Handicap system how does it work?

[Matt 4-L]

I decided to keep my handicap, I have always guessed at what I thought I was, I have traditionally thought I was somewhere between a scratch and 5. I downloaded an app that keeps track of your handicap, you just record slope, rating, yards, par, and score then out spits out a handicap for you. I don't play a lot of golf, I entered my last tournament scores from last fall and my one score from this year. I played a few times between the last tournament and this year but don't know how to deal with them, they were either scrambles or some money games that you don't always finish out a hole, do I just forget those outings...also I am questioning the app I have, I have a low score of 71 and a high score of 83, granted it was a 74 rating course but it says my handicap is a -2.4. How many rounds need to be completed to get a legit rating? I only have four so far. Thanks for any help from you handicap experts.

 

[dbl]

A normal handicap uses 20 scores, and then of that uses the best 10 of the last 20 (best in relation to course rating).

To get started with no prior scores, I believe there is a need to enter 5 or more scores.

This site says for 5 scores the lowest differential becomes the handicap
Golf Handicaps

 

[Matt 4-L]

Thanks for the link, lots of useful information. I never knew that you do not record anything higher than a double bogey when keeping track of your handicap. I still am not sure how to deal with scrambles and money games that we don't always hole out on.

 

[curtisj76]

I never knew that you do not record anything higher than a double bogey when keeping track of your handicap.

Say what????? I guess I have no idea either. That doesn't even make sense.

 

[Matt 4-L]

Equitable stroke control...if your a 9 or less on a particular course double bogey is the highest score you can record, its a sliding number if your a higher handicap.

 

[jake2]

Thanks for the link, lots of useful information. I never knew that you do not record anything higher than a double bogey when keeping track of your handicap. I still am not sure how to deal with scrambles and money games that we don't always hole out on.

"A player who starts, but does not complete a hole or is conceded a stroke must record for handicap purposes the most likely score."

Link to the complete USGA handicap manual

 

[jake2]

BTW, Canadian, Australian, South-African, Great Britain & Ireland and European handicapping systems are all different from USGA and each other, so internatially handicaps aren't exactly the same.

 

[Matt 4-L]

I read that but we play a quick skins game that is birdie or better to win and we pick up after birdie chance had been exceeded, which would mean lots of guessing what you would of scored. We are usually pressed for time and try to squeeze a quick game in before it gets dark in about an hours time.

 

[jake2]

I read that but we play a quick skins game that is birdie or better to win and we pick up after birdie chance had been exceeded, which would mean lots of guessing what you would of scored. We are usually pressed for time and try to squeeze a quick game in before it gets dark in about an hours time.

Hard to say of that kind of skins game really qualifies:
"Scores in both match play and stroke play must be posted for handicap purposes. This includes scores made in match play, in multi-ball, or in team competitions in which players have not completed one or more holes or in which players are requested to pick up when out of contention on a hole."

 

[davidy1948]

Different handicapping systems seem to be designed with different ends in mind. The US system seems largely designed to flatter golfers into thinking they're better than they really are, since you can toss away your worst holes and scores. I've played with a number of Americans over the years here in Europe and none of them have played within 4/5 strokes of their "handicap " or to my eye ever look as though they could.
I play under the Dutch system, under which all your actual scores in any kind of individual competition count, plus you can enter casual rounds for handicapping purposes if you nominate them beforehand. There's a small adjustment made for extreme weather/course conditions sometimes, but that's it. Every time you play worse than your "buffer zone " score ( typically 3/4 shots worse than your handicap ) your handicap automatically rises by 0.1. If you play better than your handicap it's automatically reduced by a factor of how many shots you played under. It's not perfect, but vanity handicaps don't last long and sandbagging is unknown, apart from fast-improving juniors.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

Different handicapping systems seem to be designed with different ends in mind. The US system seems largely designed to flatter golfers into thinking they're better than they really are, since you can toss away your worst holes and scores. I've played with a number of Americans over the years here in Europe and none of them have played within 4/5 strokes of their "handicap " or to my eye ever look as though they could.
I play under the Dutch system, under which all your actual scores in any kind of individual competition count, plus you can enter casual rounds for handicapping purposes if you nominate them beforehand. There's a small adjustment made for extreme weather/course conditions sometimes, but that's it. Every time you play worse than your "buffer zone " score ( typically 3/4 shots worse than your handicap ) your handicap automatically rises by 0.1. If you play better than your handicap it's automatically reduced by a factor of how many shots you played under. It's not perfect, but vanity handicaps don't last long and sandbagging is unknown, apart from fast-improving juniors.

I agree that there is alot setup in American handicapping to boost the players ego. However if any of these American's you've played with in Europe were on vacation or something like that, that could more then account for the discrepancy. There's alot handicapping doesn't account for, like local knowledge and that sort of thing. If I play the same course every day and know where not to miss it and all that, I'm going to play way better then on a course I've never played before. I think that most casual golfers play so inconsistently that it makes handicapping very difficult. If I shoot 90 one day, and 80 the next, what's my handicap? 85? What if I just had a bad day when I shot 90. Or a really good day when I shot 80? I think that once you get above single digit handicaps there's a pretty huge margin for error.

 

[Jay845]

My understanding

Your handicap is an indicator of what you have the potential to shoot, not always what you will shoot. Good/Bad days are intended to capture this variance, as well as Equitable stroke control. Is the sytem flawless, no, but it is better than nothing

I can't remember the exact figure but it is a high % of rounds that you actually won't play to your handicap

 

[dbl]

Right. As far as USA handicaps, one is expected to only shot one's handicap (or better) 20-25% of the time.

USGA: Did I Play to My Handicap?

Also the Pope of Slope has more info on this
http://www.popeofslope.com/guidelines/howwell.html

And the odds of beating your handicap:
(though for improving golfers, I don't think this is strictly correct)
http://www.popeofslope.com/sandbagging/odds.html

 

[jake2]

Any system is open for manipulation if a person selectively posts only some of the scores. This is easier when a player plays a lot of different courses away from his/her home course.
South-Africa is the only place where I remember seeing (in the 90's already) a nation-wide system where a player needs to swipe handicap card each time checking in on any club, so the system knows if you have not posted a score.

European system makes sandbagging harder because it takes many poor scores to get your handicap up significantly and one very good score drops it a lot. Handicap can also stay the same for a long time if you do not play any tournaments, because you are not required to post other scores (you may choose to do so before any round). System also changes a lot for handicaps 4.4 and under - tournament scores only, casual rounds don't count anymore!

Systems where handicap is based on last 20 posted scores, handicap moves up and down just as easily and this has it's benefits too. For example: if one plays fairly regularly, but not much in the winter, handicap can follow off-season/active season playing level quite quickly.

 

[davidy1948]

I'll just give you a concrete example of what I mean by the ego effect of the US system. An American friend of mine ( yes I have them ! ) and fellow club member used to play off 1 in the US before he came to Europe, but over the years and with family committments etc has had less time to play. Last year he decided to devote himself to golf, was always to be found on the course or the driving range, really worked had, and eventually got his handicap down to...8.7. I've played with him a few times and think his lowest possible level if he puts more effort in would be about 7.

I don't get why you would have a system which is deliberately designed to give a misleading impression of your playing level, but I guess if you all play under the same system it doesn't really matter. Maybe I should move to the US - I've always wanted to play off scratch !

 

[trickyric67]

I'll just give you a concrete example of what I mean by the ego effect of the US system. An American friend of mine ( yes I have them ! ) and fellow club member used to play off 1 in the US before he came to Europe, but over the years and with family commitments etc has had less time to play. Last year he decided to devote himself to golf, was always to be found on the course or the driving range, really worked had, and eventually got his handicap down to...8.7. I've played with him a few times and think his lowest possible level if he puts more effort in would be about 7.

I don't get why you would have a system which is deliberately designed to give a misleading impression of your playing level, but I guess if you all play under the same system it doesn't really matter. Maybe I should move to the US - I've always wanted to play off scratch !

I don't know who your friends are or which Americans you have played with but it seems like you are taking a rather large swing at nationality rather then the obviously low integrity people you have played with. The USGA system is pretty accurate if you put in real scores played to the bottom of the cup without putting your hands on the ball and everybody I play with does that.
it really makes no sense to do otherwise because when you play in a tournament if you have a vanity handicap you are going to get your butt kicked.
As to the original question of this thread, the more scores you have the more accurate the handicap will be. as in any statistical study the larger the sample size the more accurate the data.

 

[LDGolf]

In New Zealand we have a similar handicapping system to the US. We used to have a similar system to the Dutch. IMO the new handicapping system lowers the average handicap of a single figure golfer by about 3 strokes. ie. the old system in our club we had 2 scratch golfers. Now we have 3 or 4 golfers on + handicaps. Some of this might be technology but I think there is a bit of the handicapping system involved also.

In NZ we require equitable adjustments to prevent cheats. It basically stops a guy that wins his match on the 14th hole, playing the last 4 holes and making 10's to keep his handicap out, (Not an un common occurence in NZ, we call them burglars) because the maximum he is allowed to score on a hole is 2 over his handicap. ie. 0 stableford points.

All rounds played are counted, ie. if you take a card from the computer and don't return it, the system can automatically reduce your handicap, at the discretion of the handicapper. This is also to limit those burglars.