Equitable Stroke Control usage

[BlitzkriegBart]

This may be a stupid question: If you keep track of your handicap, do you apply the equitable stroke control to your score?

I'm sure those of you that are serious enough to have an official handicap do, but I wonder about those that just keep it chart there progress.

My guess is that a lot of golfers that don't have an official handicap don't bother figuring out what there adjusted score is, or how to calculate it. This is kind of how I am.

I looked it up this morning and found out that it's really not that hard to figure out, but I hate doing manual calculations. So, I wrote this simple web page to do it for me. I figured there are more people out there, like me, so I'm sharing it. It's ugly, but it works.

Also, does anyone know of any free websites that you can use to keep track of your handicap. A lot of them that I have seen want you to put in the score of each hole. I don't need it to be that precise. I'm using golflink.com right now, but they only offer a trial membership of a year, and I'm not going to pay for it. I'd rather have a site that I can log into than a program. That way I can record the scores from anywhere.

If there is one, that will keep me from having to write my own.

[iacas]

If there is one, that will keep me from having to write my own.

I don't know of any sites, but I'm going to be offering a Windows copy of an application I helped design called "Scorecard." It can not only calculate your handicap but will show you 20-30 other meaningful statistics that you can use to fine-tune your game. I've been using it, and you can see the results of its HTML output here:

http://homepage.mac.com/iacas/Scorecard/ I'll probably work in some sort of "TST Forum Member" discount as well. The Windows version will be in beta testing late this month or early November, and should be shipping around Thanksgiving time. It won't be free, but you typically get what you pay for...

[BlitzkriegBart]

That looks really indepth and slick.

[lamebums]

@iacas: let us know when you make a Windows version. I could definitely use that.

@BlitzkiregBart: Absolutely I use ESC. I hate it when my handicap goes up. Besides a low handicap looks better on paper.

[BlitzkriegBart]

@BlitzkiregBart: Absolutely I use ESC. I hate it when my handicap goes up. Besides a low handicap looks better on paper.

Yeah ... I guess I am the only one that was like that. I just didn't understand what it was for or how to apply it. I never really thought of how it could be used to negate sandbagging, because I've never played in any tournaments.

[sonicblue]

Isn't it weird, how some people DON'T want a higher handicap, while some people go out of their way to try to boost it? Integrity is integrity, a sandbagger will find another way to cheat.

I use ESC, btw, and if anyone would like a spreadsheet to load stats into, send me a PM. I have something pretty cool that calculates index/anti-index and a handful of other stats. Not adequate for someone looking for lots of info, but free, easy and accurate for your index.

[lamebums]

Yeah ... I guess I am the only one that was like that. I just didn't understand what it was for or how to apply it. I never really thought of how it could be used to negate sandbagging, because I've never played in any tournaments.

Well, a sandbagger would likely inflate his handicap by deliberately putting four or five balls out of bounds on the final hole. ESC puts a limit to that.

At any rate, handicap is supposed to be a measure of your potential, and potential is usually presumed not to mean a massive blowup hole.

[BlitzkriegBart]

At any rate, handicap is supposed to be a measure of your potential, and potential is usually presumed not to mean a massive blowup hole.

Yeah ... I understand it now. I had the wrong idea of what it was actually supposed to represent, and how it was used. I looked at it like: "I want to get my handicap as low as possible." I was having a hard time reconciling the idea of counting all of your strokes (no mulligans), and using the ESC. From my (wrong) standpoint it seemed like cheating yourself, in the same way that taking mulligans and not counting penalties is cheating yourself. If you take mulligans to get your score down, when you're a crappy golfer, you won't see much improvement in your score as your skills improve. That is unless you want to always be a lying POS.

I've played golf off and on, without really trying to improve my game. I would mostly just try to hit the ball as hard as I could and would ignore all aspects of the game, other than driving the ball. Most of the time I wouldn't even keep score. I was happy as long as I didn't lose too many balls and still had all my clubs at the end of the round. I started playing again at the end of this summer and have taken a completely different approach to the game. I'm practicing all aspects of the game and trying to improve. I understand the purpose of the ESC and Handicap better now. The handicap is meant to be what your current, potential score could be. The ESC facilitates that by keeping the blow up holes from inflating your handicap. It's pretty clever when you think about it.

[wolverine318]

cant...wait...for...this

There is a site that does this although I thought it sucked, but it is free, but it is not as in depth. But if all your looking for is the basics than it will probably do. http://www.keepmygolfscore.com/login.php I ended up just making an excel spreadsheet because I dont have time to write the program any other way.

[Ben]

I do not use ESC. At my level if I'm making an 8 or 9 or even a 10 on a hole I deserve to pay for it.

That being said, I do see it helpful for the 25+ type guys. They don't need any more strokes than they've already got.

[NM Golf]

I do not use ESC. At my level if I'm making an 8 or 9 or even a 10 on a hole I deserve to pay for it.

That doesn't make any sense. How are you paying for it? If your handicap goes up, wouldn't your opponents pay for it? I mean ESC only matters when putting scores into the GHIN network. If you make a 9 in a tournament your tournament score reflects that 9. Its only in the post round paperwork and score posting that your score would be adjusted. And if your a PGA apprentice how do you have a handicap anyway? Last time I checked PGA stood for Professional Golfers Association. The key word being professional . Pros don't have handicaps. Handicaps are only in amateur golf.

[beisenhauer]

I use oobGolf.com to track my handicap. It applies ESC automatically when you enter hole-by-hole scores, so yes, I do use it.

[TourSpoon]

I use it but I think it comes down to one stroke per three rounds. I don't remember the last time I had more than 1 triple bogey (or worse) in a round, but I have been close. For the single digit, double bogey seems fair. I remember when the most I could take was a 6. I am not sure why they changed it.

[Ben]

That doesn't make any sense. How are you paying for it? If your handicap goes up, wouldn't your opponents pay for it? I mean ESC only matters when putting scores into the GHIN network. If you make a 9 in a tournament your tournament score reflects that 9. Its only in the post round paperwork and score posting that your score would be adjusted..

"Pay for it" in my sense of pride in my game. I get a 9, I post that I got a 9.

And if your a PGA apprentice how do you have a handicap anyway? Last time I checked PGA stood for

I do play against amateurs who would like to know whether I am scratch or a +3. 3 strokes is a lot for some of the people I play against.

[CPBrad]

I don't know of any sites, but I'm going to be offering a Windows copy of an application I helped design called "Scorecard." It can not only calculate your handicap but will show you 20-30 other meaningful statistics that you can use to fine-tune your game. I've been using it, and you can see the results of its HTML output here:

Just a note on

Scorecard and ESC. When entering your rounds, enter the score you actually shot. ESC will be automatically applies to the scores when calculating your handicap. You don't have to do it manually. The entered score is then used in the other stats to show you what you actually shot.

[powerfade]

That doesn't make any sense. How are you paying for it? If your handicap goes up, wouldn't your opponents pay for it? I mean ESC only matters when putting scores into the GHIN network. If you make a 9 in a tournament your tournament score reflects that 9. Its only in the post round paperwork and score posting that your score would be adjusted.

You may want to check that NM Golf...USGA Indexes, which convert to course handicaps, are available to professionals as well through a golf club, not the PGA. I remember seeing a picture of Tiger in golf Digest a couple years ago showing his monthly card sportin' an +8 point something index.

If a professional did not carry a handicap, how would amateurs be able to play casual rounds against them using the system?

[NM Golf]

You may want to check that NM Golf...USGA Indexes, which convert to course handicaps, are available to professionals as well through a golf club, not the PGA. I remember seeing a picture of Tiger in golf Digest a couple years ago showing his monthly card sportin' an +8 point something index.

No,

you may want to check that Powerfade. PGA professionals do not have nor use a handicapping system for any type of competition. And since the minute you become a professional you instantly become ineligible for USGA amateur tournaments, why would a professional have a handicap. And as far as Tiger Having a +8 handicap, well the lowest handicap possible is a +3.5 . I asked our head pro if he has even heard of professionals having handicaps and he looked at me like I was an idiot. I mean I guess a pro might need to know what handicap he was equivilent to for informal betting with amateurs but that seems odd to me. I have heard clubs can let the professionals play in their club tournaments but I would think that would be kind of lame for a professional to play in a club tournament. As a pro I would think I would want to compete against other pros. Maybe I am wrong. And

[J_Bone]

I've never used ESC while calculating my handicap. But if I do, all those 8's I have should go away and will drop my handicap a little bit more.