How do you use your Handicap?

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

For thse of you using it to track your own score, doesn't using the best 10 of your last 20 rounds kind of defeat the purpose?  Wouldn't your handicap always be a false representation of your ability?  Especially for higher cappers.

Handicap measures your potential, not your average.  (Which also explains why you apply a 0.96 multiplier to those 10 best differentials.)

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Handicap measures your potential, not your average.  (Which also explains why you apply a 0.96 multiplier to those 10 best differentials.)

Right.  Which is why it would be a bad guage of progress or consistency, or tracking of your ability.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Right.  Which is why it would be a bad guage of progress or consistency, or tracking of your ability.

Ah, so first you were only against using the system for competitions, now you're also against using it for tracking progress.  Ok, I'll bite - what would be a better system, and why?

[michaeljames92]

We only use competition rounds for our handicaps too.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Ah, so first you were only against using the system for competitions, now you're also against using it for tracking progress.  Ok, I'll bite - what would be a better system, and why?

I'm not trying to fix the system.  I admit, I don't like much of anything about it, and just recently learned the ins and outs of it.  I was asking to see how others used it, to see if it would be worth tracking for me.  Since I don't play in any tournaments that it would be used for, it probably won't help me much.

[MSDOGS1976]

I only use it as a personal measure. And I have found that I have run into a brick wall. Can't seem to get it any lower.

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

I'm not trying to fix the system.  I admit, I don't like much of anything about it, and just recently learned the ins and outs of it.  I was asking to see how others used it, to see if it would be worth tracking for me.  Since I don't play in any tournaments that it would be used for, it probably won't help me much.

You could just track your scores, but that wouldn't take into account the relative difficulty of each course you played. And you could use all your scores, but that might include some rounds where you played just terribly, or on a very windy day.  Taking the best 10 scores out of 20 would eliminate those "off" days.

It's just a measure of your game.  Just like other stats you could keep, like Fairways Hit, Greens in Regulation, Putts per GIR, etc.

Originally, I used it in my quest to get to scratch.  Not that I'm there, I use it to try to stay there.  And maybe I'll play in some tournaments next year, who knows. Unless you have an established handicap, you are very limited in the tournaments you can play in.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

...  Since I don't play in any tournaments that it would be used for, it probably won't help me much.

Handicaps are not just for tournaments. I do not play tournaments. I DO play with friends and we almost always play some kind of match-play game using handicaps. I DO play on buddy trips and outings where handicaps make the multi-round games fair and allow for all to compete. Sure, the system makes it easier for some high capper to win the low net, but that is often only one of the ways to win. In my extended circle of golfing friends, an honest handicap is an important part of the game. If you are part of my extended group, and you are a 20 handicap, we all know your 20 is legit. If you go out and shout a 75, everyone is thrilled. Like a hole in one, everyone feels happy to witness the event.

As for "helping" you, think of keeping a handicap as a great way to track scores with weighting for course difficulty.That tracking can be helpful beyond the handicap index calculation.  For example, I've cared for years about the number of rounds in the 90's of my last 20. It is a good indication of progress. Prior to this year, the best I ever did was get down to three rounds in the 90's. Most of this year, I have not had a round in the 90's.I'm very proud of that. I also would like to see a few of my best ten differentials from courses other than my home course. Can't seem to make that one happen which tells me I need more consistency in my game when traveling. That one kind of helps explain why buddy trips are money losers for me. :)

[Gresh24]

Thanks for the responses, especially the last two.

When I calculated my handicap on here, I did use course and slope ratings, but I used my last 10 rounds, not the best 10 of my last 20.  My bad ones are included.

I guess a modified handicap would work better for me.  One that didn't use the .96 multiplier and did use every round.  That would be the only true tracking method.

I also recently started tracking stats (fairways, GIRS, saves, putts) and look forward to using those.  Won't be til next season now though.

Thanks again for the responses.