Buffer Zone CSS

WalkerCup

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 5, 2016
Location
British Isles
HCP
Scratch
Local club/country
British Isles
Irons
Mizuno JPX 921 Forged 4-PW KBS Tour 120 Stiff , 3 Deg up plus 1”
Driver
Ping G425 Max 10.5 HZRDS Blue Stiff
#1
Have you missed the buffer by a single shot this weekend or maybe two days running?!!  Sorry if it's old hat but for single figure guys / cat 1 it's always been an issue since the CSS inception.  Interested to hear peoples thoughts?

suppose you have a dog of a round and somehow sign for 23 point or maybe 27 points, you'll miss the buffer by miles , however, playing in tough conditions or maybe after an errant shot whereby you have had a no score hole you work away and score 35 points to salvage your round  / shoot a net score 2 over par net only to find you have missed the buffer zone by a shot.  Both scenarios recieve the dreaded 0.1 increase , hardly seems right?  The old handicapping system was much fairer as it discouraged bandits and handicaps were more realistic.  If you were off 10 handicap and shot a 6 over par score you'd find yourself off 8 the following week or if you shot 2 over on the round you might be reduced to 7 or even 6.  The downside was there were a small group of chaps who would enter some of the top flight amateur events off 1 handicap (court for British amateur was far higher then) and shoot rounds in the high 80s etc.

It would seem fairer that the buffer was revised so that it was 5 shots all round before an upward adjustment , after all 54 handicaps are ini use for men and women nowadays. 

What do you think? I know some of you have society handicaps which seem far more realistic?
 

hursty

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Location
Telford, Shropshire
HCP
10.9
Local club/country
No Fixed Abode
Irons
MP-33 2-PW, MP T-7 52 & 58 wedges
Driver
Cobra Encore ZL F1 Stiff, 913F 3W - Ahina XStiff, Odyssey #7CS
#2
Firstly, there is no solution that can fully make the game/handicapping scenario fair for amateurs, end of.

Any competition whereby handicaps are involved with weather/course conditions changing throughout the day is going to have an effect on scores, CSS adjustments are meant to account for it but personally I think it's a load of billox.

I can sort of see where you're coming from by saying regardless of what category you are then 5 shots above handicap should be reached  before the 0.1 increase takes effect but but I disagree for the following reason:

Taking best to worst case scenario you're effectively saying a cat 1 golfer can play 100% worse than their handicap (5.4 can shoot 10 over and not get an increase) but a 53 handicapper can only shoot 11% over their handicap without an increase?

Handicaps are there for a reason, lower handicappers are where they're at for numerous reasons, ability, luck (CSS, ESR, Fake Scores) commitment, practice, hard work etc the list goes on, to say that the errors allowed for all abilities should be the same is what I disagree with.


The current system is your buffer zone is what your category is, ie cat 1 is 1 shot, cat 3 3 shots etc, yes I know it seems harsh for the cat 1 golfers but up until now it's been a damn site harder for the cat 4/5 golfers to try and make buffer zone than it is for the "so called better" golfer to make it.

I guess what in trying to say is that handicaps are there for a reason, some people play regularly to them, some people don't, no matter how well you play chances are someone has had a "blinder" no matter how bad you play, chances are someone else has had more of a "stinker" than you.

Remember the good shots, scores, rounds. Don't even recognise the none good shots, rounds, scores.

Happy golfing :)
 

HAIRY ESSEX BLOKE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Location
Fabulous Frinton on Sea ESSEX
HCP
12.2
Local club/country
Fabulous Frinton on Sea ESSEX
Irons
MP53 4-PW MPT 10 51 & 54 deg various fairways & hybrids plus MX23, MP18MMC, MMC hi fli CLK hybrids T7 wedges
Driver
Mizuno MX700 JPX EZ ,GT & ST180 & ST180G
#3
I am with you on this one now Hursty I have just moved from playing in the heart of Epping Forest to the sea shore at wonderful Frinton, the difference is huge and my game/handicap will suffer for a while. A year should see me playing as it should be and then my handicap should recover.
 

markste

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2018
HCP
2
Local club/country
United Kingdom
Irons
MP-58 (3-PW)
Driver
Titliest 915 D2
#4
It's a difficult one. I'm pretty consistent and rarely shoot big / really low numbers, so this happens quite a lot to me. I shot 74-2=72 this weekend and went up .1 when I had a lost ball and two putts so you're always kicking yourself. I think over a season it levels out, but there are always the players who shoot 88 nett one week then 66 then next that reap the benefits.
 
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