Handicap

[DisKoDucK]

My friends and I started playing golf a few years ago, and we were all new at the time. Never thought about this handicap business, just went up and hit golf balls and see who could shoot lower scores. Seems simple enough to me... So my question is, why do we need a handicap? Is it only for the sake of letting people of all playing abilities play with each other?

I know you need 5 scorecards to get a handicap, but what happens after? do you get it "updated" after every round?

 

[DouginGA]

diskoduck,
this site will tell you all you want to know about handicaps and then some
Golf Handicap FAQ - Questions and Answers about the USGA Golf Handicap System
but to answer your questions

you dont need a handicap

people of all abilities can play together without handicapping, handicapping just makes it a little more competitive if you are competing or gambling.

yes your handicap gets adjusted as you add your scores. it is a slightly complex equation/formula but software abounds to calc it for you.

If you play with a regular bunch like I do you ought to be able to just know that "you almost always beat pete by five strokes" so just give him four so he has a chance or whatever.

I dont really like the idea of handicapping even when gambling. I hate to feel I "lost" shooting a 81 to a guy who shot a 92 but got 12 strokes. And I feel guilty taking any $$ from a guy who shot 73 when I shot an 81.

Handicapping makes the "winner" whoever had a better day, not who was the better golfer. From my experience at pool and darts I learned "you have to pay for your education".

The other day I got together with chollyred and a friend of his. after 18 we go for another round. His friend wanted to play for a little bit of $. he had shot a 56/46 for a total of 102 or so on the first 18 and I had shot a 92 or so. He wants to play for $$??? so what the heck I am in, but never for more than I can afford to lose. 50 cent skins.
He starts out par or birdie the first 5 holes and wins the first 5 skins for $0.50 a hole I can laugh about it and jokingly call him a sandbagger. But I hung tough and stayed in the game, finished with ten skins and came out ahead.

If you feel a little gambling will add to the game I suggest bingo,bango, bongo. everyone has some chance and the side game will greatly improve your overall game.

(bingo/bango/bongo gives one point to the person on the green from farthest away, one to the person closest to the hole after all are on the green, and one for whoever holes out from farthest away. so if your opponent is on the green from 180 and you just miss the green he has a point for first on, but you should be able to chip from just off to be closer than him and get a point back. the best putter should probably get the last point for the hole. This little game really keeps you focused and trying)

edit: just for the record I dont shoot 81 very often either. dont want to mislead anyone

 

[ezra76]

I think Doug explained it pretty well. I don't really use it all that much. I would need to if I were to play stroke play. I don't even use it if I play match play. That would be hole by hole, win the individual hole gain one, lose it, lose one, or stay even (halving the hole). I'm pretty inconsistant but chances are good I'll run off a string of pars, usually 6-9 during the round.

 

[DisKoDucK]

sweet, that's awesome, that bingo bango bango stuff. That's another thing about my "group" we don't know any of these golf games. if we play strokes, I'm always a bit ahead, (i'm in the 90's they're in the 100's). But that bingo bango bango sounds very interesting... I assume there are otherwebsites with lots of games similar to this one.

 

[footballking732]

if you are interested in finding out your handicap, i can email you an excel program that will calculate it for you.... but what has been said is true, i dont even use my handicap that much, except when just giving people a baseline for them to understand how i play, and my skill set..

 

[DisKoDucK]

Hey man, thanks, I'd love a progam like that =D
But yea, another reason I would want one is so I don't reply with, "I don't have a handicap yet, even though I've been playing for 3 years..."
But what's worse? "My cap is 25 or I don't have a handicap"

 

[VtDivot]

80% of the events I have ever played in whether state sponsored or club events require a valid USGA handicap, even Member-Guests etc. It helps with flighting and making the tournament more fair.

I am not a fan of qualifier events to determine flight. Lots of guys will go and shoot 88 in the flight qualifier and miraculously shoot 75-77 on the weekend to win the D flight.

This reminds me... I need to enter about 10 scores over 80 by Thursday midnight

 

[footballking732]

80% of the events I have ever played in whether state sponsored or club events require a valid USGA handicap, even Member-Guests etc. It helps with flighting and making the tournament more fair.

I am not a fan of qualifier events to determine flight. Lots of guys will go and shoot 88 in the flight qualifier and miraculously shoot 75-77 on the weekend to win the D flight.

This reminds me... I need to enter about 10 scores over 80 by Thursday midnight

sandbagger..

i have oddly noticed how some guys i play with on the muni's have a nice 18 handicap, and then steal my money with a sub 80 round...

 

[footballking732]

Hey man, thanks, I'd love a progam like that =D
But yea, another reason I would want one is so I don't reply with, "I don't have a handicap yet, even though I've been playing for 3 years..."
But what's worse? "My cap is 25 or I don't have a handicap"

i would rather have a handicap than not, even if it is 25.... its fun to see it drop, its confirmation that your hard work and time has paid off.. i know i was happy to see mine drop from ~15 to ~9 this past summer...

either post your email address, or pm it to me, and ill will send it to ya...

 

[DisKoDucK]

i would rather have a handicap than not, even if it is 25.... its fun to see it drop, its confirmation that your hard work and time has paid off.. i know i was happy to see mine drop from ~15 to ~9 this past summer...

either post your email address, or pm it to me, and ill will send it to ya...

[email protected]

thanks man. I could see how some people could use the handicapping to their advantage in winning a tournament. On the note of miraculously shooting a low score, I regularly shoot in the 90's and even in the 100's, but I had one miraculous round where i shot 82 (par 71). I've never broken 90 again. Never gotten 89, 85, just 82...

 

[footballking732]

[email protected]

thanks man. I could see how some people could use the handicapping to their advantage in winning a tournament. On the note of miraculously shooting a low score, I regularly shoot in the 90's and even in the 100's, but I had one miraculous round where i shot 82 (par 71). I've never broken 90 again. Never gotten 89, 85, just 82...

it has been sent... reply back to tell me if it worked...

 

[Eracer]

I heard of a game in which handicaps are used to detemine mulligans allowed. For instance, if I'm an 18 capper, playing against a 10, I get a mulligan on each of the 8 hardest holes. Seems like a pretty cool game, even though I never take mulligans, and obviously, the score could not be turned in as official.

 

[ezra76]

I heard of a game in which handicaps are used to detemine mulligans allowed. For instance, if I'm an 18 capper, playing against a 10, I get a mulligan on each of the 8 hardest holes. Seems like a pretty cool game, even though I never take mulligans, and obviously, the score could not be turned in as official.

That might work out for tee shots only or something. I wouldn't want to see it from an approach, a bunker shot and what about a putt?
My dad and I played a lot when I first started and would allow for 1 mulligan per 9, only on tee shots. It saved a lot of time and headache looking for one 9miles into the woods or an automatic loss of a hole from a total duff. I've learned how to recover now and save bogies after the 20yd. pop ups. :laugh:

 

[MGP]

I've learned how to recover now and save bogies after the 20yd. pop ups. :laugh:

That would be the patented "SuperQuad Wedge", yes?

Oh man, that pic is gonna haunt you the rest of your life...

:laugh:

 

[ezra76]

That would be the patented "SuperQuad Wedge", yes?

Oh man, that pic is gonna haunt you the rest of your life...

:laugh:

Doesn't it figure Sling catches pretty much my worst tee shot, range included, of the year so far on film. Even the one where the head actually flew off the friggen club was better than that.