds a year bandits (mainly abusing 9 hole comps for this) and simply cannot compete with the never ending 40+ pts they string together - will put an end to that for many as likely more cards will be used and they will be off more realistic handicaps.

Lucky that I see it as a individual challenge more than anything else (expect to win nothing) and submitting so many cards I will be well in line with where it is likely to head.

Can only be positive as I see it.

 

[Capella]

What about gimmes? Score-wise, that is one major factor that sets apart social rounds from comp rounds. What about other "rule breaches" which are quite common in social golf? Like replacing your ball (without penalty if your co-competitors agree) so that you don't have to hit a tree root etc.? From what I see, people do behave quite differently in a social round of golf than they would in a qualifying round, be it in a comp or a round played for a supplementary card. Is that different in the US or in New Zealand?

I do like the slope rating, which makes courses more comparable for higher handicappers and therefore levels the playing field when golfers from different golf clubs compete against each other.

 

[backwoodsman]

I have no real problem with concept of "every score counts" but do see a difference between "competitive" golf & social golf. Difficulty is defining the boundary between the two. The Saturday swindle - fine, its competitive - but if i go out with Tom, Dick, and Harry for fun, where we have gimmees, and "drop a ball & add 2 shots" for lost balls and so on. Surely that can't count?

And as matter of interest, isn't "every card counts" going to create a lot of work for someone in processing all those extra cards? Can clubs manage? Especially those whose h/c work is done by volunteers?

 

[upsidedown]

Gimmees were allowed and most folks were sensible about them

There didn't seem to be such a thing as social golf when I was in NZ, every round counted and that was the norm. Certainly didn't lessen the banter or enjoyment

No need to hole everything out, as soon as you got to a double bogey for your handicap you circled that score to show you'd picked up.

Lot of clubs you inputted your score onto computer then the soft ware sorted your handicap index out. Just before I left saw a system where your card was scanned so no need to input manually

 

[Imurg]

Its the same as Dasit - supplementary cards

The system is there to allow more cards to be put in

Hopefully they don't include social rounds into any form of HC system because they then become 4/5 rounds with people hoping everything out

Two levels of golf - fun social roll up golf , serious competitive HC affecting golf - keep them separate

There's Social and there's Social...
When Fragger, CVG and me go out on a Wednesday and Friday it's social, there's banter and we have a laugh. But the golf is serious and we, effectively, play under competition conditions - we hole out, we add penalties and play by the book. Why shouldn't that be used for handicapping?
Ok, there are supplementary cards but only 10 per year.
That will make 15/16 counting rounds a year compared with 70-80+ - which is going to give a more accurate number..?

I'm generally in favour but it would take some getting used to and a lot of management.
Plus I'd love to see the look on Fragger's face if I turned up one day and said " I'm off 12 today"😂😂😂

 

[garyinderry]

The problem is not everyone tries to the best of their ability every single time they tee up. Plenty of people let the head drop say aw well it isn't my day. They don't fight for every new hole. They don't see the point. They especially won't see the point if it isn't a comp.


I'd like to see a shot being taken off anyone that wins any comp. Be it qualifying or not. You have beaten the rest of the field so take a shot reduction along with the pot of money.