Forum > Rules and Etiquette

Wayne Santorini

CALLAWAY HANDICAPPING

It frequently occurs in social competitions such as office or business association outings that many of the competitors do not have official handicaps. In such cases the best solution is to use the Callaway Handicapping system, so called after its inventor, as it is simple to use yet has proved equitable.

Competitors complete their round marking in their gross figures at every hole and their handicaps are awarded and deducted at the end of the 18 holes using the following guide:

Competitors Gross Score     Handicap Deduction

Par or less...............................none

One over par – 75...................½ worst hole

76 – 80...................................worst hole

81 – 85...................................worst hole plus ½ next worse

86 – 90..................................two worst holes

91 – 95..................................two worst holes plus ½ next

96 – 100................................three worst holes

101 – 105..............................three worst holes plus ½ next

106 – 110..............................four worst holes

111 - 115..............................four worst holes plus ½ next

116 - 120.............................five worst holes

121 – 125.............................five worst holes and ½ next

126 – 130............................six worst holes

Note 1; Worst hole equals highest score at any hole regardless of the par of the hole except that the maximum score allowed for any hole is twice the par of the hole.  

Note 2; The 17^th & 18^th holes are not allowed to be deducted.

Ray Lawlor

Interesting.

How has it worked in practice? 

My burning question: is it bandit proof?

Colin Stephens

This needs to be elaborated further and clarified / simplified

Like I played in Ryan's daughter and my name is John Mills 

This is new and I feel this thread deserves more and more comments ! 

Christopher Watmore

Colin Stephens

I presume we are we talking about medal scoring here

PS I've just returned from watching Footers at my local  so I may be a tad thick !

Chris Perry

Chris,

You would have got 3 shots for net 70.  Unless that worst hole was 17 or 18 and then you would have to take your next worst

Wayne Santorini

Chris W you would have had a 70 net.

one over par to 75 equals 1/2 of the worst hole you scored (providing it wasn't 17 or 18) therefore Gross 73 less 3 (half of 6) = 70.

Christopher Watmore

Wayne Santorini

you count every shot Colin and deduct accordingly.

I found this system in the R&A Golfers Handbook and thought it would get some comments, hopefully some players might try it and see how it pans out.

Danny Brant

Colin Stephens

 wait now - I score 92 (by definition given stablelford equation and only recording minimum bogeys and only recording that minimum score not giving you a point)

my two worst holes not allowing medal specific but are 6 on a par 3  and 8 on a par 5

this is where I've lost this thread !

Wayne you may and may well be entitled to call me a tosser for not understanding all of this 

but I don't understand - so tell me to go and suck oranges and read romantic novels in my back garden - if you wish !  

Colin Stephens

ps I've had a few - and I may not be be too far removed from John Mills in Ryan's Daughter 

so respond (or not) accordingly ! 

Darren Millichip

ok if i read this system right

my last round was a gross 80 on a par 71 (playing of 11 i scored 38pts stableford and a net 69), using the callaway system

76-80 = worst hole in my case i would say that was the bogey 6 on a par 5 rather than the double bogey 5 on a par 3

thus giving me a net 74 = 80-(worst hole) 6

which equates to 3 over par

looking at this method then it only works on individual rounds played and therefore cannot be used to have a handicap as the adjustments are made after every round played

i suppose it could benefit some societies who's members are not affiliated with any club and therefore do not have an "official" handicap. which should stop any bandits if the procedure is follwed correctly

bearing in mind this is just my own interpretation of the system!!!!

i am sure wayne will correct me if i am wrong

Darren Millichip

colin

going off your previous post, if you scored 92 then you would need to deduct your 2worst holes + 1/2 the next worst hole, also going on what you posted maximum bogey exept for the 2 scores posted)

6 on the par 3

8 on the par 5

1/2 of (will use a par 5 as example) bogey 6 on par 5 =3

which would give you a reduction on your score of 92 of 17 shots giving you a net 75

i think

Wayne Santorini

**i suppose it could benefit some societies who's members are not affiliated with any club and therefore do not have an "official" handicap.**

The above comment was from Darren, and the first paragraph of this post states;

**It frequently occurs in social competitions such as office or business association outings that many of the competitors do not have official handicaps. In such cases the best solution is to use the Callaway Handicapping system, so called after its inventor, as it is simple to use yet has proved equitable**

The answer simply is to record ALL your scores as you would for stroke play and do the deduction after.

If you had a group of like minded  players whom as is the case in business, get out perhaps once a year, then this could provide a bit of fun.

Colin your ok mate I had a laugh at your comment.

Wayne Santorini

Ivan, I like you do not worry about handicaps and only concentrate on the shot in hand, the scores will sort themselves out

ps where's your comment gone

John Pettitt

As we all know the handicap system is not fair enough to enable everyone to cross the line together because it is far easier for the high handicap player to knock shots off than it is for the low handicap player.

Social events, like office outings etc, should be played level thus producing a winner who was the best plaer on the day.

Why we tend to cater for those who cannot play or refuse to improve, I shall never know. Perhaps a return to the days when 24 hadicap was the highest one could have and then one required better than this standard to get into a club. After all they are called Golf Clubs, not hacker clubs.

As to this Callaway system, I doubt that it is a fair one either.

Ray Lawlor

I don't see why 18 shouldn't be the highest handicap... and you lose a shot duduction for every par you score. I don't see why anyone who scores a par should then get one or even two shots knocked off. A par's a par.

An 18 hc allows for that one duffer shot that most improving players have on any given hole.

I can't count how many "golfers" I know who turn up week in week out at society outtings and even social games, hack up the course then leave with a visitors prize. They have no desire (or need) to improve their games.

Golf is difficult enough...

Typical convo on the first tee:

Me: "yeah i've taken a few lessons, trying to get some sort on long iron game in order.."

Them: "wasting your time Ray... I just come out here for the craic... Sure i win about 4 or 5 prizes a year thats enough for me"

John Pettitt

and you lose a shot duduction for every par you score.

You have hit the nail on the head there, Ray and I totally agree. Handicap should be based on the number of pars/birdies in a round.

This would then put an end to those on here who continually brag about shooting six to eight pars a round yet still masquerade under a handicap of 20 plus. This why you see 40 points with three blobs on the card.

David Homer

John Pettitt

Allan Bostock

As someone once said " Golf is the only game that rewards people for playing badly, and penalises players for playing well"

If everyone has the aim of lowering their handicap, rather than just winning things, then having a lower maximum handicap is the way to go. Afterall, most would admit, giving someone at least one extra shot on a par 3 is only penalising the person with a lower handicap!

Most if not all, would have played with someone that cards a 6 on a shortish par 4 and still walks off with 2 points and thinks "how is that fair?" Personnelly, i could not agree more than the most you should get is an extra shot per hole, so a maximum handicap of 18.

David Preston

Although I agree in principle to the theory regarding el banditos.  The society I help run monitors handicaps every single round they play.  All members put cards in, either in the competition or a knock about with mates. The system works very well & although recently one of our players has been outstanding.  His handicap has fallen from a genuine 28 to 20.1 inside four months & he is happy to be getting  close to what he calls a decent player!

I also play with a few guys some of which play reasonably regularly, that unfortunately do not quite have the natural abilty to play golf very well.  The 28 handicappers & there are only four at this moment do play to 28, in fact normally finishing well down the board. 

they get a smile on their faces just scoring a few points, realistically not troubling the better golfers.

so you see from this angle although the handicap system is open to argument some people get just a little more pleasure from it!