Would you bother trying to go beyond a 4 hc or scratch?

[harpo_72]

Basically the lad at my club is in no mans land. I think I would still try and improve but I would not be bothered by my handicap. My ambition was alway to shoot level par or better on as many courses as I could and as many times as possible... Suffice to say I have a long way to go

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would want to get as low as possible. Surely that is the whole idea of having a handicap, to get it down as far as you can. The perk is the lower you are the more big amateur events you can compete in. Surely something like the English Amatuer or one of the prestigious bowls (Hampshire Hog etc) have to be the aim

 

[Hobbit]

So what sort of handicap would you be looking at to make it as a touring pro?

To get on tour you really need to be thinking +4 or +5 to even get through Q school apparently.

And then to actually make decent money, look at what you need to score to just make the cut. You need at least level par or better over some very long, tough courses. Imagine going to a 7000+yds tight course and having to shoot -4 for every round to pick up mega bucks.

Over a period of about 10 seasons I had the pleasure to play in a number of 36 hole scratch events - there's a fantastic buzz with these. Scorers out on the course radio-ing the scores in, score boards about the place. I also played a number of club pro's in knockouts, and although I bagged the odd scalp I also had some of my worst batterings out on the course - 4 over after 11 and beaten 8&7. These are fantastic events to play in.

I love the craic and banter when playing the guys at the club but imagine that craic and going knock for knock over 18 holes with guys where level par might get you a half. Imagine playing 9 holes level par and still being all square, then playing the back 9 under par and still being level. Who says you can't get an adeneline buzz out of golf?!

 

[harpo_72]

What I am saying is once you get to a certain number it's pretty meaningless because your more interested in shooting par or better. I suspect that there are some people who shoot well under their handicap from 4 downwards but the time to get to the numbers that allow entry to these competitions prevent them from competing despite being good enough.
For example we have a guy on here who has a claim to shoot level par rounds etc.. But no handicap, he would not be able to play in these competitions for a while because he has to achieve a credited handicap.

 

[Qwerty]

I'll probably give the game up when I lose the motivation to lower my handicap.

 

[Oddsocks]

I was just thinking why bother going beyond these regarding handicap. One of the members is off -1.4 at my club, so all the handicap competitions he is giving a stroke back.

When your game is that tight, you expect to go round under par anyway, its all relative.

Now different to a 10 capper knowing he's only got 10 shots... And so on

 

[Hobbit]

What I am saying is once you get to a certain number it's pretty meaningless because your more interested in shooting par or better.

You're right, you do reach a point where h'cap plays little part in what you aim for. You know you can par every hole, and birdie some. Even a bogey isn't stressing because you know/believe you'll cancel it out with a birdie.

 

[3PuttCharlie]

To get on tour you really need to be thinking +4 or +5 to even get through Q school apparently.

That may seem like a different planet to most of us...but just think in order to get to +4 or +5 they must have been shooting 8,9 maybe 10 under consistently to make sure they got cut and didn't buffer. Different Universe!

 

[gdc]

I'll probably give the game up when I lose the motivation to lower my handicap.

Agreed, why once you get to 4 hcap would you say that's it no point in going lower.

Over 25 years ago I got down to my lowest ever hcap of 1.3. Golf was my life and getting as low as possible was my goal. I was never remotely good enough to even consider turning pro - +4 or better minimum in my opinion required here.

But alas due to beer, then women, then kids I became an occasional golfer. I got my handicap back last year (5.7), went for lessons over the winter and now the bug is back.
I still want to beat my best ever handicap, and I find it is this mindset that keeps me interested in the game. Maybe it's because I am a competitive type of person.

Plus as already mentioned, the lower your handicap the greater your chance of getting into scratch comps at seriously good courses.

 

[Val]

What I am saying is once you get to a certain number it's pretty meaningless because your more interested in shooting par or better.

Not at all, their aim is no different to someone looking to break 100, 90 or 80, every player has a number they aim at everytime they peg it up and remember a plus HC has to always break par to play to HC or they will go up.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I'll probably give the game up when I lose the motivation to lower my handicap.

Agreed, why once you get to 4 hcap would you say that's it no point in going lower.

Over 25 years ago I got down to my lowest ever hcap of 1.3. Golf was my life and getting as low as possible was my goal. I was never remotely good enough to even consider turning pro - +4 or better minimum in my opinion required here.

But alas due to beer, then women, then kids I became an occasional golfer. I got my handicap back last year (5.7), went for lessons over the winter and now the bug is back.
I still want to beat my best ever handicap, and I find it is this mindset that keeps me interested in the game. Maybe it's because I am a competitive type of person.

Plus as already mentioned, the lower your handicap the greater your chance of getting into scratch comps at seriously good courses.

Same as me I think, when I get to the point that I don't feel I can improve it will be interesting to see how I react but as we stand now, I think all of the interest will go.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

A low handicap is not always the criteria for entry into top level events, quite a few of them are based on WAGR points. For example, the British Amateur qualification is done on WAGR so you could be a +3 (for example) that only plays in club events and therefore not have any ranking points. Low enough to meet the criteria but probably not get in whereas +1's or +2's that have ranking points will.

And 4 is a rubbish handicap as well, low enough to enter all the Cat1 stuff but likely to get balloted out of the good ones.

 

[harpo_72]

I have done some googling, and found the amature tour, has anyone done that? Also I am a bit of the opinion that I don't want to go to a course cold, I want to see it play it before I compete on it, are there practice rounds ?

 

[Wayman]

Personally If I ever got down to scratch I would want to get in the plus figures as loads of big comps to enter