Blow up holes....

[Kor.A.Door]

One more point to add to all the confusion that is ESC It's based on your course handicap, not your actual handicap. So before you figure out what your max score is you need to calculate what your course handicap is. It's just another aspect of the confusing nature of golf and the rules, but you multiply your handicap index times the slope rating of the course (based of which tees you play) and then divide by 113.

 

Or just use this handy calculator http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/calculator/course_handicap_calculator.asp

 

The GHIN app for mobile phones also has a course handicap calculator.

 

If you are within a stroke or two of one of the ESC cutoffs it may effect what your max score is. For instance my home course plays 1 stroke harder than your actual handicap from the tees we normally play. So if I was a 9 handicap (max double bogey for ESC) I would actually be a course 10 at my course and my max score would be 7.

 

Don't you love handicap calculations??

The best part is that if you go to the system it will calculate everything for you, you don't have to do anything except post an ESC score, if you don't know how, click the ? Next the the ESC in the system and it will tell you. If after that you cannot figure it out, I would just stop trying to get a hcp, it is so simple an 8 year old could do it.

[Kor.A.Door]

I don't sandbag. If I did my handicap would be a 12 or more. I could easily do that when putting in scores to GHIN. I just don't agree with blowing off bad holes. I had an 8. Ok then the worse I can input to GHIN is a 6 on a par 4. Just erase 2 shots. I kind of see what you're saying by saying I'm sandbagging because I should have adjusted (ignored) my bad holes by not recording what I actually shot. The problem is when playing in the real world in a tournament and even in my normal Saturday game.... we count all strokes. I don't get to use ESC on the course. Seems to me my handicap is more representative of my game than handicaps that have been "adjusted" for ESC. Let's be careful about tossing around the sandbagger word. I've never seen a player sandbag down his handicap. Why would you? But that's pretty much what ESC prescribes. Tell me where I'm wrong and perhaps I'll change. ESC just seems wrong to me. You make a 10 during your round you pay the price. Most players I know want to always be improving their game. Lower scores = lower handicap.

ESC calculates potential, not actual. It protect the people that you will be playing against

[BIG STU]

First off I would like to say to jm81 I like his quote in his signature "May the fade be with you" priceless

Blow up holes are a state of mentality and game set. Back when I gambled a lot we played match play and you know with match play you can get aggressive. In the past for me blowup holes were due to this state of mentality for me combined with a bad temper. I really had to adjust when playing stroke play in tournaments. The blow up holes and the temper is what held me back in the past along with me being naturally aggressive, I think in the past the aggressiveness was part of my mental make up. I was always screw it straight forward balls to the wall. When I had a blow up hole I got super aggressive along with being mad and tried the impossible on the next hole to try to make up the score lost took me a long time to realize that was a lethal combination as far as a good score. I would have several bad holes in a row until I settled down. Now I have aged some and mellowed out so to speak and it is not so bad now. Instead of trying to be the hero and pulling something out of the hat I more or less think "how can I salvage a bogey out of this mess" Oh yes I still have blow up holes every one does but for me it is not temper any more but compounding my mistakes.

On the handicap part in the past I never kept a official handicap card but twice. Once was when I got my Amateur status back in 91 or so and I was playing in some club events and tournaments including the World Amateur here at the beach. I played in that the first year they had it and it was the sandbagger's open. I played in some other handicap events and it was the same BS. To heck with that I could pay about the same money and have a level playing field with a skins game and some side bets so back to the minis I went and again lost my amateur status. The second time I really kept a handicap was when a guy I know was promoting some mini events and wanted to use handicap indexes. It did not fly for the same reasons. That is where I get the 5 from on my profile. Now both times I posted for my handicap index I counted all shots and played the ball down etc. Now I am not saying everyone cheats on their handicap. In fact I believe that the folks on here have a honest handicap because they love the game of golf and play honest by the rules but the folks on here and other golf blogs probably make up less than 20% of the general golfing population. The handicap system as a whole is a great thing if used in the spirit of the rules and program so to speak. Right now I like what I am doing we have an informal group that plays and a couple of the guys know all the players on a particular course and will make up the matches fairly. So far it has been even tough but fair with the matches well balanced. Not a whole lot of money involved but fun. I don't mind getting beat hate it when I beat myself but I detest getting cheated. that is why I don't play scrambles unless work related because there is too much rampart cheating going on.

As far as the mental aspects of the game my wife found that book that someone mentioned The Inner Game at the Goodwill store and bought it for me for $1 I tried reading it and it screwed with my mind too much. Had to put it aside. Did not want to dig into my brain that much I thought it may make me too nutty as If I aint nutty enough already but if it helps you great.

OK my rant is over thanks for hearing me out

[Kenny B]

Every fall there is a Budweiser tournament here on the crappiest course in the area. I never have figured out how this course got this sponsored event, but it attracts pros from all over the NW. Big money. It's a pro-am with 3 flights for amateurs. Three days; play on Sunday if you make the cut. I started playing golf 22 years ago at this course and played in gangsomes with most of the guys. They all cheated. That's just one of the reasons I haven't played there for many years. (Don't get me started about that!). It's a course that you can easily have a blowup hole or three. Everyone one of us had them. I was lousy then, probably 20-30 HCP, and always the last one picked for games. Scorecards were turned in to the head pro who entered them into GHIN. Pretty good, huh? Blowup holes were eliminated. However, the game was 4-5 players per team counting 2 best balls gross only. So, if a player was not going to improve the team score, they "took a bogey or DB" when they could have made a par.

 

Back to the pro-am... One of the guys that played in that gangsome a lot was probably a single digit (he is now and still plays in the pro-am 20 years later). It's rare if I ever beat him head-to-head. He always competes in the 3rd flight >15. Sometimes he makes the cut; sometimes he doesn't. It's why he plays in the 3rd flight. He would have no chance in the 1st or 2nd flights. He sandbags and so does everyone else who plays in that tournament. It's why I never bother.

[jmwils81]

Thanks Big Stu!

 

A lot of great insight on here. This community is full of experience and great advice. I am going to start inputting hole by hole to ensure that ESC is accounted for. I guess that is something I never really thought about because of the system we used.

[PlaidJacket]

Well let me tell you all. I've been set straight in my ways. I'm itch'en to get out and play. Right now I'm more interested in Posting a score using ESC than anything else. For me to be confronted with a sandbagging or cheating label is like someone suggesting i'm a lair. Whether I like ESC or not is not material or relevant. For me; going forward in 2015 this issue has been laid to rest.

[PlaidJacket]

Today was my first round of the year. We've had bad weather since Christmas. Today was sunny, breezy, and about 65 degrees. Ahhh. I played alright I guess. Sort of collapsed on the back. Oh well. I shot 81. But the main reason to post here today is to let everyone know I also entered my first round in GHIN for the year. I entered each hole by hole score. While talking to one of the assistants after my round we had a short discussion. According to him I should enter the score on each hole and GHIN will make any adjustments for ESC. So there you have it. Hopefully I'm legit know. I'll also enjoy using the advanced scoring part of GHIN. I've always kept my stats but this year I'll do it through GHIN.

[wbealsd]

I play in a few fundraiser tournaments each year, but that's been it.  I just keep a handicap to track my personal progress and use the app.  I used to just record my raw overall scores and didn't even realize what ESC was until a couple of years ago.  Entering hole by hole is definitely the easiest way to keep track.

 

I did overhear a couple of guys at the country club I played at last season, who usually play white tees like me, say they should play blue tees a few weeks before one of the club tournaments to "improve" their handicap.  Didn't know them, but figure most people can figure out who pulls that kind of stuff.  Not the kind of folks I'd care to play with, anyway.

[Kor.A.Door]

I play in a few fundraiser tournaments each year, but that's been it. I just keep a handicap to track my personal progress and use the app. I used to just record my raw overall scores and didn't even realize what ESC was until a couple of years ago. Entering hole by hole is definitely the easiest way to keep track.

 

I did overhear a couple of guys at the country club I played at last season, who usually play white tees like me, say they should play blue tees a few weeks before one of the club tournaments to "improve" their handicap. Didn't know them, but figure most people can figure out who pulls that kind of stuff. Not the kind of folks I'd care to play with, anyway.

Playing from a different tee won't improve your handicap, unless they input the score universe system incorrectly, your scores are entered by set of tees based in the slope, so when you move to a different tee your hcp will also be adjusted to compensate at my course my hcp ibdex is 5.9, if I play from the blue tees I input 5.9 and then adjust the slope rating which is 139, I will get 7 shots, if I move up to the white tees which is slope of 132, and enter 5.9, in this case I also get 7 shots but if I move back I will get 8 shots, the stsyem if used correctly will help to keep the "field" fair.

[wbealsd]

Sounded to me like they were just planning to record some higher scores before playing in a tournament. They were in a group teeing off before me and I don't know them, so I don't really know what they did after that.