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When Is One No Longer a High Handicap Golfer?

Sean_D

By Sean_D
in Golf Talk

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Note: This thread is 2445 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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Sean_D Well Established Member

Sean_D

Posted
Posted

Through my golf journey which has now spanned 18-months, I have gone from a 36 handicap to a 15.8 and in the next few weeks I expect to be at or below 14. I no longer consider myself a high handicap golfer, mostly because the people I get paired with and all but a small few of the people in my league are a higher cap than I. So my question is pretty simple, When is one no longer a high capper? A a certain index? single digits? consistently shooting in the 80s? just better than those around them?

What are your thoughts? 

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GolfLug Incredible Member

GolfLug

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think 18 or better is the threshold. You are better than a bogey golfer at 15 trending to 14.

BTW, getting there from 36 in 18 months is impressive. Very nice.

Edited by GolfLug

Vishal S.

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Golfingdad Incredible Member

Golfingdad

Posted
Posted

If I thought about it more, I could probably make up new definitions (I think your "better than those around them" has merit) but my first instinct was to think of an index and the first index that popped up (even before I read your post, lol) was 15.

Of course, a 15 is probably breaking 90 less than 50% of the time (or right around there) so now I'm thinking that I should vote that way instead ... "consistently shooting in the 80s" which I'm guessing is usually about a 12ish handicap?

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Piz Great Member

Piz

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I'd say bogey golf is a fair standard.  

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In der bag:
Cleveland Hi-Bore driver, Maltby 5 wood, Maltby hybrid, Maltby irons and wedges (23 to 50) Vokey 59/07, Cleveland Niblick (LH-42), and a Maltby mallet putter.                                                                                                                                                 "When the going gets tough...it's tough to get going."

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bkuehn1952 Incredible Member

bkuehn1952

Posted
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4 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

I typically consider scratch to 9 a low handicap, 9-18 a mid-capper and 18 or higher a high handicap.

This sounds right to me, too.

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Brian Kuehn

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Jeremie Boop Super Member

Jeremie Boop

Posted
Posted

I'm similar to @CarlSpackler except I would expand to under 10 low, 10-19 mid, and 20+ as high. The thing is, indexes can be misleading. Someone who plays the same course all the time may have an artificially low/high index compared to another person who plays an easier/harder course all the time.

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KICK THE FLIP!!

In the bag:
:srixon: Z355

:callaway: XR16 3 Wood
:tmade: Aeroburner 19* 3 hybrid
:ping: I e1 irons 4-PW
:vokey: SM5 50, 60
:wilsonstaff: Harmonized Sole Grind 56 and Windy City Putter

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Sean_D Well Established Member

Sean_D

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31 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

BTW, getting there from 36 in 18 months is impressive. Very nice.

Thanks for the compliment. practicing everyday and shooting 18-36 holes a week has made that possible. I have 4 differentials which are in the 17-21 range which I should bump in the next three weeks. My most recent differentials are in the 12-14 range.

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Killa Dedicated Member

Killa

Posted
Posted
39 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Of course, a 15 is probably breaking 90 less than 50% of the time (or right around there) so now I'm thinking that I should vote that way instead ... "consistently shooting in the 80s" which I'm guessing is usually about a 12ish handicap?

Is this correct? 

Isn’t a 15 supposed to be scoring 87 on average? 

I mean we have a different system over here but isn’t a hcp supposed to show how you score on average relating to par? (Including CR of course)

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Sean_D Well Established Member

Sean_D

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3 minutes ago, Killa said:

Isn’t a 15 supposed to be scoring 87 on average? 

According to my NCGA app, my scoring average is 87.6

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Jeremie Boop Super Member

Jeremie Boop

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Killa said:

Is this correct? 

Isn’t a 15 supposed to be scoring 87 on average? 

I mean we have a different system over here but isn’t a hcp supposed to show how you score on average relating to par? (Including CR of course)

As far as I'm aware it's supposed to represent your potential, which is the top 20% of your scores? So it wouldn't be your average.

KICK THE FLIP!!

In the bag:
:srixon: Z355

:callaway: XR16 3 Wood
:tmade: Aeroburner 19* 3 hybrid
:ping: I e1 irons 4-PW
:vokey: SM5 50, 60
:wilsonstaff: Harmonized Sole Grind 56 and Windy City Putter

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HJJ003 Great Member

HJJ003

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 minutes ago, Killa said:

I mean we have a different system over here but isn’t a hcp supposed to show how you score on average relating to par? (Including CR of course)

No it shows your potential based on the average of your 10 best rounds *.96. Your scoring average is usually three strokes or so higher than your HI. 

So a 15 handicap with a course handicap of 17 would average around 91 on a course rated at 71. 

Edited by HJJ003
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David in FL Incredible Member

David in FL

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, Killa said:

Is this correct? 

Isn’t a 15 supposed to be scoring 87 on average? 

I mean we have a different system over here but isn’t a hcp supposed to show how you score on average relating to par? (Including CR of course)

No

43 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

No it shows your potential based on the average of your 10 best rounds *.96. Your scoring average is usually three strokes or so higher than your HI. 

So a 15 handicap with a course handicap of 17 would average around 91 on a course rated at 71. 

Not true either, but a bit closer.  You’re forgetting to factor in slope.

 

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw
Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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HJJ003 Great Member

HJJ003

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, David in FL said:

No

Not true either, but a bit closer.  You’re forgetting to factor in slope.

 

no Im not..thats how you get course handicap...

71/130. A 15 handicap would have a course handicap of 17.

Edited by HJJ003
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MacDutch Great Member

MacDutch

Posted
Posted

When I started playing golf at hcp 36, an 18 handicapper was a golfing god to me. Definitly not a high handicapper anymore. A nice goal to try to get there. If you are able to reach that goal in 18 months, there is more to come.

At the moment your hcp is the average of the best 10 rounds out of the last 20 multiplied by .96

 

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David in FL Incredible Member

David in FL

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

no Im not..thats how you get course handicap...

Slope is also a factor used in calculating the differentials from which your index is derived.  It’s 96% of the average of your low 10 differentials...

Your current handicap index is then multiplied by the slope of whatever course you’re playing and divided by 113 to obtain your course handicap for that round.

Of course, all of this changes a bit come January of 2020, but that’s a subject of several other threads...

Edited by David in FL

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw
Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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