Distance Issue

[revkev]

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 6:51 PM, cksurfdude said:

 

 

I wasn't going to join in this thread as I don't really have anything new and different to contribute .. tho I have found the posts in here interesting .. but as I read through I increasingly wondered:

"Well .. just what exactly is a handicap index going to mean going forward????"

 

Rev, sir I applaud you as a man of integrity. But I feel you're already .. and soon to be even more .. an increasingly rare anachronism (not calling old - calling you HONEST) .. ie. if players already use whatever equipment and play by whatever rules then what to make of their claimed handicap?

It's why I haven't updated my handicap here either - I use my league handicaps in the leagues that I play in so that's governed by the league handicap committees.  Each league uses different rules.  One of them does follow the USGA rule book.  Interestingly my handicaps are nearly identical in both leagues so following the local rules that allow for preferred lies in the fairways, moving the ball from tree roots and concessions because it's match play make very little difference.

 

Neither league inspects plays bags to be sure the equipment is conforming - I've never once played in an event where equipment was checked - not at least that I know of.

I would suggest that we have already reached the "we will police ourselves" thresh hold.  I would also suggest it has very little to do with scoring at the recreational level (those who care enough to maintain a handicap in some fashion and use it to play against other golfers.)  Follow me on this:

 

Beyond a doubt there have been huge equipment advances in golf over the past 20 years.  While these advances allow everyone to hit the ball farther and to have equipment that fits their game far better than in the past as well as to play on courses that are in much better condition the average handicap has dropped less than a stroke.  IMO we aren't good enough or smart enough or committed enough or in some cases wealthy enough to take advantage of the advances.  They benefit the top players disproportionally. 

 

So even if we are anarchists our handicaps are going to be close enough to what they actually should be that it is never likely to matter.

 

@Dave - I was solely making the point that course set up can be used to curb distance not that I think it should be.  IMO there is not really a distance issue.  Augusta still works, the USGA, R and A and PGA of America have little trouble getting their courses to play as they would like.

 

Where's the issue?  That touring pros are hitting too many wedges?  Well if you call a club with 44 degrees of loft a wedge and one with 28 a 7 iron then I suppose that's the case but who cares - it's still very hard to hit a ball accurately to the hole from 200 yards regardless of the club used.  In Sunday's round I had my son pull 5 iron from 206 and he hit it on the fringe - I thought - wow - then I realized that the 5 iron he was using was 10 years old (my old Idea Pro).  It's the same as my old Eye 2 4 iron which I would have hit rom 206 when I was his age (31).  It's also the same loft as most 6 irons on tour today which makes sense because his driver swing speed clocks in somewhere around 120.

 

I still beat him by 10 strokes playing from the same set of tees.  I offset his advantage by putting better and avoiding penalties.