How can we meaningfully compare handicaps?

As of today, I have entered 67 rounds, from many courses, into GST (I enter all the rounds I play) and my GST handicap is 18.7. I think I could apply for a position as Corporal Bogie, i.e. a "bogie" score is normal for me.

In July 2006, on a golfing holiday in Scotland, I had the privilege of playing Southerness and Strathtyrum - St Andrews. These courses are both PAR 69, Southerness is SSS 70 off the yellow tees and Strathtyrum is SSS 65. I have chosen these courses because Southerness is one of the toughest courses in Scotland and Strathtyrum is one of the easiest.

The SSS indicates that Southerness is a more difficult course than Strathtyrum by 5 strokes for a scratch player. What I want to raise is how a "bogie" golfer would fair, e.g. I shot 101 at Southerness and 79 at Strathtyrum, in similar conditions, on the same golf trip. I have to say I would have treasured a 99 at Southerness over my 79 at Strathtyrum.

Imagine the scenario of two golfers, both with 18 handicaps, from these two courses, playing each other off their handicaps, at Hoylake. My prediction is that the member from Southerness would win against the GST member who always plays at Strathtyrum.

What I am suggesting, in my usual roundabout way, is some way of compensating for the fact that SSS works for scratch golfers but that the difference between BSS (Bogie Scratch Score) is wider.

Funny enough, this is not a new idea, and is addressed in the USA using the slope system
http://golf.about.com/cs/rulesofgolf/a/hfaq_sloperate.htm

There have been attempts to implement the slope system in the UK which have not worked.

Can we use GST to implement a "Slope" type system?

cheers, JD