Looking at the comments about handicaps in the uk I was surprised to see that the problem with the uk handicap system is being criticised,I never new it had been changed in the uk as a major critic of the German handicap system which is totally unfair I have often said the British system was fair and that the Germans make up their own rules to suit themselves.I play off a handicap of 8, recently I played in a Christmas 9 hole competition I scored a respecable 18 points only to finish 25th,the winner had a handicap of 54 and scored 41 points in 9 holes.I hope British golf does not sink to this level of golf.

Hugh Copeland

Handicaps are supposed to ensure that all players have an equal chance of winning, you have now found out, to your dismay, that handicaps are a farce, be it in golf or horse racing.

I would like to see four even split divisions of a maximum handicap of 24, and everyone in their own divission plays level. This would encourage those who like winning, to improve

I'd like to see the UK handicap system really shaken up. Maximum Handicap for Gents 18 - after all there is only 18 holes in a round of golf and only those players really that bad would receive a shot a hole. I'd do away with the silly Stableford Adjustment on initial cards. Until a player can shoot 18 over SS without all the rounding downs and crossings out they wouldn't get an handicap.

I'd also introduce the system that SS can only be as low as the course Par and never lower. Also in competitions where people score better then the SS, the CSS would actually go up, instead of down as is the case now, so these people are cut greater as a reward for their good games.

I'd also have all scores count towards the CSS, not just the Cat 1-3 golfers. That way the cat 4 golfers having the bandit sorry I mean good scores will raise the CSS and therefore get cut to a more genuine handicap sooner.

I'd do away with the silly decimal point reductions and have it straight forward a full shot reduction for cat 3 and 4 golfers for every shot under the CSS they shoot. 0.5 shot reduction for cat 1 and 2 golfers for each shot under the CSS they shoots.

Finally I wouldn't reward golfers with a 0.1 increase to handicaps when they have a bad round. Upward adjustments will be made at the end of the season during the annual review.

Pretty sound ideas, Chris. I could go along with that.

Finally I wouldn't reward golfers with a 0.1 increase to handicaps when they have a bad round. Upward adjustments will be made at the end of the season during the annual review.

Chris - an interesting point ! But what would the annual review be looking at in terms of a basis for re-calculating their handicap i.e. give me an example of a hypothetical case that you might apply !

I am quite sure that a fair handicap could be assessed with all the scores for that season in front of the handicap committee. Annual revisions are commonplace in proper golf clubs.

The German golf assocition has come up with the idea that any golfer who does not play in competitions over the season will have their handicap cut automaticly by what they consider that the player should have improved over the season.I must say I laughed at the idea at first but when I saw the handicap adjustment lists I find the idea not so bad.Players in the future will find it harder to protect their handicaps for the better prize tournaments,maybe the Germans are beginning to get it right now.

Shuggie

The annual review Colin would work exactly as it does now. The Computer software analyses the players round over the year, calculates how many rounds outside their bufferzone they returned, in relation to rounds to or better then their bufferzone. It then looks at their scoring average and with some mathematical formula I don't understand and make a proposal to increase a players handicap.

Until the last month or so I was looking at the list for my clubs members. I was on the list for an increase of 2 shots as I'd had 18 rounds consecutively outside my bufferzone. Then I started playing well and cancelled that by actually getting myself cut 4 shots.

so Chris are you saying that your rounds outside the 'buffer zone' were NOT considered (at the end of the day) only your better final rounds ? to be cut by 4 shots seems to indicate this !

I mean to be honest I don't have a gripe about that from my perspective I have a potential good game and it is up to me to aspire toward achieving that - the fact that in reallity that round only comes around every 12-20 games is 'my problem' !!

Colin, my 4 shot reduction has occurred over the last 8 competitions I have played. Once I started playing well again I've been cut from the normal course of play. If I'd carried on the year without having a good round, the system would have increased me, as my current year record would have shown I was incapble of playing to the handicap I had. Based on my scores the system calculated I should have at the committee's discretion been given a two shot increase.

Another example I can offer as to how the Annual Review works is last year a couple of players were highlighted because they'd played several rounds to their bufferzone, although they hadn't been under CSS in any comps, the system deemed them to be playing 'Too Consistantly' and therefore they were calculated to receive a reduction during the review period. One guy in the final medal of the year actually did play under CSS so received a handicap cut as part of the natural order, so when the committee came to finalise the review, he'd gone from the group of players the system highlighted.

The Handicap Systems Annual Review is designed to correct problems in the system where it is too slow to react to changes in a players standard of play, by looking at all scores entered over 12 months to identify trends that may not be apparent on a week to week basis, it grants the Handicap Committee a period in time to make large changes to players handicaps. Whether thats to increase handicaps of players showing declining ability or to decrease handicaps of players who have shown signs of rapid development.

Fortunately for me I got my game right and got my handicap cut as I couldn't live with going back to 20.

I'm now in a position actually where based on my last 8 rounds, I could very well find the annual review at the end of this year start of next suggesting I get a decrease as my current form as my current handicap is not a true reflection the best score I can achieve in ideal playing conditions. So I'd expect maybe to be general played a shot in the New Year.

I like John's idea of playing in even divisions and players within each division playing off the same handicap.  However if this was done why limit the handicap to 24. 

I would argue that it would be better to have 4 divisions 0-9, 9-18, 19-27 and 28 -36.  I would have the best division competing off the back tees and the lowest playing off reds irrespective of age or gender.  I think a lot of male players when first starting would progress quicker if they started on the red tees spending less time hacking around in the rough which is no good for confidence or technique. 

I think this system would also benefit the more able women golfers as they would be able to compete off the back tees and against more golfers of the same standard at their local club.

I also think that cuts in handicap should come more quickly especially for golfers whose handicaps are not based on many rounds.  I would suggest that a golfer whose handicap is based on 10 QRs or less should get a whole point cut for each shot they shoot under handicap.  This could then be reduced by 0.1 after each subsequent 10 QRs they complete until it reaches 0.5 per shot under handicap.  If a golfer changed clubs and did not transfer their handicap they would go back to 0 QRs.

Jon I know your idea about the tees is used and our German friend above can probably verify this. I know they use a system where the high handicap players tee off closer to the green and the better players tee off further back. However all this does is mean after the tee shots the high handicap players lose all their advantage, as usually the low handicap players drive the ball to where the high handicap players have finished although usually in the fairway where the high handicappers can still be in the forest. The low players are more likely to reach the green with their next shots where for the high handicap players can still end up anywhere.

What makes that system so pointless is handicap determines where you start and thats it. You don't actually receive shots then as you go round. So it becomes a scratch competition with players starting from different tees. And as we probably all know in a scratch competition it favours the low handicap players.

Of course this system is invented and operated by a country that requires you to have a license to play the game.