Thoughts on Handicap

[Fish64man]

Honestly I can see what this person is getting at but for somebody like me who dropped there handicap from a 14.3 to a 6 in a year I disagree I think you can shoot a wide variety of scores but you can always improve as long as you have the dedication and will to practice the game anyone who loves the game of golf will put time into practice in order to achieve there goals but the same is said for anything that requires skill but I don’t think anyone should look at this and feel discouraged to at least try and shoot a low just practice and the scores you desire will come 

[jaz29]

On 5/21/2023 at 9:58 AM, richk9holes said:

What is the par for the 9 holes you're playing? 36 or 37 I'm assuming.

My question for everyone is how many times would you let someone shoot a net -4 or 5 or better on 9 holes before gently reminding them that handicaps can be updated? Is this a case where 9 hole scores aren't being counted and the 15 hcp is based off full 18 hole scores but the golfer carrying it is incapable of putting a clean 18 holes together? 

I'd probably ask that they include the league scores in their differentials and recalculate at some point, but is that a conversation for after the season? Let them win and disinvite?

36 for 9 holes

[richk9holes]

4 minutes ago, jaz29 said:

36 for 9 holes

That's what I figured, so the 43 isn't far off, but if he shoots 40 or 41 against you a bunch he should update his 15 hcp I think.

[vandyland]

This may be off topic but as I got better and my handicap dropped, it wasn't because I was making more birdies it was that I was eliminating doubles and triples and reducing bogeys. As a 12 HDCP I could still make a 1-2 birdies in a round but I would also make 2-3 doubles as well. When I was playing my best golf as a 4 HDCP, I was making 1-2 birdies a round and usually 0 doubles in a round. The point of this being that I could shoot an irregularly low score much more easily when I was a 12 HDCP than when I was a 4 HDCP because I just had to not completely blow up as a 12 and as a 4 I had to truly make something happen out there. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by vandyland

[Javs]

5 hours ago, Fish64man said:

Honestly I can see what this person is getting at but for somebody like me who dropped there handicap from a 14.3 to a 6 in a year I disagree I think you can shoot a wide variety of scores but you can always improve as long as you have the dedication and will to practice the game anyone who loves the game of golf will put time into practice in order to achieve there goals but the same is said for anything that requires skill but I don’t think anyone should look at this and feel discouraged to at least try and shoot a low just practice and the scores you desire will come 

I agree, as I dropped from a 12.7 to a 5 in my first year of retirement. Putting in and having time to play and work at my game was all the difference.

[richk9holes]

1 minute ago, vandyland said:

This may be off topic but as I got better and my handicap dropped, it wasn't because I was making more birdies it was that I was eliminating doubles and triples and reducing bogeys. As a 12 HDCP I could still make a 1-2 birdies in a round but I would also make 2-3 doubles as well. When I was playing my best golf as a 4 HDCP, I was making 1-2 birdies a round and usually 0 doubles in a round. The point of this being that I could shoot an irregularly low score much more easily when I was a 12 HDCP than when I was a 4 HDCP because I just had to not completely blow up as a 12 and as a 4 I had to truly make something happen out there. 

Very on topic, I think. In the example above of a 9 hole setting the likelihood that blowup hole doesn't happen is increased. So if competing in 9 hole formats but deriving a handicap from only full round scores can lead to the example above.

[vandyland]

Also, handicap intentionally recognizes "potential" instead of average score. So more volatile players typically end up with lower handicaps than steady players since only the best 8 differentials out of every 20 are recognized. For me (someone who does not want a super low hdcp) this is beneficial since I generally shoot the same most days out there. I have a friend who is an 8 handicap but can VERY easily score in the high 90s if his driver isn't cooperating. Overall, I wouldn't want the job of trying to determine how handicaps should be calculated because it was just REALLY hard to do. Ultimately, golf is one of the few sports that has this type of scoring convention to level out playing fields and I guess it is interesting to debate and think about. I still arrive at average score that throws out 2-3 of the highest and lowest scores in each 20 makes more sense to me but I get why the handicapping committees don't do that. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by vandyland

[richk9holes]

@vandyland don't get that nest of hornets stirred up again. We don't need another 4 pages of the history of the change in nomenclature and wording used by official recognized bodies.

[richk9holes]

*Obligatory Note of verbiage change WHS '20 "demonstrated ability" replacing potential.

[revkev]

On 5/16/2023 at 12:40 AM, richk9holes said:

0 handicap who shoots 70 a couple times in 6 months at a difficult par 72 will be a negative index and no longer fall in the "wait X years to shoot 68" of the 0 handicap category because they won't be a 0 handicap shooting under par.

This all requires a level of imagination to get what the chart implies because it's a freaking meme on the internet.

 

Yes - it's a snap shot - in the moment that you are playing the numbers on the chart may be true - if you're a 5 the minute you post a 68 your revised index will drop and then you will need to play 20 rounds for the 68 to drop off.  I don't think the chart is bad or wrong for a given moment in time but nothing here is static - you guys all know your own games - I'm an 8 now - I can shoot 87 quite easily and you'd think I had a vanity cap.  We'd have lunch and then the same guy (me) goes out and shoots a 76.  My course is very difficult so that 76 turns into a 67 net and suddenly, I'm a sandbagger.  Neither is true.  

Also, I've been a 1, I've gotten older, don't hit it as far or as consistently but I'm also comfortable hanging around par, I used to do it all the time.  I start in a league next week - that plays individual score straight up rules by the way - if I'm able to play every week I suspect that I will get comfortable around par again - I get to move up a set of tees so distance will not be a huge factor for me.  

 

Handicap is a snap shot of a players potential at a given time - as so many have noted here there are lots of factors to go into the handicaps of individual golfers that it's hard to say what you might get when you are up against an unknown.