When Not To Post Scores?

http://www.usga.org/handicapping/publications/To-Post-Or-Not-To-Post/

Unfortunately this doesn't cover weather conditions. Hence the saying "Fair weather golfer?" In my opinion, I think you have to be consistent. Unless you're in a tournament, why would you post your score in 25+ windy conditions unless you're happy to have a few "sandbagging" scores in there. Just my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LovinItAll 

I'm a proponent of posting all scores, but I sometimes play in conditions that have a significant impact on scoring (high winds - 30+mph).

It would be one thing if all of Las Vegas experienced these conditions simultaneously, but I play north at Paiute where the winds can easily be 15-20mph stronger than in town. The question is this:

- At what point does the USGA recommend not posting scores?

It seems like I once read something about not posting if conditions significantly altered the course rating, either by playing much easier or much harder.

If there is an official USGA line on this, I can't find it.

Anyone?

Weather has nothing to do with posting scores.  I play a lot in high winds along the eastern foothills in Colorado, and all scores get posted.  It's not up to the player, but to the association which manages your handicap.  Even under sloppy days when the official policy is lift, clean and place, you still have to post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf 


Is it possible for conditions to alter the course rating by making it play "much easier"?
I'm not even sure that's possible?

Temporary greens making the course shorter would count, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt 

Weather has nothing to do with posting scores.  I play a lot in high winds along the eastern foothills in Colorado, and all scores get posted.  It's not up to the player, but to the association which manages your handicap.  Even under sloppy days when the official policy is lift, clean and place, you still have to post.

I played on Saturday in the rain/wind/cold, which I never do.  Needless to say, I played like doo-doo.  I posted my score (a 98 - 96 ESC - on an easy course, 7 shots worse than my worse score since starting keeping a handicap about 14 months ago) but felt really guilty doing so.

On the flip side, that one horrendous score is going to affect my handicap something like 0.1 shots, so no big whoop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAGolfLuvr 

Unless you're in a tournament, why would you post your score in 25+ windy conditions unless you're happy to have a few "sandbagging" scores in there. Just my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

I played on Saturday in the rain/wind/cold, which I never do.  Needless to say, I played like doo-doo.  I posted my score (a 98 - 96 ESC - on an easy course, 7 shots worse than my worse score since starting keeping a handicap about 14 months ago) but felt really guilty doing so.

 

On the flip side, that one horrendous score is going to affect my handicap something like 0.1 shots, so no big whoop.

If I understand how the handicap is calculated, that one round won't affect your handicap at all, since it's calculated from your 10 best scores of your most recent 20 scores.  So the only way it would affect your handicap is if that one bad round (or a couple of them) falls into your 10 best. (And if that's the case, then it's really not that bad a round for you; it's how you play.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL 

Sounds like a fun day......not!

Seriously ... should have gone bowling instead!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede 

If I understand how the handicap is calculated, that one round won't affect your handicap at all, since it's calculated from your 10 best scores of your most recent 20 scores.  So the only way it would affect your handicap is if that one bad round (or a couple of them) falls into your 10 best. (And if that's the case, then it's really not that bad a round for you; it's how you play.)

Yes and no.  It will never be one of my ten best (if it comes to that, I'm retiring) but what it can do (and did) is knock off one of my previous ten best for being the oldest.  Prior to this round being played, my 20th oldest round was one of my ten , an 11.4 differential.  Once the next revision comes, that round drops off, and is replaced by this one (a 22.2 diff).  Since this one is not one of my ten best, it goes searching for the next one, which is a 13.2.

Actually, as of the last revision I was a 9.9.  Since then I've had one good round and this one and I am going to be a 9.8 on the 1st.  (Would have been 9.6 had I not played Saturday)

Just get back out there on a mild day and score better. Still a couple of days before the next revision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

Seriously ... should have gone bowling instead!

 

Yes and no.  It will never be one of my ten best (if it comes to that, I'm retiring) but what it can do (and did) is knock off one of my previous ten best for being the oldest.  Prior to this round being played, my 20th oldest round was one of my ten , an 11.4 differential.  Once the next revision comes, that round drops off, and is replaced by this one (a 22.2 diff).  Since this one is not one of my ten best, it goes searching for the next one, which is a 13.2.

 

Actually, as of the last revision I was a 9.9.  Since then I've had one good round and this one and I am going to be a 9.8 on the 1st.  (Would have been 9.6 had I not played Saturday)

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL 


As Golfingdad explains above...... Kinda, but not quite. A bad round like that replaces the 20th round which now drops off. If that round was a top 10 round, the former 11th round now moves into the top 10, potentially raising the index.
So even though it won't be used as part of the actual calculation itself, a bad round can impact the index. How much depends on how bad that 11th round was.....
The thought that a single bad round won't affect the index is used as justification by some people not to post a bad round. That leads to an inaccurate and lower hcp index.

Good point. I knew there was something I hadn't considered. But in this situation, then any average round (not a blow-up round) would raise your index. And the question of a blowup round was what I was trying to address with my just-enough-knowledge-to-get-me-into-trouble reply. 

The point I think I was trying to make is that the bad score itself won't affect the handicap (22 differential won't change it any more than a 50 would!).

I think what you two are pointing out to me is that playing another round (good, bad, average) will mean it has to change one way or the other (unless you happen to post a score where your differential is exactly the average of the 10 best previous to the round). And the fact that it's not better than the average means that it will go up. I think I see that now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt 

Weather has nothing to do with posting scores.  I play a lot in high winds along the eastern foothills in Colorado, and all scores get posted.  It's not up to the player, but to the association which manages your handicap.  Even under sloppy days when the official policy is lift, clean and place, you still have to post.

I played on Saturday in the rain/wind/cold, which I never do.  Needless to say, I played like doo-doo.  I posted my score (a 98 - 96 ESC - on an easy course, 7 shots worse than my worse score since starting keeping a handicap about 14 months ago) but felt really guilty doing so.

 

On the flip side, that one horrendous score is going to affect my handicap something like 0.1 shots, so no big whoop.

Actually it will never affect your handicap unless it becomes one of your 10 best before it drops off after 20 more rounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt 

Actually it will never affect your handicap unless it becomes one of your 10 best before it drops off after 20 more rounds.

Sure it will (sometimes).  My tenth best was 20 rounds ago, and my 11th best was 2 shots worse than my tenth, hence, it affects my handicap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede 

I think what you two are pointing out to me is that playing another round (good, bad, average) will mean it has to change one way or the other (unless you happen to post a score where your differential is exactly the average of the 10 best previous to the round). And the fact that it's not better than the average means that it will go up. I think I see that now.

Not always.  Any time the 20th oldest round is not already one of your top ten then you can't raise your handicap that day no matter how bad you shoot, you can potentially lower it by beating one of your top 10's.  If not, your handicap will stay exactly the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad 

I played on Saturday in the rain/wind/cold, which I never do.  Needless to say, I played like doo-doo.  I posted my score (a 98 - 96 ESC - on an easy course, 7 shots worse than my worse score since starting keeping a handicap about 14 months ago) but felt really guilty doing so.

 

On the flip side, that one horrendous score is going to affect my handicap something like 0.1 shots, so no big whoop.

Actually, it won't affect your handicap at all, as your handicap is established by the best 10 of your last 20.

Your handicap might be affected to some degree every time you post a score, but that score by itself will never count. Unless, of course, your next 20 rounds really suck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phan52 

Actually, it won't affect your handicap at all, as your handicap is established by the best 10 of your last 20.

Hey, Phan and Fourputt ... finish reading the thread before you comment!

(Those happy faces are all to try and illustrate my lack of anger in my comment ... just having fun)  But seriously ... read up ;)