World Handicap System

[nickjdavis]

Thank you all for the corrections above



Got to agree with this as well, your handicap could should up dramatically and quickly under this system. As I don't play at all usually Oct-Mar, I tend to start season slowly, I can see me rocketing up by the start of June every year under this system.

No it wont. I've done some analysis on players at my club looking at their last 7 years scores...I've looked at rapidly improving players as well as players who struggle to play to their CONGU handicap on a regular (almost never, in one guys case) basis and, whilst there are differences between their "Handicap Index" as calculated on an 8 from 20 basis and their CONGU handicap, there is a lot less variation than you might think.

As NW Jocko states, there is a limitation in the system that prevents a players handicap index from rising more than 5 shots above its lowest level during the previous 12 calendar months.

 

[nickjdavis]

The only time the system delivers significant swings in a players index is when he has previously submitted a "batch" of very good scores in quick succession....say 8 good scores in 12 rounds or so.....if he then goes on a run of bad form then it wont be his bad rounds that drive his handicap up immediately....it will be the 8 good ones dropping out of his last 20 rounds in quick succession and being replaced by less good rounds (not necessarily all of the "bad" rounds) that sit within the last 20.

If a player "starts the season slowly" then his poor rounds in the spring wont contribute to his handicap index....it will still be his last years "autumn" rounds...until they start dropping off...by which time it is likely that his spring form will have improved somewhat!!

 

[SGC001]

If you read a bit more about it there's a constraint in the calculation based around you're lowest handicap in last 12 months (I think) to avoid this type of "management" of handicaps :thup:

Played with a mate from Oz recently who explained it, tbh not going to be too much difference in terms of what cards are used for handicapping, just the Slope adjustments etc will be the big change rather than SSS (although most people tend not to look at SSS rather than par when playing away)

I"m aware, imo the constants no way near enough to deal with the issue of sandbagging. I've known people openly admit to handicap manipulation and they'll love it.

Edit
They tend be very cute and aware of their handicap. The ability to move a handicao up or down in the current system requires a playing ability better than they move it down to. This change allows for comparatively fast manipulations

 

[Crazyface]

Sandbaggers paradise, ideas like appropriate tees with percentage of handicaps, slope rating and bogey rating have so much potential but 8 of 20 is too open to abuse.

But it is the BEST 8 from 20, isn't it? So how will that help the dodgy players?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

But it is the BEST 8 from 20, isn't it? So how will that help the dodgy players?

I guess that if a round I am playing looks like it will become one of my best 8 out of 20 and will bring my h/cap down - but won't be good enough to win anything on the day - I might just NR or 'blow up' to make sure it doesn't count (if I don;t want my h/cap to go down). Mind you I think I'd have to be remembering what my current 9th best is of my current 20. Don't know that it would be worth it...

 

[HughJars]

But it is the BEST 8 from 20, isn't it? So how will that help the dodgy players?

Fair point. I'm not thinking this through very well. I guess it's such a huge theoretical change that I'm expecting huge variances whereas in reality maybe not. Good to see someone (well done nickjdavis) has even taken the time to model this. Be intersting to see how it works at my club, current handicap secretary is effing useless as it is.

 

[SGC001]

But it is the BEST 8 from 20, isn't it? So how will that help the dodgy players?

Not wanting to win or if non competitive counts just score badly.
Got a couple of good scores u want to lose put some bad scores in. Simples and quick

Edit aware r knocking out your 20th round ago, u just put up a few bad rounds until u move the ones u want out

 

[NWJocko]

Not wanting to win or if non competitive counts just score badly.
Got a couple of good scores u want to lose put some bad scores in. Simples and quick

Edit aware r knocking out your 20th round ago, u just put up a few bad rounds until u move the ones u want out

But in the UK the rounds that are to count towards it are going to be the same as now (i.e. comps or supplementary scores).

So its going to be pretty easy (easier perhaps) to spot the trend of people banging in a load of supplementary scores to get a hike up I would have thought?

 

[SGC001]

What can be done about it? Nothing can be done about it now, nothing will in the future, but it'll be easier and quicker to move your handicap up or keep it up.
The odd outlier will be the occasional lower one, with most lower ones coming in team or non qualifying events (as now).
The more opportuntity to put in bad cards (i.e what will count as qualifying the better such as will u be able to do 5 supplementary cards a week in future?) the easier to maintain and hide if u just put in bad scores reguarly.

At least with congu if u had a good one or got caught and adjusted (e.g matchplay adjustments) it took time to get back.

Edit even if Q scorecards to count remain the same a moving average of best 8 from 20 is easier to move than 0.1 a time.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

What can be done about it? Nothing can be done about it now, nothing will in the future, but it'll be easier and quicker to move your handicap up or keep it up.
The odd outlier will be the occasional lower one, with most lower ones coming in team or non qualifying events (as now).
The more opportuntity to put in bad cards (i.e what will count as qualifying the better such as will u be able to do 5 supplementary cards a week in future?) the easier to maintain and hide if u just put in bad scores reguarly.

At least with congu if u had a good one or got caught and adjusted (e.g matchplay adjustments) it took time to get back.

Edit even if Q scorecards to count remain the same a moving average of best 8 from 20 is easier to move than 0.1 a time.

Well the provision for general play reductions will still exist even if the periodic reviews won't.

If you play in Opens / Societies that don't normally calculate a CSS you will be encouraged to enter these in future into your playing record. No card will need to be physically returned.

Also there is a realisation that in future versions of the WHS, 4 ball competitions will be included in the players record.

Are there people who are going to manipulate the system to try to win prizes - yes (as they do now). It will be much easier for Handicap Committees to ask why a round wasn't registered and returned.

As with the new rules - if you want to cheat, your fellow golfers you can.

 

[Jamesbrown]

What can be done about it? Nothing can be done about it now, nothing will in the future, but it'll be easier and quicker to move your handicap up or keep it up.
The odd outlier will be the occasional lower one, with most lower ones coming in team or non qualifying events (as now).
The more opportuntity to put in bad cards (i.e what will count as qualifying the better such as will u be able to do 5 supplementary cards a week in future?) the easier to maintain and hide if u just put in bad scores reguarly.

At least with congu if u had a good one or got caught and adjusted (e.g matchplay adjustments) it took time to get back.

Edit even if Q scorecards to count remain the same a moving average of best 8 from 20 is easier to move than 0.1 a time.

Theres algorithms in place to stop a massive increase in handicap. Like an index buffer zone. It’ll still take along time.

 

[nickjdavis]

I guess that if a round I am playing looks like it will become one of my best 8 out of 20 and will bring my h/cap down - but won't be good enough to win anything on the day - I might just NR or 'blow up' to make sure it doesn't count (if I don;t want my h/cap to go down). Mind you I think I'd have to be remembering what my current 9th best is of my current 20. Don't know that it would be worth it...

you can blow up all you want but the bad holes will still be "adjusted" to NETT double bogey just as they are today....so you might not be able to convert that score that was going to be "level handicap" to much worse than three or four over (unless you are blowing loads of holes....in which case it probably wasn't going to contribute anyway)....sure it might not then count as one of your best 8....but it may count at a later date and kick out a score of maybe 8 or 9 over handicap.

One other thing that you (the wider GM community here) may not be aware of is that handicapping under the new scheme of things will be separated from competitions.

You may play in a competition which may get processed by your Comps Committee on the day (for the purposes of deciding "winners")....but the processing of the comp will not generate any handicap adjustments as it does today.

Handicap adjustments will be made "centrally" within the WHS at the end of the day when all "acceptable scores" have been submitted and the "course condition adjustment" been calculated. (Course Condition Adjustment is what will replace CSS on a daily basis)

Effectively, the day to day mechanism of handicap calculation is being taken out of clubs/local handicap committee's hands and centralized. Don't be over surprised if the centralized system has the ability, down the line, to apply a good bit of computing power and statistical analysis to spot "handicap manipulation scoring trends".