[dcmccobb]

Some years ago the golf handicap system was changed. The reason expressed for the change was that the then handicap system was too complicated for golfers to understand. The old handicap system was calculated on the best ten of a golfer's last twenty scores based as is the current system.

Both systems adjust for unusually high scores on any one hole. The old system never counted strokes over a double bogie. And there was a limit of how many double bogie’s were counted depending on the golfer’s handicap. I don’t remember exactly how many double bogie’s were counted, but for example a golfer with a handicap of 15 might be allowed no more than two double bogie’s during a round for handicap purposes. Lower handicaps could have fewer, higher handicaps more.

For some reason the handicap gurus felt that this was too complicated. So now we have a system that is easier. Under the current system a golfer with a handicap from 1 to 9 cannot record a score on a hole more than a double bogey. However, a golfer with a handicap of 10 to 19 cannot record more than a 7 on any hole, and a golfer with a handicap of 20 through 29 no more than a 8 and so on.

This means that on a par 3 hole a golfer with a 10 handicap can record for handicap purposes a 7 or a quadruple bogie. Now you will say that it is unlikely that a 10 handicapper will score a 7 or more, but of course, it happens.

My point is this. A 10 handicap golfer plays a par 72 course and shoots his handicap except for two terrible par three holes in which he has to pick up his ball before he finishes so records 7’s. So maybe the golfer’s final score was an 88. If he does this very often, his handicap will probably rise to 14 or so, but he is still really playing to a 10 except for his two lousy par 3’s a round. Guess who’s winning all the money in his Saturday foursome.

Worse yet are the sand-baggers, who when they know they are out of a hole, knock their ball into the water on a par three so they can record their 7. Now I know the handicap rules assume that all golfers are always trying to play their best, but unfortunately, we all know of golfers who do this. They are usually pretty well known at their golf club.

So my recommendation is to return to something like the old system that put more limits on recording a high score on a hole. After all a player with anything more than a double bogie is probably out of the hole anyway. Why not just limit any player’s score on a hole to no more than a double bogie for handicap purposes. I believe it would result in much more equitable handicaps for all. And everyone would have more fun playing golf.

[daves81]

you make a good point ,you articulated your argument very well. good post.

[GolfSpy Matt]

First of all, thank you for explaining equitable stroke control very clearly. I was familiar with the term before, but mainly as a joke on a certain member of my family who frequently invokes it to keep from writing down numbers bigger than 8.

I think you're 100% right about this. Why is limiting players to a double bogey complicated? That seems very simple to me. The "Maximum Score" rule only leads to, as you pointed out, people taking quads to inflate their handicap. It seems that limiting it to double bogeys is both simpler and leads to more honest scoring.

As someone who doesn't play in any tournaments/events or cash games (unless I know the people well), this doesn't really have a big impact on my life, but I would like to play in some events next year and I certainly hope I will be playing against players who are my equal, not sandbaggers.

[RookieBlue7]

I thought we were going to talk about having 1 mouth and 2 hands being our handicaps....

Good post though.

[threeguysgolfblog]

Good post. Sand baggers are true evil so I am on board with your ideas. In the meantime we will have to suffer their wrath. I actually wrote my own rant about this very subject. http://threeguysgolf...com/sandbagger/

[Jmikecpa]

threeguysgolfblog, on 19 February 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

Good post. Sand baggers are true evil so I am on board with your ideas. In the meantime we will have to suffer their wrath. I actually wrote my own rant about this very subject. http://threeguysgolf...com/sandbagger/

+1 on that. My club was notorious for sandbagging and it got to the point that I absolutely refused to play any events that involved handicaps. We had a group of 6 to 8 guys that should have been low single digits that ran their handicap up to a 9 or 10 in order to place well in handicap events. Each one would manage to have a career weekend in the biggest tournaments of the year....also the one's with the most side cash as well.

[RoverRick]

Here is my problem. Well, not as much my problem versus my competetions or my playing partners problem. While I have been working hard to overcome this and made swing changes to become more consistant, I play better the fewer people that are playing with me. When playing in pairs, I almost always shoot in the 70's. I shoot in the 80 with 5 people and with 6 I end up in the high 80's. However, I never record more than a double bogey. Honestly, I rarely score more than a double bogey. I usually have at least pick up for double. When I play badly it is not because I have blow up holes with 7 or 8 or more, it is because I have multiple doubles.

I seem to have overcome this problem by developing a better routine before each shot, but this lead to an inflated handicap last year. But when I would get in a tournament with few people on the green I would play much better than my official handicap.

Having said that, I did have a 12 on a par 4 several months ago, but I think it got entered as a double.

In both groups that I usually play with double bogies are as bad as you can do.

[Dave]

All my h/c cards are tournament/competition cards.

Sounds like your ESC differential maybe a little different from what we use. Using your 10h/c as an example. They can make a maximum of a 6 (or triple on any other hole) rated a stroke index hole of 1-10. If the hole (par 3) is is rated 11-18 the most they can make is 5 (double any other hole).

To count a quad counting towards your h/c down in this part of the world, you would have to be at least on a 19 h/c and even then only on stroke index hole #1.

[GolfSpy Tim]

Yikes...

I keep trying to decide if I want to allow myself to get caught up on handi caps or not... I work on the weekends, so there aren't too many tournaments and stuff that I can play, I don't know if it really matters for me.

I'm must consistently amazed that with smart phone technology, they don't just get rid of the human factor and have everything entered into your phone, and the software could track your handicap and know what to count and what to cut off without you having to think at all.

I guess that doesn't help when someone's working to inflate their handicap, but it would make worrying about how many doubles and such to count a lot less "confusing"

[Tyk]

There is no system that will stop a cheater from cheating, so there is no reason to try to develop a system to prevent it. ESC is not designed to deal with sandbaggers any more than the old system was. If someone is going to cheat, they will find a way.

My understanding of ESC is that it is designed to mitigate the impact of scoring anomalies on a golfer's handicap. Seems to work pretty well imo, I don't understand the original poster's issue. A well established handicap is fairly resistant to upward change. A few bad rounds are never going to be factored into the equation. So neither will a few bad holes that comprise those bad rounds. If a score truly is an anomaly, then it will not have an impact, nor should it. If the bad scoring is a regular occurrence, then it will start to move the handicap upwards as the lower rounds fall out of the calculation and are replaced by rounds that include those bad scores.

Its the 10 best scores that count. If you want to see some crazy stuff happen to your handicap, try shooting near or below your handicap in a tournament round or two! Then the real suck begins!

[fozcycle]

I help run a Saturday morning golf Association that has 75+ members. There are 4 of us that run the weekly games.

Our Ass'n has a general rule, that all golfers, regardless of their handicap must pick up at double bogey.

We play +/_ net points based on a Modofied Stableford System as follow:

Bogey 1
Par 2
Bidie 4
Eagle 6


On a Par 72 course (which ours is) the total of the gross score plus points is always 108, unless they have a Birdie. So when the scores are reported, it is easy to ensure that the scores and points jive. We pay 25% of the # of players based upon the net +/- of their weekly points average. We have a max of +3 per week with your average rising 1 point for every +3 and -1 for every -3 with a downward max of -2 per week.

This somewhat keeps the sandbaggers at bay.

Every 6 months, we hold a 2 day tourney, where each player's points will be based upon their YTD Average for the six months, then their net + points for Day 2 are adjusted by 50%.

Currently, we have golfers playing that have their weekly points quota from 5 to 35. So we may have a High Hcapper win as often as a low Hcapper.

[jmiller065]

Very well written and I enjoyed the read, however I have a couple of comments about handicap as a whole. I see a few issue in the old system primary being the idea that a max number of double bogies be put in place for all handicaps.

First, before I go into a rant about rules and handicap I just want to say that majority of golfers out there are not tournament golfers and out to enjoy the day with friends and smack around a ball a little. Pace of play would be important to these people.

I feel that the handicap system as it stands both the one you suggested and the current system are flawed. Let me explain why I feel this way and warning this will get long winded. I think that an Average score is more telling then a handicap number for the simple fact an average calculates ALL rounds to the end score, not by hole.

Under the current handicap system more times then not their are more vanity handicaps then sandbagers. This is for two good reasons 'maximum strokes per hole', 'gimme putts', 'winter rules', 'roll them in the fairway', 'ob is a drop with 2 stroke penalty instead of distance and stroke', etc. All of this is designed to speed up pace of play for average golfers and bring in money for the course. HOWEVER, it will turn you into a vanity handicap in no time.

If you play all year long always picking up at double bogie as a single digit, 7 as a mid, or 8 as a high then you are not getting a true representation of your ability as a golfer in a tournament situation where max amount of strokes could be a lot higher. I played in a couple tournaments where the max was double par + 1 stroke, 7 on par 3s, 9 on par 4s, 11 on par 5s for all handicaps. Now that still keeps pace of play reasonably fast and gives a better idea of actual ability.

I am a single digit the must the handicap software I use will report towards my handicap is double bogie... Lets assume that I shot an 80 on average but the score card is normally 2 holes that have huge numbers instead of spread out over a round. two holes at 4 over par (call it two 8s on par 4s), towards handicap that reduces me to a 76 that I clearly didn't shoot. So the system is already skewed to lower my handicap from my average score.

Now on top of that I didn't putt a single putt within 5 feet, hell even tour pros only putt 50-60% (depending on the player average is 55% roughly) how many strokes do you think that I have saved in a round of 80 never putting a putt within 5 feet?

So if you ever wounder why people can't play to their handicaps in tournaments it is because they don't hole out as much as they should. The idea of not holing out and taking 'max handicap strokes'. 'gimme putts', 'preferred lies', 'taking improper relief of a drop' when you practice will do nothing but harm you when tournament time comes. All of this that you can no longer do would probably put majority of golfers AT LEAST 10 strokes more then what their average score is and handicap that is given to them.

The biggest rule violations are these for an average golfer. If you are playing me for money or we are in a tournament I would call you on any of them you are in violation of. It is nothing personal but when the words 'money' or 'tournament' get involved I am out there to protect myself and the field from Rule violation cheating.
USGA Rule Book --> http://www.usga.org/...f-Golf/Rule-01/
Rule 3-2: Failure to Hole Out
Rule 13: Play the ball as it lies (specifically 13-2: Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play)

So if you truly want to be honest with yourself and your golfing ability to get a true idea then you should treat every round like it is a tournament round or money is on the line. 'Practice like you play' as the old saying goes don't get into bad habits.

Call me a traditionalist or whatever you want but that's how the PGA Tour works... holed out and no max score, just think how damn good they are when they are forced to play by the rules to a T?

[Dave]

Your handicap is not supposed to represent your ability, it represents your potential.

If it represented your ability they would count every score not the best out of 10.

[Phana24JG]

threeguysgolfblog, on 20 February 2012 - 12:25 AM, said:

Good post. Sand baggers are true evil so I am on board with your ideas. In the meantime we will have to suffer their wrath. I actually wrote my own rant about this very subject. http://threeguysgolf...com/sandbagger/

+++ One of the leagues I play in was plagued by this issue. We found that a good answer was to combine a match/medal play format. Since any attempt to sandbag has some consequence on the medal play point distribution, the end result was to eliminate the incentive to sandbag for at least 80% of all rounds. Of course, the same mentality rears its ugly head toward the end of a season where some golfers are essentially eliminated from contention. They then decide to throw away the last few weeks in an attempt to build up their handicaps for NEXT year.

However, considering all the sins of golf, I would gladly take a dozen sandbaggers and trade a dozen slow players anytime (and include a high draft choice). Five hours and fifteen minutes to play a 6500 yd course at a 112 slope will get a driver flung faster than a snap hook into the trees. Watching some idiot who struggles to break 95 waiting in a par-5 fairway with 250 to a heavily bunkered green baffles me.

[RookieBlue7]

My handicap is 2 hands and 1 mouth. The more I drink the better I seem to play.