Poll: Equitable Stroke Control?

[OrlandoGolfBlogger]

this is an awesome thread, thanks everyone for all the good info! I fall into the latter category where I take the actual score and adjust it after the round.

[Avid Golfer]

It's designed to keep a "blow up" holes from altering the player's handicap index too much. It's important to remember that the Handicap Index is a measure of your potential, not your actual. Therefore, a round with a score on a hole that is a huge anomaly shouldn't cause your index to rise to the point where it no longer reflects your true playing potential.

It also has the added benefit of speeding up play. I recommend that players pick up and take their max when the course is busy, and especially when they have fallen behind the group in front of them as well as delaying groups behind them.

[DJYoshi]

It also has the added benefit of speeding up play. I recommend that players pick up and take their max when the course is busy, and especially when they have fallen behind the group in front of them as well as delaying groups behind them.

if only we could make everyone listen...but I pick up once I've reached a ridiculous amt of strokes... mainly 8 unless i'm putting..but yeah...8's are a rarity now..but c'mon..i had 2 last week in 1 round!

[meenman]

I am amazed every week sitting in the bar after a round of how many *veterans* there are that dont post using ESC because of their lack of knowledge.

As far as me I would take the full score and adjust when posting - however my max is 9 (although I should be down to 8 with the next update) and my worst case scenario generally is putting in for the 9th. (which hasnt happened in ages but a lot of snowmen have popped up)

[Harold]

Is ESC applicable in R&A; Rules of golf? I know there are some slight differences but I vaguely remember somewhere that there is no such thing as ESC for golf played under R&A; rules. If there is no such thing as ESC could someone like Golf Junkie establish a handicap using R&A; rules for a course in the US. Of course those club tournaments might be a bit tough to attend if so...

[iacas]

I voted that I play the hole out, but when I'm just playing against "the course" (i.e. just a handicap round, no match or anything), I'll often pick up at double. And by that I mean that I'll get really aggressive with my bogey putt or chip and attempt to hole it rather than "chip it close" or whatever.

But honestly, those times are rare. I don't make many actual doubles let alone triples that would get adjusted down to doubles.

And obviously playing against someone, you finish the hole out, but odds are if I'm making a double or triple I've probably conceded the hole before I truly "finish."

BTW, kudos to golf_junkie for seeing the error of his ways, and not just sticking to his former way of thinking, and kudos to those who had the patience and took the time to explain it to him. I'm proud of all of you, as cheesy and goofy as that sounds.

P.S. I think a lot, lot, LOT of players don't know about ESC, you bet. I wish more did. Perhaps someone should write a guest article for the site... anyone?

[RemyM]

How do you monitor this? Word of mouth?

Mostly from our scoring sheets. Since we have events every weekend most members are posting hole by hole scores for the event. It becomes easy to see who is adjusting and who is not. I also have a reminder posted right at the computer with the ESC chart. You can't catch every one or every round, but once I give someone a reminder and it still happens then you go to the next step.

[Big Padrigo]

This is fairly new to me as it isn't something I had ever heard of in Europe. The description on the USGA website isn't exactly the most clear but my interpretation of it is pretty close to what the majority here are saying, thankfully. However like many I am amazed how many are ignorant of how to apply it; one assistant pro at my club was convinced that the GHIN system was clever enough to make the adjustment based on your 18 hole score!!

I voted for putting down my max as I'm usually playing at peak times and there are always people waiting. Obviously different if playing in a tournament round or a casual 9 holes with the wife of an evening.

[alf174]

I voted for putting down my max as I'm usually playing at peak times and there are always people waiting. Obviously different if playing in a tournament round or a casual 9 holes with the wife of an evening.

Record your max, yes, but when submitting for index purposes invoke ESC.

[Big Padrigo]

I did mean my max as dictated by the ESC!!

[alf174]

I did mean my max as dictated by the ESC!!

My bad, we may mean the same thing but saying it differently. Here is the scenario as how I understand it:

Lets say I play in a league at my course that accepts actual scores and the league secretary adjusts it by my current handicap for league purposes. I score a 100 but I have a blow-up hole that scored a 10. The score submitted to the league is 100 and the league secretary adjusts it by my handicap. But the score I use for handicap purposes is ESC's down to a 98 (8 max on the blow-up). Assuming that score is used in my next handicap calculation, the 98 would be used, not the 100. The new adjusted handicap would then be used for future rounds.

[evilstepdad]

I sure hate to see that if you post your blowup hole you are some kind of sandbagger. Problem with my game right now is being very inconssistant and I have several blow up holes when playing and I write down the total score.

What does someone who is just getting back into golf do when He has a lot of holes that just go south and I meen way south.lol?

I would love to say I have a one or two handicap or even lower but that is just not the way it is and I don't see how putting down your actual score is being a sandbagger.

Please let me know why the truth isn't good enough when keeping score, not tying to cause trouble but I really don't understand some of the comments on this.

I blow up several holes a round.

Thank You

[Harry Longshanks]

I sure hate to see that if you post your blowup hole you are some kind of sandbagger. Problem with my game right now is being very inconssistant and I have several blow up holes when playing and I write down the total score.

If you have several blow-up holes per round, then you are most likely a high handicapper. (Since, you have listed 50 as your handicap index, I think we can accept that assumption, no?

) For high handicappers, even if you trim your strokes by recording your ESC for every hole, your handicap would still be the maximum of 36.4 for men, 40.4 for women. (That is, there is no such thing as a 50 handicap index. Maximum 36.4 men/40.4 women.) Trust me, the USGA has put a lot of research into this formula. Just not enough work into educating people of the hows and whys. Frankly, I think that any official handicapping software should allow the player to enter the raw scores, and do the ESC for the player. That way, no mistakes. Then it could spit out raw scores and an official index number. Hope this helps!

[evilstepdad]

Thank you for the fast replie, I have never had a handicap and knew it was going to be big so I just put 50.

Years ago I would shoot the local courses in the high 30's to low 40's when I played a lot but got hurt, blew out 2 disk in my neck and put on over 100 pounds in four months and pretty much stopped doing anything and needles to say I have gained a few pounds since then. that has been 20 years ago and now weigh about 336 (just lost 56 ounds :))

What I have found out over the last year or so as I slowly start playing again is that I don't swing the club the same every time and that causes all sorts of trouble and thus all the dang blow up holes.

Thanks for the info as far as the highest handicap you can have.

[tm22721]

So ESC wouldn't help someone like me with a lot of double bogeys (3-5 per round) but rarely makes worse than double.

[RemyM]

ESC is not supposed to "help" people. The point is to make sure your handicap index reflects your 'potential' a score you would shoot without blow up holes. Many people don't understand that if you have a true handicap index you should only play to it 25% of the time, that is your net score would equal the course rating one out of every four rounds you play and be above the course rating the other times.

[MrSandman]

Please let me know why the truth isn't good enough when keeping score, not tying to cause trouble but I really don't understand some of the comments on this.

evilstepdad, ESC is not about hiding the truth, it is about the USGA creating a handicapping system that they feel is condusive to competitive matches between players of different skill levels.

The USGA does not feel that the blow up holes, or even your worst 50% of rounds, should count for anything. Think of it this way: - a scratch golfer rarely makes more than a double bogey. - a high handicapper could certainly have a hole when they lose 3, maybe 4 balls, leading to scores as high as 10 or 12 - without ESC one hole could account for as much as a 6 hole differential in handicaps. - if these two were to play a match, and they each had blow up holes on the same hole, the lower handicap would win that hole (as his 6 shot advantage would be enough). - HOWEVER, the higher handicap would have additional strokes coming to him on 5 other holes, because of that one hole, which would greatly skew the competitiveness of the match.

[tm22721]

ESC is not supposed to "help" people. The point is to make sure your handicap index reflects your 'potential' a score you would shoot without blow up holes. Many people don't understand that if you have a true handicap index you should only play to it 25% of the time, that is your net score would equal the course rating one out of every four rounds you play and be above the course rating the other times.

So if a newbie regularly has 10 blowup holes, 6 bogies and two pars, he has a handicap of 6 ?