They cut me 4 stokes today

[OmegaG5]

A few weeks ago we had an interesting thread about playing inconsistently. I have been playing now for a little over a year, and of course, still off 28. Well, I have been having more lessons from the junior Pro at our course.... and its starting to work. Getting more consistent by not trying to hit the ball hard!

Each week I play in the Seniors section matches against other clubs, and I have been getting some embarrasingly decent scores. The format is match play with a pair of us versus a pair of the opponents. Using a handicap system which is 3/4 of the difference between my handicap and the best person on the foursome. (So today, for example, I was playing with 10 strokes).

Today was my 6th match with the Seniors team. They like playing with me because my inconsistencies mean that I can get in some really good holes amongst the poor ones. Last week I had a great round and we had won by the 13th. It had started to get a bit embarrasing.

Today my partner and I polished it off 9 and 7. All over by the 11th
And I wasn't even using my strokes to win the holes. (We played on for the full 18 and didn't lose one hole).

I had two poor holes today. One with big problems in some extremely deep rough, and another (a par 5) with the first shot O/B and hence three off the tee. But the rest was lovely. Also no more than 2 putts per hole. I must admit to being pretty excited.

All because I slowed everything down and didn't try to hit the skin off the ball.

And they cut me down to 24 on the basis of the matches this week and last week. Which I am extremely happy about. Its about time.

R.

[twofast2s]

at the league i play, i see people w/ handi under 15 regulary hit 10 over 9 holes.

it's the one who has handi over 20 who scores lower than their handicap. this guy w/ 22 handicap (so 11 over 9 holes) came out w/ 6 over. no one can beat that from our league.

i've been consistantly coming out w/ 7 to 8 over 9 holes and can't seem to break through.

but congrats!! it's always nice to see your handicap drop down. my handicap dropped from over 20 down to about 15 past few month, w/ avg putts of 40 or so...

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by OmegaG5

The format is match play with a pair of us versus a pair of the opponents.

R.

How do you score for a handicap when you are playing match play? You can't count all your strokes, since the hole can be over before you've holed out. And match play changes your approach to each shot. You might play for bogie in some cases. Please explain how that works.

[OmegaG5]

Yes. I understand what you mean. In this case, one of the opponent team was keeping a score of what I was doing, because I was making a bit of a mockery of my handicap. It was me who finished all but two holes first (and I actually played out those two anyway). I was being a bit of a "bandit" to be honest. Also, I kept a separate scorecard for myself for my own analysis later.

When we got back to the club house there were some comments from the opposing team that I was playing way below 28. They were "friendly" comments, but a bit pointed nevertheless. The awkward thing is that there were similar comments the last two weeks also.

It was time to do something about it, and so I had a word with my Captain. Frankly, we wre both embarrased about me playing off a handicap of 28. On the basis of me keeping a card, and the opponent also keeping a card of me, we agreed to cut me by 4. I wouldn't have really minded if I had been cut down to 20 actually.

It was a voluntary reduction of the handicap really. It was just the fair thing to do.

R.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by OmegaG5

It was a voluntary reduction of the handicap really. It was just the fair thing to do.

R.

Gotcha.

Do you keep a record of other stroke play rounds? You could get a true handicap if you submit those scores at your club, or online. Or don't you play stroke play often enough?

[OmegaG5]

We have a monthly medal, and the odd Stableford, and occasional cup matches. Last three months in the medal have been crap rounds for me, hence the reason I was hanging on to my 28. If I had played like yesterday in last month's cup match, I would have won by a mile (13 strokes). It would have been "officially fair", because I really was off an official 28, but it would have taken the "edge" off it for me as you can understand.

I can still be inconsistent, but much less so. I reckon that I should be playing off at least 20 really, possibly less.

Anyway... I'm still high from yesterday, and still visualising some of the great 100 yard plus iron shots I made into the greens. Three days ago I bought myself a cheap 64* lob wedge off Ebay for a specific shot... which came up yesterday. Near the front of a deep greenside bunker, with the pin as close as it could be (about four paces from where I stood). It was the first time the club had been hit... a good full stroke into the sand... up it popped, and stopped 1" from the hole. One o' those days

R.

[$2 Nassau]

Do you normally track your handicap? Meaning, do you enter in all your scores into a handicap calculator, either a USGA handicap or other. That's a good way to keep tabs on yourself and track the progress of your game.

I'm not a member of a club and haven't bothered to get a USGA handicap yet. But I use the Yahoo handicap tracker, uses the same format as USGA it's just not official and you wouldn't be able to enter into tourneys with it.

[OmegaG5]

Nope... I have never used a handicap calculator.
Up until recently, I have been too inconsistent for any analysis to make sense anyway.

R.

[OmegaG5]

OK... last week I took a cut from 28 to 24.
Yesterday I hit a gross 86 for a net 62
People still joked that I was a "bandit".

I must admit, that since last week I also had two great lessons on the short game, and have been out practicing what I have learned three times on our practice chipping green.

Now the big question... should I volunteer to be put down to 20, or even less? Or just wait for the natural course of events?

Rod

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by OmegaG5

Now the big question... should I volunteer to be put down to 20, or even less? Or just wait for the natural course of events?

Rod

Take what you are entitled and let it plateau naturally, I doubt they will be willing to give you extra strokes if it starts going back up. No reason to handicap yourself for the hard work in improving your game. If they don't like it tell them to pay for lessons and spend their time practicing so they will have the same advantage.

As long as you are recording every score and not intentionally doing things to raise your handicap you have nothing to be sorry about. If you do not already use the ESC (Equitable Stroke Control), and the other players do in establishing their handicap, make sure you research on the USGA website and do so.

[OmegaG5]

Woohoo !

We've had a seniors championship over two rounds at our club. Around 100 entrants... and I came 4th !!

I didn't scare my new handicap too much, but we were playing from the medal tees, and I ended up with a nett 76 and 74 in lousy strong winds and rainy conditions. I'm over the moon.

Today... spent 2 hours on my short game on the chipping area to the practice green, and then 100 balls on the range, mainly with the 3 wood off the deck. Its paying off.

Rod