Playing multiple balls and posting to handicap?

[Dave2512]

I see a lot of people do the practice round thing and IMO it's completely unnecessary given it would have had little if any effect due the the way the system works. A few strokes either way doesn't create a lot of movement. I suppose the exception is the person with so many "practice rounds" that it would have eventually crept into the lowest 10 because their lowest 10 aren't a regular occurrence. Even when I've had a bad stretch and some higher differentials start to replace lower ones as they become part of the last 20 the movement is minimal because the lowest 10 tend to be grouped pretty tightly once you've been at it a while. If something higher gets in the mix it's not drastically higher.

Personally I want a record of it. I can't see the purpose of all the practice if I can't monitor progress, the scores and differentials are the result of that. I'm not super serious about golf but I don't want to log on and see scores and differentials that aren't indicative of how I really play. Most of the time the higher stuff is just a really bad day or the first time around a difficult course. I've put up some high scores recently, high for me anyway, that became part of the best 10 because the course rating was so high. An 82 from the tips at the course I play most frequently is just .93 higher than an 88 from the middle tees at my parents club. It's a private club with tough conditions, I expect a higher score here and there. People tend to forget it's more than just a few strokes.

[Fourputt]

That depends on what proportion of the total are declared as "practice".

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

That depends on what proportion of the total are declared as "practice".

Yep, isn't that what I said, long winded as it was?. Most of the people I play with ride it out. But I have been around some folks that don't make it off the first tee before declaring it's practice. Mistakes and missed targets being the cause. I don't get it. Always a chance to turn it around. Golf is a test of mettle.

That said I failed the test tonight. Wind got me. With gusts of 37 mph plus we bailed after 3 holes. Not my fault, weatherbug lied. The course was unplayable.

[Fourputt]

What I referred to is the player who plays about half of his casual rounds as "practice" only because he starts bad and just decides not to return it for handicap.  They weren't originally begun as a practice round, but a couple of holes went wrong, so he decided that it was an aberration.  He isn't actually playing a practice round, he's reverse sandbagging - establishing a vanity handicap.

If you want to occasionally go out with the intent of playing a practice round, that's one thing, but to continually turn "official" rounds into "practice" rounds just because they don't match up to your feeling of how your game should be is just stroking your ego.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

What I referred to is the player who plays about half of his casual rounds as "practice" only because he starts bad and just decides not to return it for handicap.  They weren't originally begun as a practice round, but a couple of holes went wrong, so he decided that it was an aberration.  He isn't actually playing a practice round, he's reverse sandbagging - establishing a vanity handicap.

If you want to occasionally go out with the intent of playing a practice round, that's one thing, but to continually turn "official" rounds into "practice" rounds just because they don't match up to your feeling of how your game should be is just stroking your ego.

Does that really make sense?  I think the handicap is based on your best rounds only (please correct me if I'm wrong).  So entering or not entering bad round shouldn't affect it at all unless they don't play much, then I doubt it matters then for other reasons.

I really don't care what another person does with their game.  They don't hit my ball.  And if being pissed about their game by the end of a couple holes takes their enjoyment away, then I don't care if they write it down or not.  not really my business

I find it interesting that so many people are upset about how 'others' play.  Seems a waste of energy.  I'm pretty much interested in my game.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

Does that really make sense?  I think the handicap is based on your best rounds only (please correct me if I'm wrong).  So entering or not entering bad round shouldn't affect it at all unless they don't play much, then I doubt it matters then for other reasons.

It still matters. Which person has a lower handicap?

Person A

81, 82, 84, 82, 83, 83, 84, 82, 80, 84, 81, 82, 84, 82, 83, 83, 84, 82, 80, 84

Person B

90, 81, 92, 87, 84, 87, 96, 82, 84, 82, 83, 93, 83, 88, 84, 82, 89, 80, 84, 87

Best 10 of Person A

80

80

81

81

82

82

82

82

82

82

Average: 81.4

Best 10 of Person B

80

81

82

82

82

83

83

84

84

84

Average: 82.5

An 83 will still bump out an 81 from the recent 10, just as a 95 would bump out an 81.

[David in FL]

I find it interesting that so many people are upset about how 'others' play.  Seems a waste of energy.  I'm pretty much interested in my game.

Which is fine, as long as neither you nor they play any flighted/handicapped tournament golf, or even a competitive game amongst buddies. Then all of a sudden it can matter a great deal.....

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by David in FL

Which is fine, as long as neither you nor they play any flighted/handicapped tournament golf, or even a competitive game amongst buddies. Then all of a sudden it can matter a great deal.....

Yep. Me and guys I play with have never had anything on the line other than closest to the hole on Par 3s, I couldn't care less about their "interpretations" of the rules. The minute they start talking about any kind of score based wager you can guarantee I'll be inquiring about the rules we'll be playing by. I don't gve a rats ass whether or not the rules we choose to play by are 100% legit, I only care that they are uniform and we all play by the same set. If they want to allow foot wedges from obstructed lies so be it, as long as I get the same advantage.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

Which is fine, as long as neither you nor they play any flighted/handicapped tournament golf, or even a competitive game amongst buddies. Then all of a sudden it can matter a great deal.....

Yep. Me and guys I play with have never had anything on the line other than closest to the hole on Par 3s, I couldn't care less about their "interpretations" of the rules. The minute they start talking about any kind of score based wager you can guarantee I'll be inquiring about the rules we'll be playing by. I don't gve a rats ass whether or not the rules we choose to play by are 100% legit, I only care that they are uniform and we all play by the same set. If they want to allow foot wedges from obstructed lies so be it, as long as I get the same advantage.

When I joined the mens club at my home public course I learned quickly that every round counts when you are play for handicap.  And even more so in tournaments.  I began my affair with the rules of golf in 1987 when I started establishing a handicap because I was considering joining the mens club.  I had joined the USGA as an associate to get the rule book and  I've been a "rules guy" ever since.  For me, it became important to play by the rules because then I was able to discuss scores and play with anybody else who played by the same point of view, using the same yardstick.  Even though my transplant to the Bahamas necessitated my leaving the club and dropping my handicap tracking, I still look at the game the same way.

When I play with my best group of friends, one guy in the group (who also happens to be the weakest player) plays with the same outlook as I do, while the other two sort of play their own game.  We still like each other, have a great time playing together, and never beat on each other for our differing views on the rules.  We don't compete or play for money, so it's irrelevant whether we play by the same rules.  For us the key is friendship.  I have other friends with whom I do play for money and we play by the rules all the time.  I don't want to have to change my thinking depending on who I'm playing with, so I play the same all of the time.

[clutchshot]

I think we are hitting the nail on the head in that if you are playing towards your handicap, all rules of golf must apply. If you are playing for fun or no handicap, you can probably play however you want as long as it doesn't hold up play for other people. Look, I'll admit it, sometimes I drop another ball, hit another shot when I'm playing by myself, but when I play with people, we don't use handicaps, I don't cheat, and the best player wins.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by clutchshot

I think we are hitting the nail on the head in that if you are playing towards your handicap, all rules of golf must apply.

If you are playing for fun or no handicap, you can probably play however you want as long as it doesn't hold up play for other people.

Look, I'll admit it, sometimes I drop another ball, hit another shot when I'm playing by myself, but when I play with people, we don't use handicaps, I don't cheat, and the best player wins.

Maybe it's slightly off topic, but why do you bother to carry a handicap if you don't use it when playing with others?  The whole point of handicapping is to create a mathematically level playing field, giving all players in the field a relatively equal opportunity.

[inthehole]

If I'm playing alone & the course isn't crowded, I'll often do this ... I won't play every shot with two balls, but for those that I do, I'll use a different colored ball for the practice ball so I never get them confused.   don't see the harm in it ...

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Maybe it's slightly off topic, but why do you bother to carry a handicap if you don't use it when playing with others?  The whole point of handicapping is to create a mathematically level playing field, giving all players in the field a relatively equal opportunity.

I think a lot of people use it simply to track their progress. That's the primary reason I keep one.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Maybe it's slightly off topic, but why do you bother to carry a handicap if you don't use it when playing with others?  The whole point of handicapping is to create a mathematically level playing field, giving all players in the field a relatively equal opportunity.

I think a lot of people use it simply to track their progress. That's the primary reason I keep one.

So... you'd play a 4 handicap straight up for a $5 Nassau?  Might as well just skip the golf and pull out your wallet now.

He didn't say that he uses it to track, he simply said that he doesn't use it when competing against other players, and unless he only plays with others within one or two strokes, then he's not using as it's intended.  Personally, I think that a pure stroke average is a more accurate way to track one's game.  That tells you how you are doing all of the time, whereas a handicap tracker just averages your best scores.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Maybe it's slightly off topic, but why do you bother to carry a handicap if you don't use it when playing with others?  The whole point of handicapping is to create a mathematically level playing field, giving all players in the field a relatively equal opportunity.

I think a lot of people use it simply to track their progress. That's the primary reason I keep one.

So... you'd play a 4 handicap straight up for a $5 Nassau?  Might as well just skip the golf and pull out your wallet now.

I don't play for money, and if f I did I wouldn't play someone much better than me straight up.

If I'm with friends we might play for the first round of drinks, but when we do we don't really use handicaps since none of my friends carry one. We'll just estimate a number of strokes and maybe adjust at the turn. But as I said, tracking my progress is the main reason I keep one.  I was just providing a possible explanation for your question as to why someone might keep a handicap if they don't use it when playing with others.

Originally Posted by Fourputt

He didn't say that he uses it to track...

He didn't say he didn't either, but either way it's not relevant to what I originally wrote.

Originally Posted by Fourputt

...unless he only plays with others within one or two strokes, then he's not using as it's intended.

Well maybe he *is* only playing others who are within one or two strokes, but again, irrelevant to my post.

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Personally, I think that a pure stroke average is a more accurate way to track one's game.  That tells you how you are doing all of the time, whereas a handicap tracker just averages your best scores.

I might look at stroke average (actually it would prob need to be differential average), good idea. But as we all know, handicap is a better measure of your potential , and that's what I'm most interested in tracking.