Carrying a handicap

[ClevelandGirl]

It’s my experience, and educated guess, that a vast majority of golfers don’t bother to carry a handicap. Around these parts, meaning this forum, that might be different. 

I use my overall score to measure my own progress. My club fitter suggested using a cap as a way to gauge how you’re playing that day on that course. I think it would complicate my “no thinking” approach to golf. 

There is also some security concerns given that anyone can look up your information online by knowing your name. That creeps me out. 

So do you carry a cap, and do you find it useful? Anyone look up scores of someone else?

[cnosil]

56 minutes ago, ClevelandGirl said:

So do you carry a cap, and do you find it useful? Anyone look up scores of someone else?

I don't carry an official handicap.  I use an app to keep track of my handicap.  I don't look up other peoples handicap since I don't play official handicap rounds.  

[Siamese Moose]

Yes, because it lets me play the club championship (public course). I'm not going to win, but that weekend is a lot of fun and worth the price of ghin.

[Josh Parker]

I have one but also plan to play in some local tournaments this next year and will need it. Doesn't really matter if you aren't playing money games or tournaments that require one. 

Easy enough to track your own like @cnosildoes. 

[Shankopotomous]

This year is the first i have an official ghin 'cap only because i wanted to play in some msga events.  

Previously i would track my own scores and the self calculated 'cap was about the same as the current ghin.

[JAYER38]

Only reason I signed up for VSGA was to be able to play private courses that host tournaments which require a handicap. I don't care about the tournament itself as I don't think much about my handicap or winning tournaments but enjoy playing different courses that otherwise I would not be able to play.

The discounts they offer area really nice also!

[Coulter]

I started Carrying a handicap vs just an outright score this year. My previous best score was an 83 on an easier course than I normally play so my new PB of 81 is a better score by 2 strokes but MUCH better when you consider the contrast in how difficult the 2 courses are. 

[Coulter]

My reason for carrying the handicap though was 1 to track progress a bit more officially and 2 I planned on playing in some local tournaments that required a handicap like everyone else has already said

[DaveP043]

I've carried an official handicap

since I joined my club, about 30 years ago.  I play in club tournaments, I play in interclub league play, and I play in a group of weekend players (3 or 4 foursomes each week), and every one uses handicaps.  

17 hours ago, ClevelandGirl said:

There is also some security concerns given that anyone can look up your information online by knowing your name.

They really cannot learn much about you.  For golfers NOT in your club, you can only see your home club,  the month of the round, the score, and the CR/Slope.  For golfers in your club, you can access a little more, the actual date played, and the course played.  And of course Handicap Administrators can actually see a lot more personal information, including your entire scoring history.

 

[vandyland]

18 hours ago, ClevelandGirl said:

I use my overall score to measure my own progress.

I do the same thing even though I also maintain a handicap. Handicaps take your best 8 out of your last 20 scores AND have soft and hard caps that keep your handicap from inflating too fast once you have gotten it down. Since I am regressing currently, my handicap actually makes me look like a better golfer than I currently am. So average score is the best for me at the moment. And yes, I look up other people's handicaps on occasion but all I can glean is their handicap, home club, when they played and their last 20 scores. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

18 hours ago, ClevelandGirl said:

It’s my experience, and educated guess, that a vast majority of golfers don’t bother to carry a handicap. Around these parts, meaning this forum, that might be different. 

I use my overall score to measure my own progress. My club fitter suggested using a cap as a way to gauge how you’re playing that day on that course. I think it would complicate my “no thinking” approach to golf. 

There is also some security concerns given that anyone can look up your information online by knowing your name. That creeps me out. 

So do you carry a cap, and do you find it useful? Anyone look up scores of someone else?

We have to here in Switzerland. If you do not have a handicap you are not allowed to play on 95% of the courses. On all 18 hole courses you also need a handicap of 45 or less. Some 39 or less and even I have seen a couple with 25 or less. It is part of the system here and those without a handicap (official) can only play academy par 3 courses. 

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, vandyland said:

And yes, I look up other people's handicaps on occasion but all I can glean is their handicap, home club, when they played and their last 20 scores. 

And you can't even see which day they played, only the month.  

[ClevelandGirl]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I've carried an official handicap

since I joined my club, about 30 years ago.  I play in club tournaments, I play in interclub league play, and I play in a group of weekend players (3 or 4 foursomes each week), and every one uses handicaps.  

They really cannot learn much about you.  For golfers NOT in your club, you can only see your home club,  the month of the round, the score, and the CR/Slope.  For golfers in your club, you can access a little more, the actual date played, and the course played.  And of course Handicap Administrators can actually see a lot more personal information, including your entire scoring history.

 

On the home security front, a name and home course would be enough for someone industrious enough to find a person. My days of having lived under observation (read: psychotic ex turned stalker) are well behind me (and hopefully there’s not another out there).  It really doesn’t take much these days. 
 

 

[ClevelandGirl]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

We have to here in Switzerland. If you do not have a handicap you are not allowed to play on 95% of the courses. On all 18 hole courses you also need a handicap of 45 or less. Some 39 or less and even I have seen a couple with 25 or less. It is part of the system here and those without a handicap (official) can only play academy par 3 courses. 

When my gaggle of lads were looking into a trip to Europe for golf, we were all a bit flabbergasted by so many courses requiring a handicap. It seems an unnecessary thing when you’re a 30 cap or higher. At that stage I’d think ball striking and having fun are the important parts. 

I can definitely see courses requiring a mid to lower cap though. Pace of play and rules do come to mind on a tricky course, especially etiquette (fixing ball marks and divots etc). 

[Dweed]

I use "Scor Tracker". There are no tourney's in the area anyway on the public courses I play. I track each round, putts, sand saves, FH's GiR , lost/penalty shots and it establishes the level of difficulty. Gives me a lot of performance feed back as far as how I play different holes by course. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

If you want to play in any events at my club you need a handicap. Even the daily shootouts. Teams are generated by computer and strokes are given based on your handicap.

Some bigger events have a min handicap limit per team and some events restrict the four man team to not having more than two players with a handicap less than 10. This helps prevent the rogue team coming in with 4 scratch players. 
 

The course looks up everything through the GHIN. 

 

 

[TJ Hall]

I play in a league that requires a handicap, other than that I would not keep one.