Forum Profile Handicap Indices....

[David in FL]

On June 4, 2017 at 8:44 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

Back to the OP! While I would not consider my forum profile handicap to be a guess, it is an estimate. I would also say that it is pretty accurate. I assess this by my score relative to par. Occasionally I'll have a blowup round in the high 80's-low 90's. Other times I'll have an exceptional round in the mid to low 70's. But my average is around 83 to 85.

If you're honest about your scores, what else do you need?

As others have said, your handicap isn't a reflection of your average score.  Nor does it have anything to do with any kind of relation to par.

You're serious enough about the game to play a significant amount, and care enough to spend a lot of time as a member of our community here, why not establish a handicap?  It's a very simple process.  

[jsgolfer]

On 6/4/2017 at 8:44 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

Back to the OP! While I would not consider my forum profile handicap to be a guess, it is an estimate. I would also say that it is pretty accurate. I assess this by my score relative to par. Occasionally I'll have a blowup round in the high 80's-low 90's. Other times I'll have an exceptional round in the mid to low 70's. But my average is around 83 to 85.

If you're honest about your scores, what else do you need?

To your point, you picked a handicap based on your average score, if I showed up with a true handicap to play you, I'm likely giving you more shots than I would if you had a real handicap. 

If you're shooting low to mid 80's on average at a course with a higher rating and more difficult slope and I'm a 5 HC at a course with a lower rating and a lower slope your gaining a significant advantage when we play at match, especially if you're playing at the lower rating/slope course.

My average score over the last 20 is 77.3, which at my course is +6. However, my index is 4.4 which makes me a 5 at my home course.  But at Army Navy CC - Arlington, the same 77 I shot would be an 8.2 differential and an 7.8 Index. And at Stoneleigh G&CC which has a 135 slope, the same 77 is a 4.1 differential and a 3.9.  Big difference.   

There are so many free handicap calculator's on the web and they are all easy to use and if you play a lot, it's a great way to track progress other than by score.

[MacDutch]

On 5-6-2017 at 2:44 AM, Buckeyebowman said:

If you're honest about your scores, what else do you need?

Well if you are honest about your scores, why not be honest about your handicap? The way you made an estimate gives you a fair chance of sandbagging. Of course only if you use that handicap playing against others with a true handicap....

An other example (besides only counting your best half of the scores and using course- and sloperating) is your ESC score. You could easily be a single digit player and must use double bogey as highest score for handicap reasons (so its not always the same as a strokeplay score).

The handicap stystem is what it is. I know nothing about who you play with and the way they got their handicaps, don't know if there is something more at stake then the handicap itself, but to play in a match where there is something to win, using your own estimated hcp does not feel okay to me.

To be honest, it would be fun to figure out your true handicap.

 

[Valleygolfer]

6 hours ago, MacDutch said:

Well if you are honest about your scores, why not be honest about your handicap? The way you made an estimate gives you a fair chance of sandbagging. Of course only if you use that handicap playing against others with a true handicap....

An other example (besides only counting your best half of the scores and using course- and sloperating) is your ESC score. You could easily be a single digit player and must use double bogey as highest score for handicap reasons (so its not always the same as a strokeplay score).

The handicap stystem is what it is. I know nothing about who you play with and the way they got their handicaps, don't know if there is something more at stake then the handicap itself, but to play in a match where there is something to win, using your own estimated hcp does not feel okay to me.

To be honest, it would be fun to figure out your true handicap.

 

If you are serious about golf and want to improve, handicap is the way to go. I do think people should play other courses for their handicap though. Foreign courses can really humble you at times.

I think have agree with the sentiments here, @Buckeyebowman an average is not a handicap and unless you play heads up with everyone, there isn't way for you to present an accurate representation for a game.

[zipazoid]

Yeah no way am I a 6 at present...that was just what I had up there from the last time I was hanging around. But I also don't have an 'official' one since I haven't logged enough rounds in the past 6 months or so. Last time I played, about 3 weeks ago, I shot 82. And was thrilled with that. I'm probably around a 10 at the moment if I had to guess.

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, zipazoid said:

Yeah no way am I a 6 at present...that was just what I had up there from the last time I was hanging around. But I also don't have an 'official' one since I haven't logged enough rounds in the past 6 months or so. Last time I played, about 3 weeks ago, I shot 82. And was thrilled with that. I'm probably around a 10 at the moment if I had to guess.

There's no such thing as not having logged enough rounds. If you take a year off, you're still officially the handicap you were a year before.

[zipazoid]

True. Lemme rephrase then - I just checked my Yahoo handicap tracker & it shows me as a 5.2. But the last round I posted was from 2015. So there's no way I'm a 6 at present. 

[Moppy]

I play pretty much the same 9 holes alone walking a few times a week. When I do play with others, they basically suck and cheat, which I don't care, I don't play for money. I don't pull the flag when I am alone, a lot of times when I am alone, my eyes being what they are -- major floaters, I lose balls in flight with minimal chance of finding them. I hate taking a stroke off my score due to vision problems, even though I guess I should. It's just not something I will ever be able to improve.  I know I am getting better. I am not surprised at a bogie or shocked at a par anymore. But I just don't see the point in keeping a handicap, as it would require me to play a different game than I play.  

Also, I am simply not competitive, which has actually hurt my game, and I am trying to put more pressure on myself in other ways. 

[David in FL]

5 hours ago, zipazoid said:

True. Lemme rephrase then - I just checked my Yahoo handicap tracker & it shows me as a 5.2. But the last round I posted was from 2015. So there's no way I'm a 6 at present. 

Have you not played, or do you just not post rounds any more?

[zipazoid]

Just now, David in FL said:

Have you not played, or do you just not post rounds any more?

I've played very little, mostly practice. I bet I haven't played 10 rounds in the past year, but that's going to change. And no, I didn't post the scores. If I did I'm sure that 5.2 would rise. If I had to guess, I'm about a 10 now.

[David in FL]

15 minutes ago, zipazoid said:

I've played very little, mostly practice. I bet I haven't played 10 rounds in the past year, but that's going to change. And no, I didn't post the scores. If I did I'm sure that 5.2 would rise. If I had to guess, I'm about a 10 now.

Good to hear that's going to change!

You might be surprised too.  As a 5 hcp, you may have a rough round or 3 if you didn't play for awhile, but I'd be really surprised if you aren't pretty awfully close to your old form within a half dozen rounds of putting your mind to it.  

While in the service, I had some involuntary absences from the game, a few well over a year without even seeing a golf club.  Each time I was able to stagger around a course somewhere in the mid-80's the very first chance that I had to get back out, without any work other than dusting off the clubs.  You don't just completely lose it once you reach a certain level of play.  You'll be fine...

...and drag @Moxie Dawn with you!  

 

[zipazoid]

lol...lemme tell you about one of those 10 or so rounds I've played...

About a year back Mox told me she thought she was ready to go play a course. So I found a short one nearby, Briar Bay, and off we went. She even said, "I want to keep score." Okey Dokey. 

First hole she had a 13. Second hole a 12. Halfway thru the third she said, "Eff this."

[David in FL]

16 minutes ago, zipazoid said:

lol...lemme tell you about one of those 10 or so rounds I've played...

About a year back Mox told me she thought she was ready to go play a course. So I found a short one nearby, Briar Bay, and off we went. She even said, "I want to keep score." Okey Dokey. 

First hole she had a 13. Second hole a 12. Halfway thru the third she said, "Eff this."

Hell, she was improving with every hole, she shoulda stuck with it!  

[zipazoid]

Would have aced the 12th hole!

[Moxie Dawn]

Yeah, I need to try again. Just a couple weeks ago I hit a drive on the course that went 200 yards! 

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, Moxie Dawn said:

Yeah, I need to try again. Just a couple weeks ago I hit a drive on the course that went 200 yards! 

Stick with it. It is a lot of fun to play with my wife. And don't be afraid to get an official handicap. That way Jerry will owe you a couple of strokes per hole and you can take him to the bank!

Mine stayed at 15.1 this last revision.

[DeadMan]

Went down from a 5.9 to a 5.0 at this revision.

[phillyk]

Well thanks to my play a week and a half a go, I got back down to plus figures, +0.7.