About the new, worldwide handicapping system

[Halebopp]

Our national golf union published a story regarding the new, worldwide handicapping system today.

They say the system should be finalized early next year and be put into use in 2020 and it will model the U.S. system with the handicap being based on the best 8 of the last 20 returned score cards. The scores will be stroke play scores with an adjustment. The highest score you can score on a hole is your net double bogey. So if you get a stroke on a par 4, the max you can score for your handicap is 7. There will be a PCA adjustment to competition scores like the current CBA in the EGA or the daily scratch score in the CONGU (or whatever it was).

There's nothing in the article indicating it would be competition rounds only nor does it mention whether or not all rounds should be recorded. According to the article there's also a suggestion on the table to limit handicaps from going up more than 5 strokes in one year. 9-hole scores would most probably be accepted but it's not certain yet how those would be taken into account.

What it does mention is the use of Slope ratings, so you guys and gals in the UK better get cracking.

I would personally find it odd if the handicap was based off an adjusted stroke play score when you could simply use the Stableford score. I remember the Rules overhaul included an adjusted stroke play format so maybe that'll be replacing Stableford altogether.

 

[hursty]

The UK (CONGU) system already uses some of these aspects:

Nett double bogey adjustment
9 Hole scores can be considered (T's & C's apply)

Slope ratings are already being started to be done in preparation


I played under the EGA (European Golf Association) for 3 years where each course had a slope & course rating (potentially different for each set of tees) your home club handicap was then converted to a new handicap at which ever away course you played, some times you'd lose shots sometimes you'd gain shots, the system worked quite well.

I'm also a believer that a card should be submitted every time you play (barring doubles/team formats) this would give a more accurate hcap as opposed to our current system of only adjusting from competition play.

 

[Brattz]

I’m with Hursty. Every time you play as an individual your card should be verified and entered, comp or no comp. I have also played in competitions that use slope as I am a member at Golf Du Touquet in France. When I play in their sovereign comp my handicap is 8 adjusted for the difficulty of the La Mer course off the Black tees.

 

[chrism_s]

What if you just want to have a bit of fun on the golf course? Enforcing handicap qualification on every round is going to take a slow sport and make it slower.

I agree you should be able to submit any round if you play with someone who is a qualified marker, but submitting every round is crazy. There go the twilight rounds where you run round the course to have a bit of fun, or the golf break rounds where everyone has has a few too many beers and can hardly see the course....

 

[Brattz]

What if you just want to have a bit of fun on the golf course? Enforcing handicap qualification on every round is going to take a slow sport and make it slower.

I agree you should be able to submit any round if you play with someone who is a qualified marker, but submitting every round is crazy. There go the twilight rounds where you run round the course to have a bit of fun, or the golf break rounds where everyone has has a few too many beers and can hardly see the course....

Only if you are playing with a marker. Also, if you are on a golf break and have paid money into a prize fund then these rounds need to be submitted to your club as required by England golf with regards to Non Q away scores......

 

[DennisMiller]

I also agree with Hursty about turning in a card every time you play.

The software we used in the proshop at Killian Greens, (when I worked there), had a feature to calculate handicaps. One of the settings was to flag a person's name if they played, but didn't turn in a card. You could set it to automatically email them to ask them to do so.

There were all sorts of options like reducing a person's handicap if they didn't turn in cards. We used to say the software was long on features and short on trust.

Since KG didn't have membership or tournament association, they never used the handicap software except for a few interested people, mostly staff.

As for slope ratings, I've seen people like my cousin with his 7 index at Valhallah in Louisville, Kentucky, (very high Slope), come to KG and see his handicap reduced to 4 by virtue of a much lesser slope.

It's a fair system, IMHO.

 

[Halebopp]

I also agree all scores should be returned and some sort of automatic reduction if a player doesn't return 5% or more of his scores. I do wonder how match play scores should be considered, would you post a most likely score for holes not finished? There are also holes where you are not even trying to shoot the best score but just one better than your opponent and try to figure out the safest way to do that. But with the best 8 out of the last 20 rounds counting and not too many holes played like that, the effect is probably quite small or non-existent.

As an example of slope, I as a 9.6 get 4 strokes if I play the easier course at my club from the front tees but if I play the more difficult track from the back, I get 13.

Course Handicap = Exact handicap x (Slope Rating/113) + (Course Rating - Par)

The problem with slope is of course that not all courses are rated equally. For example my old home course and the more difficult track of my current club have pretty much the same course ratings and slopes. The funny thing is if I went to play my old, par 73, home course now, I would be aiming at breaking 80 whereas at my current club, par 72, 85 would be a very good score (83 being my personal course record). I'd bet on a true 15 handicap from that course to beat a true 10 cap from the other course every time. Some handicaps travel better than others but I can only assume that's already an issue in the CONGU. Some handicaps just travel better.

 

[Kgrove]

I also agree all scores should be returned and some sort of automatic reduction if a player doesn't return 5% or more of his scores. I do wonder how match play scores should be considered, would you post a most likely score for holes not finished? There are also holes where you are not even trying to shoot the best score but just one better than your opponent and try to figure out the safest way to do that. But with the best 8 out of the last 20 rounds counting and not too many holes played like that, the effect is probably quite small or non-existent.

As an example of slope, I as a 9.6 get 4 strokes if I play the easier course at my club from the front tees but if I play the more difficult track from the back, I get 13.

Course Handicap = Exact handicap x (Slope Rating/113) + (Course Rating - Par)

The problem with slope is of course that not all courses are rated equally. For example my old home course and the more difficult track of my current club have pretty much the same course ratings and slopes. The funny thing is if I went to play my old, par 73, home course now, I would be aiming at breaking 80 whereas at my current club, par 72, 85 would be a very good score (83 being my personal course record). I'd bet on a true 15 handicap from that course to beat a true 10 cap from the other course every time. Some handicaps travel better than others but I can only assume that's already an issue in the CONGU. Some handicaps just travel better.

I agree that inconsistent ratings and slopes are a big problem. Another example similar to yours: On my home course if I step from the white to the brown tees, the HC system says I should score about 2-3 strokes worse. In actual play, however, everyone I know averages about 7-9 strokes worse on brown vs white tees. That means if I develop my handicap by primarily playing the brown tees vs the white tees, I can inflate my HC by 4-5 strokes. 

As for not turning in scores, golf at it's heart is based on the honor system, so it doesn't bother me that I have to trust other people turn in scores appropriately. I think a better concept is that golfers declare before a round begins whether they will count the score or not. That gives you the freedom to still play a round but practice a new technique or strategy or just plain goof around. From a scoring and fairness perspective, I have more concerns about other issues like gimme puts, mulligans, improved lies, etc. than I do about whether they turn in all their scores. Most of the time it seems golfers are artificially lowering their handicap with all their shenanigans.

 

[Bonobobananas]

I also think all scores should be returned as the current UK system for me is not responsive enough. I don’t have a major problem with people being too low in their handicap although when you are, it is frustrating that you have no chance in any comps and know it’ll take years to get a competitive handicap back. 

I do have a problem with cheating. Eg a person ripping their 2 iron past my driver whilst claiming an 18 handicap. That said the handicap committee takes a large share of the blame. As said above, Golf relies on an honour system. When it goes missing you may as well not bother playing in handicap events. Theoretically everyone entering a handicap competition should have an equal chance of winning. In reality everyone knows who the club bandits/sandbaggers are.

 

[RobB2]

Ok so i played 3 away courses at the weekend.I played off 8 hcp all 3 days and played to 13,20 and 18 on those days.Rubbish i know but that doesn't mean I'm a double figure player as i have played to or just over my hcp for the past 2 months.If i submitted those cards i think they would be dismissed by my club as they would see my previous scoring and know it was a weekend away with the lads.

 

[Brattz]

Ok so i played 3 away courses at the weekend.I played off 8 hcp all 3 days and played to 13,20 and 18 on those days.Rubbish i know but that doesn't mean I'm a double figure player as i have played to or just over my hcp for the past 2 months.If i submitted those cards i think they would be dismissed by my club as they would see my previous scoring and know it was a weekend away with the lads.

If you paid into a prize pot you need to include those rounds on your Away Non Q submissions form to your club before handicap reviews start as per the directive issued by England Golf and Congu last year. No such thing as an away day anymore! If you shoot under handicap it is used as evidence for a cut, if it’s iver handicap it is dismissed. Either way, submitting it keeps you clean and honest

 

[RobB2]

If you say it is a directive ,I understand that to mean that is what they are recommending.They are not insisting you do it.Did everybody submit  cards for the Southern forum and Northern forum events?I doubt it very much.

 

[Brattz]

If you say it is a directive ,I understand that to mean that is what they are recommending.They are not insisting you do it.Did everybody submit  cards for the Southern forum and Northern forum events?I doubt it very much.

Yout club should have notified all members of the new directive that is not compulsory.... clubs that do not adhere can be fined and/or lose England Golf membership. They are really trying to stamp out banditry and they are really clamping down

 

[chrism_s]

Interestingly, reading the CONGU manual supplementary score submissions are limited:

21.4 A Member is limited to a number of Supplementary Scores in each year as detailed in belowa) subject to (d) below, Category 1 players may only return Supplementary Scores during
the period 1 September to 31 December and only to the extent necessary to ensure that
the minimum requirement for Qualifying Scores under Clause 25 is met. Category 1
players may only return Supplementary Scores over 18 holes;
(b) up to a maximum of ten Supplementary Scores may be returned annually by players in
Categories 2 to 4 [5];
(c) there is no annual limit to the number of Supplementary Scores returned by players
holding a CONGU® Club Handicap (Appendix J);
(d) a Union has the discretion to permit Category 1 players with handicaps in the range 2.5
to 5.4 to return up to ten Supplementary Scores in a calendar year. Such scores may
only be returned at the player’s Home club within that Union’s jurisdiction.
Scotland directs that Category 1 players within this handicap range may take up this
discretion. England, Ireland, and Wales make no such direction.

So you can't submit more than 10 a year, and definitely not every round you play.

 

[hursty]

It's not a supplementary score that's submitted.

It's an away score that may be used as an aid to handicap management by the home club.

 

[Brattz]

It's not a supplementary score that's submitted.

It's an away score that may be used as an aid to handicap management by the home club.

Spot in Hursty. People not reading right, you submit the score on a sheet for Away Non Q golf to your club at the end of the season for the annual review. Not submit every card as a supplementary

 

[Kgrove]

It sounds like UK golfers are seeing more sandbagging by their fellow golfers where at least my experience as a US golfer is I see more fudging that tends to reduce HCs, which is harmful to the golfer if using the HC for competitions but sounds great for bragging rights. Most of the fudging that I see is typical on course stuff of not strictly enforcing rules (e.g., rolling the ball to an improved lie, generous drops, treating OB shots like lateral hazards, etc), but I also see a lot of golfers that decide not to post their score to their handicap because they scored poorly. Their rationale is that it won't count anyway, but given the HC calculus takes the best rounds from your most recent 20, posting scores can end up dropping some of your good scores if they are too far in the past.

The rule I follow for myself is I basically decide before the round starts whether or not I'm turning in the score. That gives me the freedom in some rounds to experiment and work on some facet of my game without worrying about my score... for instance maybe I tee off from he tips but use only irons to force myself to have many long iron shots, or maybe I try new strategies for various holes (cut corners I normally don't try, lay up in places I normally go for the green, etc). Sometimes if I'm playing with really short hitters, I'll also hit from the short tees just to keep them company. There are a lot of good reasons people can play a round and not have to turn in a score, but it should never be something they decide after seeing the results.

 

[DMT]

Re supplemtal scores I had an email yesterday from my club.....extract as follows:

CONGU ChangesCONGU have made some changes which come into effect from 1st January 2018, a copy of this can be found in the locker rooms but here are a couple of the main ones: 

Replacement of club & disability handicaps - This has been replaced with new categories 5 & 6 so that golfers can have active handicaps higher than 28 for men and 36 for ladies 

Supplementary scores - This has been changed to allow unlimited number of supplementary scores instead of 1 per week, players must still register in shop or email Matt before they go out. 

 

[hursty]

Re supplemtal scores I had an email yesterday from my club.....extract as follows:

CONGU ChangesCONGU have made some changes which come into effect from 1st January 2018, a copy of this can be found in the locker rooms but here are a couple of the main ones: 

Replacement of club & disability handicaps - This has been replaced with new categories 5 & 6 so that golfers can have active handicaps higher than 28 for men and 36 for ladies 

Supplementary scores - This has been changed to allow unlimited number of supplementary scores instead of 1 per week, players must still register in shop or email Matt before they go out. 

I dont know about other clubs but ours charge a £3 fee for administering supplementary cards (same figure as a monthly medal). If the unlimited supplementary system is employed at ours then I cant see it making any difference at all as people are already reluctant to pay the fee.

 

[DMT]

No charge at our place and I hadn’t considered others might have to pay.

I guess The Celtic is more leisure resort than golf club and benefit from far more staff than other clubs.

That said, they don’t normally miss an opportunity to generate extra revenue!