"PLUS" Handicap Index

[TommyD69]

You would think that after all these years, I would know how to ROUND a negative number. Well, I just found out (the hard way) you subtract .05 instead of adding .05 (when rounding to the nearest tenth).

Which brought me to the question, "What is the biggest (smallest?) negative number a PLUS handicap player could have. I know there are maximum handicap indexes for men and women, but the USGA seems to have left out what a possible minimum could be.

I remember when Tiger joined the tour, the announcers thought it was "funny" that Tigers handicap went UP 4 strokes (Tigers handicap was +4, and the tour plays to SCRATCH).

I wonder if anybody knows just how low a PLUS handicap can go?

I realize it is based on ability, and what your scores are, so I guess what I am really saying is, “what is the lowest PLUS handicap index ever recorded?”

[JaY_B]

As far as I know Sergio Garcia had the lowest ever index with handicap of +8 (unsure of his exact handicap)

[DJYoshi]

these are the #'s from the major winners and notable players from 2003's season

Tiger Woods plus-8
Jim Furyk plus-7
Ben Curtis plus-7
Shaun Micheel plus-6
Phil Mickelson plus-6
Mike Weir plus-6
Jack Nicklaus plus-4
Annika Sorenstam plus-3
David Duval plus-1

[iacas]

  JaY_B said:

As far as I know Sergio Garcia had the lowest ever index with handicap of +8 (unsure of his exact handicap)

Not true. Tiger's beat Sergio's stroke average and handicap index just about every year he's ever played.

There is no "maximum" for a pro. I guess the theoretical maximum is a guy who shoots a round of 18 at least half the time (18 holes in one), on whatever setup (course rating/slope) the Tour plays on. http://thesandtrap.com/the_numbers_g...es_of_the_pros

[Q.Q.Quillume]

I surely don't know the answer, but there is a young man who just finished his freshman year at college whose "home" course is the same as mine.

His index is +4.7 as of 08/02/08.

He was the #2 player on his college golf team.

I seriously doubt this young man's index would be within 3.3 strokes of Tiger Woods and I seriously doubt his index would be 3.7 strokes better than David Duval's.

But, as I said before, I surely don't know the answer.

[DJYoshi]

  Q.Q.Quillume said:

I surely don't know the answer, but there is a young man who just finished his freshman year at college whose "home" course is the same as mine.

this is per golf digest

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...4/ai_109467553 that's where I got my #'s from Someone calculated Tiger's handicap thru his 2007 season and have it at +8.2

[golf_junkie27]

  DJYoshi said:

this is per golf digest

And those numbers are bound to increase when and if they play courses with a lower slope rating. These guys have ridiculous handicaps on PGA Tour courses. I can only imagine what their scores look like on a 72/129 type of course.

[alf174]

  golf_junkie27 said:

And those numbers are bound to increase when and if they play courses with a lower slope rating. These guys have ridiculous handicaps on PGA Tour courses. I can only imagine what their scores look like on a 72/129 type of course.

Handicap Indexes have been normalized so that they are transportable between courses. A 129 slope should be a +7 course handicap for Tiger's +8.2 handicap.

[Klean]

I remember during the Tavistock cup this year, the announcer said Tiger's course handicap was a +16. How is that even possible lol

[alf174]

  Klean said:

I remember during the Tavistock cup this year, the announcer said Tiger's course handicap was a +16. How is that even possible lol

yeah, they must have mucked up the math. Assuming a true +8.2 HI and that I'm approximating the math correctly, that course's slope would have to be around 60 (lowest is 55).

[iacas]

  alf174 said:

yeah, they must have mucked up the math. Assuming a true +8.2 HI and that I'm approximating the math correctly, that course's slope would have to be around 60 (lowest is 55).

I think your math was wrong. You multiply by the slope and divide by 113. If the slope was 60, you'd get 8.2 * 60 / 113 = 4.35 or 4 strokes on the course.

The USGA had this " Slope on the Plus Side of Scratch PDF marked as new, and it applies. Check it out.

[BigDaddy_Sean]

i wonder though how those tour players would fend on 6,000 yard municiple courses most people play around here with crowned spongy greens that run 6 - 7 on the stimpmeter.

yeah the ratings on these courses are usually 70.5 / 120 or so ... but still I bet they wouldn't make half the putts they make on tour because the greens are so bad compared to tour courses.

[alf174]

  iacas said:

I think your math was wrong. You multiply by the slope and divide by 113. If the slope was 60, you'd get 8.2 * 60 / 113 = 4.35 or 4 strokes on the course.

figures, thats what i get for some quick finger counting (thats why i said "that I'm approximating the math correctly"). thanks for the link.

[worst_shot_ever]

  BigDaddy_Sean said:

i wonder though how those tour players would fend on 6,000 yard municiple courses most people play around here with crowned spongy greens that run 6 - 7 on the stimpmeter.

That was the topic of a WashPost article a year ago.

Here it is. They had Steve Marino play Haines Point, a muni course I play. He shot 68 and found it dificult to adapt to the lousy muni conditions, apparently.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

  worst_shot_ever said:

That was the topic of a WashPost article a year ago.

Hey, for me - a "graduate of East Potomac Park Golf Course" at Hains Point - that was a very interesting article.

I only played EPPGC a few times while living in the D.C. area - I was more of a Twin Lakes, Greendale, Pohick, Algonkian, Goose Creek, Brambleton, Bristow Manor, etc. kind of a guy.

[JaY_B]

  iacas said:

Not true. Tiger's beat Sergio's stroke average and handicap index just about every year he's ever played.

I was talking about handicap as an amateur, not as a pro, so no what I said was not untrue.

Edit - I said as far as I know Sergio had the lowest index ever of any amateur, I was ignoring assumed handicaps of the pro's

[iacas]

  JaY_B said:

I was talking about handicap as an amateur, not as a pro, so no what I said was not untrue.

Then say that. You didn't say "as an amateur."

  JaY_B said:

I said as far as I know Sergio had the lowest index ever of any amateur, I was ignoring assumed handicaps of the pro's

What you actually said was (in full):

  JaY_B said:

As far as I know Sergio Garcia had the lowest ever index with handicap of +8 (unsure of his exact handicap)

I don't wish to belabor the point, but you could help things along by being a bit clearer to start. Save you the trouble of having to try to revise history.

Now let's put a cap on that and stay on topic.

[golf_junkie27]

  alf174 said:

Handicap Indexes have been normalized so that they are transportable between courses. A 129 slope should be a +7 course handicap for Tiger's +8.2 handicap.

I'm a bit confused. If I've been playing courses where the slope rating is significantly higher, my handicap would only increase as the slope decreases. Example, I'm a 9.8 on the courses I have been playing. However, at my brother's course, using the course handicap calculator, I'm a 12. Should the reverse not be true?