Hello everyone!!

I'm really sorry to bring this subject up again, but I thought I understood the handicap system until my club posted my first handicap at 22!!

I gave them my first 3 cards, the same 3 cards I put on here but golf shake gave me a 20.7.

 Could someone give me a brief explanation as to why they differ by so much!

Thanks guys!

Damon

We use a different system entirely to calculate the initial handicap based on an average of the first 3 cards.  Clubs will generally take your best round.

I would guess they have just taken the round that is 23 over and gone with that.  On golfshake we adjust for the blow up you had with the 11 and set to a double bogey

 

I have heard that for you first handicap there are two ways a golf club can use.

The first way is to take your three cards, find your best scores then reduce all you bad holes to two shots over par.  That is then the handicap you are given.

Second way is to take all three cards.  Then reduce all your bad holes to two shots over par.  They then take the average of your three cards and that is the handicap you are given.

No matter which way they choose then your handicap should sort itself out over the first year.

Russ

Guys,

Clubs should use the same system as laid down by congu. This is :-

To calculate your first (initial) golf handicap you need to enter three golf cards,You will then assess your 3 cards to determine which one will provide the best Nett Differential Score (NDS); essentially this is done by reducing any holes that are greater than 2 shots over par to being 2 shots over par, for example, if you have entered an 8 on a par 5 then, for the sake of this calculation, our system will read it as a 7.

Once any holes have been reduced to double-bogey (maximum of three) the course SSS (Standard Scratch Score) is then substracted from the adjusted Gross Score, which is done in turn for each of the 3 cards.  The lowest result from the scorecards is used to allot the players initial golf handicap. For example, if the best card had a Gross Score of 94 and this was reduced by two shots for the double-bogey adjustment resulting in an adjusted score of 92, the course SSS (let's say it's 69, for example) is subtracted from this giving 23.0, this becomes the players golf handicap.

Note: the Course Par plays no part in the initial golf handicap calculation.

I hope this helps you to understand the calculation.

Martin,

You forgot to add the final bit - Not If You're Dave Ley!!!

Treason in the camp! To the tower with that MAN!!   All together now "Lets all do the CONGU la la la la ................"

Well done on your first HCP Damon , Its a lot better than mine when I joined Peterstone,

Dealing with proper handicaps for sometime, I never knew the rule about a maximum 3 hole adjustments on initial cards. Nor I think does the Handicap Secretary at my club. Therefore I'm wondering how many people have handicaps now that probably shouldn't have been given one. Going to have to look into this.

Er thanks guys.......  But I think I'm a little more confused now!!  Lol.

So Golf shake has taken my initial 3 rounds, deducted my really bad holes  to a double bogey added them all up and divided by 3 and deducted the sss (70).

87, 96, 89 = 272 / 3 = 90.66 -70 = 20.7 

But my club has taken my best round (92) and deducted the sss from this?

If this is the case, has my club just been lazy?

 

Your clubs not being lazy Damon its operating to the CONGU rules as its required to do so. Golfshake doesn't use the CONGU rules which is why its an unofficial handicap like explained above it uses an average of your first 3 cards to assign a handicap, this isn't permitted in the CONGU regulations, only your best score of the 3 you submit is used, as the CONGU system specifically states your handicap should reflect what you should score on your best day in ideal conditions, so your handicap is something you should aim to play to and your not actually expected to play to it. If you are playing to your handicap, thats when CONGU says a player should receive a general play reduction.

Hi Damon..Looking at the 4 rounds you have now entered I would think that your Golfshake handicap of 21 is about right.

You have scored 38 points for 3 of the rounds and 34 for the other 1

I wish I could score 38 points 3 times in a row

I don't know how long you have been playing, but to break 90 is good going

Chris, I believe that was how it used to be done. 

Martin that is how it should now be being done.

Damon, you are correct on how we do it on Golfshake

 

Thanks guys..... Got it!!!

 Chris, sorry if I wasn't understanding before.

Now my new question.... what happens when i submit future cards to my club?  Will they just ignore anything 23 over and worse, and keep adjusting my handicap as I hit better scores, or will it start being averaged?

Thanks..... again!!!!!

Compute a ‘Competition Scratch Score’ (CSS) for the competition,

Calculate a ‘nett differential’ for each player. This is the difference between the players’ nett score (score less current handicap) and the CSS,

If the competition is a medal round, possibly adjust the nett differentials under ‘Stableford Adjustment’,

Use each players’ nett differential to adjust their handicap according to the following formula:

Handicap of player Buffer Zone Nett Differentials below zero Nett Differentials above buffer zone Category 1:
Handicaps up to 5 0 to +1 Handicap reduced by 0.1 for each stroke Nett Differential is below zero Handicap increased by 0.1 Category 2:
Handicaps 6 to 12 0 to +2 Handicap reduced by 0.2 for each stroke Nett Differential is below zero Handicap increased by 0.1 Category 3:
Handicaps 13 to 20 0 to +3 Handicap reduced by 0.3 for each stroke Nett Differential is below zero Handicap increased by 0.1 Category 4:
Handicaps 21 to 28 0 to +4 Handicap reduced by 0.4 for each stroke Nett Differential is below zero Handicap increased by 0.1 Category 5:
Handicaps 29 to 36 () 0 to +5 () Handicap reduced by 0.5 for each stroke Nett Differential is below zero () Handicap increased by 0.1 ()

What is ‘Stableford Adjustment’?

Clubs must apply ‘Stableford Adjustments’ to Nett Differentials calculated after a Medal Competition. This adjustment has the effect of converting Nett Differentials under medal play to those which would have been calculated had the competition been played under Stableford format, eliminating any distortions resulting from unusually high scores (such as a 10 on a hole, for example).

Here, players’ Nett Differentials are reduced for each stroke scored on the players card which is more than two over Par after any handicap strokes have been subtracted for that hole (a ‘ Nett Double Bogey&rsquo.

No adjustments to Nett Differentials under Stableford Adjustment may be made to Category 1 players (less than 5.5 handicap) prior to 1st January 2001. From this date, adjustments must be made to all categories of golfer.

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How is a Nett Differential calculated if the competition is played as Stableford format?

A players’ Nett Differential is calculated as
36 - (Points scored) + (Par of Course) - (Competition Scratch Score)

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What is a ‘Buffer Zone’?

A player’s ‘Buffer Zone’ is a range of scores returned in competitions where the player’s handicap will not be changed. The buffer zone is different depending upon the player’s handicap category. A player returns a score within his Buffer Zone when his Nett Differential is within specified limits.

Handicap of player

Buffer Zone(Nett Differential)

Category 1: Handicaps up to 5

0 to +1

Category 2: Handicaps 6 to 12

0 to +2

Category 3: Handicaps 13 to 20

0 to +3

Category 4: Handicaps 21 to 28

0 to +4

so you've never heard of explaining things to newbies in "laymans" terms then Martin

For every round that you are over your handicap (including the buffer zone) your handicap will go up by 0.1

Your handicap will only ever go up 0.1, so it will take you ten bad rounds to go up 1 full shot.

If you score is over your handicap but within your buffer zone your handicap will remain the same.

When you play really well and shoot below your handicap then your handicap will be reduced.  How much it is reduced will depend on the Competition Scratch Score (CSS) and what handicap category you are in.

Hope this is easier to understand for you.

Russ

 Martin  Thanks Russ , thats clearer for me aswell

Only spotted one mistake in this thread, way back in Martin's early post. Having read the CONGU Manual cover to cover this past two days. There is no maximum or minimum amount of rounding down that can occur on a player's initial cards for handicap. You could effectively round down all 18 holes if their scores were that bad. So its almost impossible for someone not to get a handicap after submitting three cards. This I believe is why some clubs impose the 'Playing Standard' element before players are let loose in competitions and such.

Hey nice one guys,

I'm a lot clearer now, thanks to everyone who's contributed!!

Since receiving my handicap I've pretty much played to it each time (no signs of improvement tho!!) so i'm not expecting any dramatic drops just yet, maybe by the summer I'll hit the teens!!

Thanks once again.