I think I just screwed myself in my league!

[shades9323]

I just started playing again this year after only playing 1x per year for the last 5 or so years. I joined a league at my work. I don't have an established handicap so I am starting from scratch. Prior to last night, I have shot 44,45,46,45. It rained almost all day yesterday making some very hard fast greens into some soft slower greens. Well, yesterday I took advantage of the situation. I also tweaked my swing at the range last weekend and straightened me out a lot. Yester day I hit 5/7 fairways(2 misses were only 5 yards off) and 5 GIR. I also had 15 putts. Ended up shooting a 3 over 38.

This is really going to bring my HC down and we play our league based on net score. Not sure if I can play to something that low, but we will see.

Should I pray for rain every Monday?

[mtsalmela80]

Maybe you should miss a few putts "accidentally" to bring it back up.

I dont get handicap. Amaetur boxers cannot get a handicap and fight professionals, so why does it apply in golf? If you are too bad/good for an opponent, play someone else.

[rjfan91]

Sure they do. They get "flighted" by weight class to create fairer competition. They also go one step further. Like golf, they have circuits that they have to work their way up. Local fights are like local tournaments.

I'm not going to respond to the sandbagging comment.

I dont get handicap. Amaetur boxers cannot get a handicap and fight professionals, so why does it apply in golf? If you are too bad/good for an opponent, play someone else.

[shades9323]

Maybe you should miss a few putts "accidentally" to bring it back up.

We don't play match play in our league. We have flights. I would like to win my flight, but just playing is good enough for me. I guess I'll just have to practice more and try to keep it up. I should be able to consistently shoot 42's. 38's are pretty much out of reach all the time.

[ScottRempel]

My wife did the same thing this year. She joined a new league and shot her lowest score, a 44, the first round out, and as such they based her course handicap off of that round. She is now at a pretty big disadvantage as they also play based on net score. I told her she'll just have to pull her socks up and keep shooting 44 and lower...being the supportive husband that I am .

[EngineerGolfer]

I just started playing again this year after only playing 1x per year for the last 5 or so years. I joined a league at my work. I don't have an established handicap so I am starting from scratch. Prior to last night, I have shot 44,45,46,45. It rained almost all day yesterday making some very hard fast greens into some soft slower greens. Well, yesterday I took advantage of the situation. I also tweaked my swing at the range last weekend and straightened me out a lot. Yester day I hit 5/7 fairways(2 misses were only 5 yards off) and 5 GIR. I also had 15 putts. Ended up shooting a 3 over 38.

In my league, the adminstrator adjusts our handicaps weekly based roughly on USGA rules (last 10 best scores, etc) so if you start to play poorly again your handicap will go back up. Is this not how your league does it?

[CarlSpackler]

Just go out and play your best and let what happens in the league happen. I thought I was in trouble last week since I was giving my opponent (who was using his "ghost sub") 15 strokes. The conditions were cold and raining, but I shot a decent round and took a majority of the points.

Please, no sandbagging.

[1par2win]

I just started playing again this year after only playing 1x per year for the last 5 or so years. I joined a league at my work. I don't have an established handicap so I am starting from scratch. Prior to last night, I have shot 44,45,46,45. It rained almost all day yesterday making some very hard fast greens into some soft slower greens. Well, yesterday I took advantage of the situation. I also tweaked my swing at the range last weekend and straightened me out a lot. Yester day I hit 5/7 fairways(2 misses were only 5 yards off) and 5 GIR. I also had 15 putts. Ended up shooting a 3 over 38.

Hmmm... not I understand this. Let's me see if I got this right. Your playing well and then you shoot a 38. Your handicap is going to go down based on your performance. And your afraid you can't play to a lower handicap? Well, you just did. Seems to me you feel the 38 was a bit of a fluke. I get this impression by you qualifying the 38 by stating the greens were soft. So what? You play the course as you find it. And obviously you hit nice shots into the greens and made you putts. I say your 38 is a sign of your potential, not just plain dumb luck. Look at your lower handicap is a challange, an opportunity. That's the fun part! And isn't that why we play the game?!?

[shades9323]

In my league, the adminstrator adjusts our handicaps weekly based roughly on USGA rules (last 10 best scores, etc) so if you start to play poorly again your handicap will go back up. Is this not how your league does it?

Yes, but in the mean time I will be losing out! I don't want to play worse. Earlier when I said I should practice more, I should have said to practice even a little.

[shades9323]

Hmmm... not I understand this. Let's me see if I got this right. Your playing well and then you shoot a 38. Your handicap is going to go down based on your performance. And your afraid you can't play to a lower handicap? Well, you just did. Seems to me you feel the 38 was a bit of a fluke. I get this impression by you qualifying the 38 by stating the greens were soft. So what? You play the course as you find it. And obviously you hit nice shots into the greens and made you putts. I say your 38 is a sign of your potential, not just plain dumb luck. Look at your lower handicap is a challange, an opportunity. That's the fun part! And isn't that why we play the game?!?

I wouldn't say I was playing well before. I was just playing. I know my potential is there to shoot 38's consistently. The greens bieng soft was a contributing factor. These greens in regular condition are sometimes difficult for me to hold. Maybe it is the fact that I am usually playing out of the rough!

[$2 Nassau]

I dont get handicap. Amaetur boxers cannot get a handicap and fight professionals, so why does it apply in golf? If you are too bad/good for an opponent, play someone else.

That's the whole point, to be able to play someone of differing ability on an even playing field. Also, it's a way of tracking your game/improvement.

[$2 Nassau]

I just started playing again this year after only playing 1x per year for the last 5 or so years. I joined a league at my work. I don't have an established handicap so I am starting from scratch. Prior to last night, I have shot 44,45,46,45. It rained almost all day yesterday making some very hard fast greens into some soft slower greens. Well, yesterday I took advantage of the situation. I also tweaked my swing at the range last weekend and straightened me out a lot. Yester day I hit 5/7 fairways(2 misses were only 5 yards off) and 5 GIR. I also had 15 putts. Ended up shooting a 3 over 38.

Look at it this way, you were getting some serious strokes when you shot the 38 and probably won your match by a mile. It all evens out eventually, keep playing and entering scores and you'll handicap will firm up.

Personally, I like to see my handicap go down, because that means I'm playing better and it gives me more confidence to continue doing so.