When Is One No Longer a High Handicap Golfer?

[HJJ003]

Just now, David in FL said:

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...

yeah, Im not following your point to be honest. All of that was covered in my initial post. 

[Golfingdad]

Didn't mean to cause such a ruckus with my post. 😉   I just went to check here: 

GHIN.com Handicap Lookup

 threw in some random generic names (Johnson and Simpson) and found a 13.4 who's got 9/20 under 90 on his card and a 15.1 who's got 5/20 on his card sub 90.  Also, a 12.5 that has 12/20 under 90.  So I actually was being generous.  To be consistently under 90 seems to mean to basically be darn near single digits.  Of course, the debate then becomes how do you define 'consistently.' :)

 

[billchao]

40 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

So I actually was being generous.  To be consistently under 90 seems to mean to basically be darn near single digits.

I'm a 13.0 and I have 7 rounds over 90, so based on the statistically significant sample size of me, I agree 😜

[Double Mocha Man]

26 minutes ago, billchao said:

I'm a 13.0 and I have 7 rounds over 90, so based on the statistically significant sample size of me, I agree 😜

90?  What's that?  ☺️

[p1n9183]

20 index or more. A player consistently shooting in the 90's or more. 

[Patch]

I figured I was no longer a high capper when I started beating high cappers. 

These days, averaging mostly in the low 80s, I figure I am a low/mid capper.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Patch

[ShawnSum]

When that someone stops shooting 20 over par consistently and becomes a mid handicap individual.

[David in FL]

Anyone with a handicap higher than me is a high handicap golfer.

Anyone with a lower handicap cheats.

[DrMJG]

I, too, have gone from a "heavenly" high near 30 to a fairly consistent 18.  So I do not consider myself as anything except a mid range. It took a lot of practice and now at least one round a week, many weeks more.

And, while I am more than capable of doin the various math formulae, I simply add stuff into the Grint to keep a handicap for myself.  While I get a USGA HCP, do not play enough official rounds, tournaments, of attest rounds (I often play as a singer) to get the fully official version.

It will be interesting to see what my index will be when the more unified USGA/R&A comes into play and I win an old geezers group in January.

[Mr Puddle]

This is a very good thread. Personally I believe above 18 is high. I have a fiend who has played off of scratch since he was 14, and been a pro all his working life, and he thinks somebody who plays off of 6 is rubbish. 

[Vinsk]

55 minutes ago, Mr Puddle said:

This is a very good thread. Personally I believe above 18 is high. I have a fiend who has played off of scratch since he was 14, and been a pro all his working life, and he thinks somebody who plays off of 6 is rubbish. 

Depends on what population he’s considering. Pros? Yeah ...a 6 isn’t anything to write home about. But across the entire world of golfers a 6 is damn good hcp.

[boogielicious]

11 hours ago, David in FL said:

Anyone with a handicap higher than me is a high handicap golfer.

Anyone with a lower handicap cheats.

"Anyone driving slower than me is an idiot. And if they drive faster than me, they're a maniac!" - George Carlin

I would say 20 for a High HC player.

On 7/31/2019 at 5:08 PM, billchao said:

I'm a 13.0 and I have 7 rounds over 90, so based on the statistically significant sample size of me, I agree 😜

Same here. I have a few over 90 this year and a bunch in the 80s. I'm kind of bipolar that way.

[Mr Puddle]

19 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Depends on what population he’s considering. Pros? Yeah ...a 6 isn’t anything to write home about. But across the entire world of golfers a 6 is damn good hcp.

I agree with you totally, but he is a golf snob. He has always found the game simple, and just can't understand why anyone is different

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, Mr Puddle said:

I agree with you totally, but he is a golf snob. He has always found the game simple, and just can't understand why anyone is different

I had a friend years ago like that but he was far from being a snob. He was more like Daly. This guy was heavy set with no athleticism visually: He partied like a rock star and hardly ever practiced. His father played college golf and gave him his only instruction. I caddied for him in a couple of US OPEN qualifiers but he never quite made it. But damn could he play. It’s a shame he just couldn’t get committed. We’d play together at his home course which was pretty difficult and he’d fire 66 like it was nothing. I don’t think he ever realized how good he was or more, how good he could’ve been had he appreciated his talent and worked hard to make it to the tour. 

[DennisMiller]

A Google search says the current USGA average handicap is 15. Obviously, a lot of people don't participate in the USGA and the speculation is that they are mostly higher handicaps.

I'd say you are on the cusp of losing your high handicapper status. If the average is 15, then once you are under the average, shouldn't you consider yourself in the top 50%, thus no longer a high handicapper?

I suppose the next question should be, "When do I become a low handicap golfer?"  I like the previous answer, single digits from 9 down...

[eaglesandbirdies123]

I'd say 18 is the borderline for being no longer considered a high handicapper. As you can see when you plug your scores into a golf handicap calculator there are different factors such as course rating and course slope that can play a factor in determining a golfers index. If a golfer only ever plays one golf course then they may be used to it which could scew their index as compared to playing at another course which they are uncomfortable with where they shoot higher scores. By playing a variety of courses it may more accurately represent their true ability. It's also worth noting consistency because if you score in the mid 80's on a great day but then most of the time score over 90 then it's a fine line between where you'd consider yourself to be in the handicap range.