What do You Pay for Handicapping?

[iacas]

14 minutes ago, Esox said:

As far as the USGA, when they decided to use social engineering tools to weigh who gets to play in youth tournies, regardless of qualification, they lost me.  Among other reasons, but that was the last straw. Accepting less qualified candidates over more qualified candidates under any circumstances is just plain wrong.

Huh?

[DaveP043]

17 minutes ago, Esox said:

I don't do it so I don't know how it is done, or even if each league does it the same way. But it works.

As far as the USGA, when they decided to use social engineering tools to weigh who gets to play in youth tournies, regardless of qualification, they lost me.  Among other reasons, but that was the last straw. Accepting less qualified candidates over more qualified candidates under any circumstances is just plain wrong.

Can you provide some actual details, rather than this broad-brush complaint?

[Esox]

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2023/02/u-s--national-golf-developmental-program-launched-by-usga.html

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Esox said:

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2023/02/u-s--national-golf-developmental-program-launched-by-usga.html

Looks like an odd thing to provoke a beef. I'll highlight a few key parts.

• regardless of cultural, geographical or financial background
• The program’s elite juniors, amateurs and young professionals will be invited to join one of three national teams with dedicated staff and resources and compete internationally under the U.S. flag.
• There will also be a demonstrated commitment to reach players from underrepresented communities and ensure they have the resources to progress within the sport’s strongest competitive and developmental opportunities.
• “Today, nearly every other competitive golf country in the world offers a national development program to foster and develop its elite junior talent.
• The United States is at a huge competitive disadvantage in this regard, as we simply ask our athletes, parents and coaches to forge their own path, without any unified national guidance or financial support,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan.
• “Golf is the only major sport in the U.S. without a national development program. Today, that ends. Today, we start building a junior development program that will ensure a stronger American pipeline of diverse, high-potential talent.”

Basically, the first two paragraphs.

Sorry, but you're on your own here man. This is a good thing for golf, and juniors.

[DaveP043]

13 hours ago, Esox said:

I don't do it so I don't know how it is done, or even if each league does it the same way. But it works.

As far as the USGA, when they decided to use social engineering tools to weigh who gets to play in youth tournies, regardless of qualification, they lost me.  Among other reasons, but that was the last straw. Accepting less qualified candidates over more qualified candidates under any circumstances is just plain wrong.

I went to the link you provided, and managed to find one sentence that might look like "social engineering".  

Quote

There will also be a demonstrated commitment to reach players from underrepresented communities and ensure they have the resources to progress within the sport’s strongest competitive and developmental opportunities.

So in the effort to develop golf talent in the US, beginning at the junior level, they're going to look beyond the more typical breeding grounds for good players, look beyond the young people whose families have the resources to help them grow within an admittedly expensive sport, to find talented young players everywhere.  What I didn't find was any suggestion that golf talent and potential were NOT the primary considerations, any suggestion that players with less talent would somehow get prioritized.