Golf handicap system

Unfair handicap system. After my first full season at a golf club and after submitting my score cards as necessary to obtain my handicap I now feel compelled to write this. As explained above I have been issued with a golf handicap of 15 by my club, which will remain anonymous, how they arrived at this is a mystery to me. I have now been playing in the competitions with various club members with varying handicaps and have finished last every week. I have requested that my handicap be manually altered as I know that I am not a 15 handicap golfer and my partner that I play with regularly has had his altered to 19 after being issued with the same 15 initially. The game is hard enough without the hindrance of a handicap system that you as a player have it seems no control over. I am now stopping playing in the competitions as I feel so disillusioned and sick of being embarrassed at continual low scoring due to my handicap. I now find myself in a horrible cycle, do I keep going playing reasonable golf with no reward due to my handicap or do I deliberately play bad, feel terrible about it but hope my handicap alters to gain parity. The troughs in this cycle outweigh the rewards. The other issue that I have is that some courses will not allow you to play unless you have a handicap and it seems this is the only way that I know of to obtain one, I would like to enter more open competitions but with this handicap I know that it is a pointless exercise. It is no wonder that people are not joining and staying at golf clubs

What scores did you put in to obtain your handicap?

Some Golf Clubs; and there are only a few; having been stung by new members winning every week, give 15hcp to unknown new members for the first year. If that member plays every week and "finished last everytime" then they would have had 0.1 added each time to their Hcp and it would have risen.

But because it works like it does you should have an ACTUAL HCP and a PLAYING HCP, mine is AH 5.6, PH 6. If I played 10 times and scored over the 'Buffer Zone' each time then I would then be AH 6.6, PH 7.

So as Chris says, we need to know more to give a clearer answer to you.

Without having sight of the cards submitted for handicap, it is impossible to comment on the initial handicap allocation. The club is allowed to award a handicap lower than the submitted cards merit, but only if they have evidence that the player's playing ability deserves a lower handicap - previously held handicaps would be such evidence. What they are definitely not allowed to do is what David suggested some clubs do - to have a policy of allocating a 15 handicap just because it's someone they don't know.

That notwithstanding, the Annual Review is required to be carried out by your club between now and the end of February. If your results have been as bad as you say, there should be recommendation to increase your handicap by 2 strokes or more. Keep your fingers crossed that your club will this time follow the rules.

It's not the handicap system which is unfair but clubs not abiding by CONGU handicapping rules.

I forget...the handicap you are given is what you are able to play to when it all comes together. You should only play to it around 3 or 4 times a year...not every time you go out and play! I would be fairly certain that the club has worked out your handicap properly from the scorecards you put in, and any adjustments that need to be made.

Paul's golfshake handicap shows as 22 and he seems mystified as to how he was allocated 15 at his club. I would not be fairly certain that his club worked out his handicap correctly. It would seem to me to be highly unlikely that a correctly handicapped player ends up in last place in every competition. I think David put his finger on it when he said that some clubs won't take the submitted cards as gospel if they don't know the new member.

On the flip side I've heard first hand stories of clubs, very few I might add, of not taking into account any previous handicap when a new member starts. The new club handicap was then considerably higher, work that one out!

Paul, what were the scores of your first 3 submitted cards at your club ? Again I've seen clubs apply the max double bogey to the lowest of the 3 submitted cards and then maybe tweak by a shot but generally as Matt's mentioned above this fits inline with the theory of your handicap being the best you could play on your best day.

Ask your h'cap secretary to explain how they derived your h'cap. It may be that what they have done is correct and it is you that has an unrealistic expectation. Equally, if they've worked it out incorrectly ask him to take into account your competition scores and could they give you something more inline with your ability.

As for a system you have no control over, or deliberately playing badly; you shouldn't control or "manage" your handicap. To do so is a big no-no and if there was evidence of you managing your handicap you could have your handicap suspended.

As for being embarrassed by the scores posted on the results board; if you ask 99% of club golfers who won at the weekend they might get it right but if you ask them who came last they wouldn't have a clue.

Having recently be given a handicap, and started playing in competitions, I'd expect you to struggle till you got used to playing in comps, and off the back tees. Next season I'd expect you to win a few times and drop your handicap by a few shots, till you find what is your natural level.

Paul

What handicap would you expect to be off? Your post doesn't really say. If it's 22, I can see that losing 7 shots would be tough to handle but I think it's a challenge to overcome rather than get too down.

fantastic response and i am please to report that having taken on board all you guys mentined and speaking to the club secretary that the club has now increased my handicap to 19 i am due to play this weekend only 9 holes but seeing as how my avg stable ford points are 8 i am looking forward to posting a score and reporting back on here

It is quite clear that your club officials have no intention to run the CONGU handicap system as they are required to do. The raising of both your handicaps from 15 to 19 is a tacit admission that there was a serious mis-allocation of handicap in the first place (the sudden sharp increase is also outside the spirit and intent of the system). I have worked out which club you are talking about and it's a pity that your county union was not made aware of how handicaps are being administered. I think county unions should have a more pro-active role in monitoring clubs' actions in the running of the handicap system.

i have heard this before from a number of people

i have managed to change the handicap and will keep at the local comps my playing partner, who also had an issue with his handicap, and myself are playing in some winter open comps away from our club and will enter the scores accordingly and this should also help many thanks

having read comments on here i have spoken to the club sec. and they club has altered my handicap to 19, thats 4 more, i know that i am new to all this but adding four surely means that a mistake was made initially. I am now going to percivere through to feb with 19 and will keep posting

paul, you say the handicap system is a hinderance. But only it seems if your a 15 handicap instead of a 19, so is it not a hinderance when your off 19! lol. I would be over the moon to play off 15 if i was coming last or first! as long as you know you,ve had a good game and enjoyed it, thats all that matters. Lets face it the handicap system is a farce anyway when a player off 28 beats a player off 6 if they,ve shot 30 odd shots more! lol. Enjoy the game!!!

understood but that is my point playing well and then posting a low score and finishing last always takes the enjoyment out of the round, to be in the pack so to speak makes the game and round more fulfilling

I have a gripe about the handicap system that might be relevant. I am 76 years of age and play off 26. Even this is too low for me since I can only reach 2 or 3 par 4 and 5 holes in regulation. The way I have been playing I shall be 28 before I am 80. Since people are living longer than they did in 1926 when the present English handicap system was devised shouldn't the men and women's handicaps be the same at 36 ?

William, I too am the same age as you and at my club I cannot reach any of the holes in regulation figures and quite often go the whole round without a par, but, having said that, going higher in handicaps would, I feel, be a negative step, as they are already way too high. I feel that perhaps we should have a veterans tee just like the ladies, this would help to level the playing field for us old ones and give us back the chance to play the game the way it was intended in the first place. Not likely to happen of course.

A first class suggestion John. I'm 65 and would love to think that in the future I might be given some distance help without the need to wear a skirt on the tee (only joking). A vets tee is something that could take off as there are quite a few of us about. (I'm already putting myself in that category). Interesting to see how much support you get amongst other seniors! PS. I might add that at the moment I am driving the ball farther than at any time in my long golfing career.

Guys, Why not just find a shorter course? There are many under 6000yd courses out there.

Not round my neck of the woods, Lyth, not forgetting that I need a buggy deal. In actual fact I have never come across one that short in my life, must be all up north.

It seems to me that all modern courses are just designed for the professional player, no consideration is given for all the amateurs of different abilities in the design. My course would be playable for me if there were run ins to the green, but modern thinking is that a golf shot must only be played through the air, consequently there are bunkers well in front of every green that I just cannot carry, yet if they were not there I could make the green.

Old course design catered for all of these things, hazards were placed left and right of the fairways to catch wayward shots so that players who could hit the ball straight were not penalised, now of course they are.

Our 17th is almost 200 off the whites with a large pond immediately in front of the green. I could stand there all day hitting shots and every one would end up in the water, so it is a wedge off the tee and another one to the green.

All that is required for the modern professional is distance with a modicum of straightness, no shot making abilities are required. You play to 2 handicap Lyth, so you must be quite prodigious hitter off the tee, but I would give you a run for your money off your drives, as all the low handicappers have found out at Caversham.

If the ladies get a start because of their physical differences to men then veterans should get the same. Some forward thinking clubs do it so why cannot others.

Good idea John. I too would struggle with a 200yd carry over water. Dave CAC handed Geordie.