Handicaps.

Yesterday i had the round of my shortish golfing life, it was one of those rare golfing days where everthing went right! But when i entered it into the scoreracker i watched in horror as my handicap dropped by 1.8 to 11.2!!

Bad rounds increase your handicap by .1 so techincally my 4 rounds of great golf this year mean it will take me to 36+ rounds of average/poor golf to get up to a level where i can play to on a regular basis... How is that fair??

I'd very much like a single figure H/C, but whats the point if you can't play to it regulary!!

I suppose what i'm trying to say is, its understandable (not acceptable) when you get people playing in comps 3 or 4 or more shots over their official handicap.

My point... Our scoring system is wrong and it needs to be addressed!! Otherwise we're going to be swamped by the next generation of golfers being a bunch of 'Bandits'!

I see the North V South comp is coming up and i'd like to play in it, but playing off 11 and potentailly giving away as many as 17 shots to the opposition, i must say it kind of puts me off!! I'd like us Nothern boys to win it but i can't see me helping the "Beat the Shandy Drinkers Team", so i might sit this one out till my rubbish rounds bring my handicap back up to a level i can play to.

Typical whinging northerner.

We all play to the same rules. I haven't played a decent round since last august (2006). Its taken me all year to get back up to 19.4, which I'm still struggling with.

The thing is I know I can play to 18, probably even better. I think it would be unfair on my part, to be in a competition, when it all went well,and scored 40+ points, off of a 23 hancicap, which is how I'm probably playing.

So I'm happy to play off 19, and just keep working on it. I know its there, and it will comeout soon.

P.S you could do what some do on here, and manualy adjust your handicap, but thats just not cricket.

A handicap used to be the best round possible under summer conditions. In other words it was always difficult to play to ones handicap.

11 handicappers are not entitled to go round Breadshall in 73, just not on. In the old days of whole numbers you would have been cut about four shots, but then of course bad rounds would also be increased in whole numbers. Decimalisation has ruined the handicapping system.

Why are you complaining, do you want to be known as a Pot Hunter?

I totally agree that the current handicapping system is wrong, but I am afraid there is nothing we can do about it.

John

Paul,

You could always not enter the 'one-offs' games & only enter your 'normal' round if you wanted to protect your handicap. You then have to take the chance you don't score 38+ points in your competitions as you'll be classed as one of these bandits.

J. 

I understand handicaps are a measure of your "potential" ability rather than your present "playing ability" and you should therefore only play to your handicap occasionally..

On that basis Paul you are "potentially" capable of playing to 11 over and therefore your handicap would appear to be ok.

Of course you could delete your good round and therefore increase the handicap to something which would be less of a challenge to you but what's the point.

My point i was trying to make was about the Handicap system being harsh, i must've not put it across very well, as; as soon as you have a couple of good rounds Danny, you'll understand what i'm whinging (as you put it) about.

I'm certainly not a 'pot hunter' john! I'm glad you agree with me tho about our current system being harsh. I don't remember non-Decimalisation, but that sounds fairer than our current system.

I played with a couple of American guests on sunday and the way they explained their H/C system, it seems their system is alot better than ours! But why is that? Didn't we introduce golf to them? They must've used the same R&A rules as we did up until a point? Then what happened? Did they see the flaw in it that i'm talking about and do something to rectify it?

"Raw talent" David... Bless you. I'd not hit a fairway with my Driver in 3 rounds till that wonder round! I've framed the card (sad but proud!) as there is no way i could ever do that again.

Hey Paul,

I know some one who had a +1 round, framed the card and it is now hung on the toilet door so everyone seated can have a read....

Funny you should say that.......