New(ish) Member and a Handicap Question (Stay with me)

Hi,

Although I've been a floating member for a year or so now I've only just signed up to the Platinum Club to finally get my handicap assessed after a handful of recent rounds where I scored quite well.

I was therefore keen for a recalculation from my current H/C of 19 as I'd had some lessons and had played 3 good rounds recently.

Having inputted the scores into the "Scoretracker" tool its popped out that I'm now a 14.9 handicap which I was quite happy with as it shows decent progress but not sure its strictly correct.

My question is that I think I've been cut by more shots because the system assumes I started at 28. My limited knowledge of the CONGU system would have meant that I only dropped 1-2 shots from 19 not 4+.

If this is true is there a way of setting the original base handicap to 19 so I get a fairer reflection of my scoring over the last say 2 years rather than 3 months?

Thanks for any advice. 

Or if you go into handicap tools, you can tell it from which date you want it to calculate your handicap.  This means that you can calculate based on just your last few cards

Chris R,

It should not matter what your start Hcp was. The number of points pulled automatically changes as your Hcp drops.

Don't forget that all scores are dropped to a maximun Nett +2 when working out a Hcp.

TheLyth

Lyth

It does make quite a big difference whether a good round is included in your first three cards that are used to set your handicap or whether it is submitted subsequently and only used to adjust it.  If the best score you submit in you first three cards is SSS+19 you will get a 19 handicap (assuming all your hole scores are no worse that one more than nett bogey).  If you then submit a card of SSS+14 you will be cut 0.3x5=1.5 and will be playing off 18 next time.  If that SSS+14 had been included in the first three cards you would be playing off 14.

I have argued on other threads that CONGU should adjust the rules so a provisional handicap should be set on the first three cards and that the next 7 cards/competitions someone enters should results in a full shot cut for every nett shot under the SSS.  The next 10 cards should result in 1/2 shot cuts for each stroke under SSS and only then should a full handicap be issued.

Clubs could then set rules as to what prizes people with provisional hanicaps could claim.

Thanks for the replies chaps and I'll check out the Handicap Tool. In the meantime because I was impatient I Googled for advice and have worked out that my handicap would have dropped from 19 to 17 rather than the reported 14.9 if had started with my existing handicap rather than 28.  As much as I would like to be a sub 15 handicap its probably a little soon to be so low as rounds in the mid 80's are still a very rare event. Hopefully not for very long though. 

So how come youre handicap now says 18????

Ah yes I've just been playing with Golf Score Tracker again tonight and have inputted the scores again but this also using the the last round I played at end of last season at Hindhead at a Pro-AM I played in. I went around in about handicap at the time i.e +20 (off the whites) which was just before my lessons started in October.

I thought that would better reflect my current game and not 'penalise' me for having just played a couple of good rounds on an easy course over the recent long weekend.

I also recently played one nightmare round a couple of weeks ago at Worplesdon hitting 7 triple bogies. I inputted the score in tonight in the right order and it meant my H/C didn't drop to 15 but stuck at c.18. If I put it after the good rounds it merely pushed me up by 0.1.  

On reflection though I quite liked having a 15 handicap so I might start again (again)! Its a very addictive tool though.

It definitely is Chris

The best thing to do is keep it as it is if you feel it is correct and then add in all scores from now on - you will soon get caught out if you're a bandit

Thanks Dennis.

Lets see how I get on the next time I play. I still think I need to earn my 15 handicap so thats only another 7 rounds below handicap to get there! 

Hang on thats 6 months minimum for me, bugger!

Not necessarily Chris, have a couple of really good rounds and you may see you're handicap drop by 1.5 - 2.5 in one round!!

Well I suppose you are right. I think a 84/85 adjusted round is within my grasp at the local course (Beckenham) and that would knock off 1 shot. Fingers crossed.