Pete

Exactly. My point is, what could he have done to avoid moving the ball? If the argument is that there is no justification for letting a player off the hook for moving their ball, I am asking what Dustin Johnson could have reasonably be expected to do to avoid this penalty? I totally agree. It probably wouldn't. Perhaps rather than admit that determination was a mistake, they are changing the rule. I do agree with the change though.

He didn't make contact with it.

You think DJ should have been penalised for moving his ball? What could he have done to avoid moving the ball? Lose weight? Have smaller feet?

I am really pleased that this local rule has been created. DJ was not being careless, or clumsy, or boneheaded. He was doing what millions of us all do every time we putt, and he got penalised for it. This change eliminates that penalty. The biggest issue will be the few cases where a ball moves due to nature but a player claims they caused it to move because they don't like the new location. Or vice versa. But I'm still happy that this change brings the rules a small step closer to reflecting the objective that the best golfer (golf skill, not most careful, not luckiest, not cleanest shoes) on the day, should win.

Nope. Overall better scores but no level or under par rounds at all this year even in practice rounds. I'll try again next year.

Like it. If you can be brutallly honest with the result of each shot, it will identify where you can improve for sure. Sometimes it can be difficult to apportion dropped shots to one particular shot on a given hole, but it looks like you're pretty realistic with your assessment. Par 4s off the tee, if I'm not left with an approach shot to the green then I consider that dropping shots. Its difficult to consider a missed approach as a dropped shot due to the difficulty of hitting greens even with short irons. A bit of judgement needed here. Missing from 100 yards with the flag in the middle is losing shots, but missing the by a few feet from 180 certainly isn't dropping shots. With putting I only think of a missed 2 footer or a 3 putt as dropping shots. I've always been one for analysing my rounds to see where I can improve and it really works for me.

Congu research shows the CSS (competition scratch score) in competitions is definitely higher through winter compared to summer. I know the weather isn't identical but they are both northern hemisphere climates. I know what you're saying but on average they are harder conditions to score in. By the way, the CSS negates this entire issue for us.

Winning a tournament when someone on a lower hcp had a worse net but lower gross score feels like I didn't win anyway. You would like the CONGU system. You can only increase by 0.1 at a time.

It is THE most important thing to me. When playing qualifying competitions, I don't care about winning or placing, I care about whether my score will increase or decrease my handicap.

Until it gets damaged. Never retired a ball other than for sentimental reasons. Current ball is a pro v1 no.8 which has done about 7 rounds. Must be close to a record for me. I think I keep playing the same one as it gives me confidence to look down on a ball that I know I have kept in play for so long.

Using USGA calculation over last 20 rounds, I would be 4.8 for rounds that count towards handicap and 4.0 for all rounds. So yes, it definitely makes a difference for me. Only if you declare it before you play the round. You can't decide that the round will be used for handicap purposes retrospectively.

Voted higher. It is slightly different as we (UK) have never been allowed to post solo rounds (or non-competition group rounds) for handicap purposes. But the result for me is, my scores are definitely better when it doesn't count towards my handicap. When we care about getting a lower hcp, I think we are kind of conditioned to play in one of two modes. Practice mode where nothing matters, and competition mode where everything matters. As much as I've always thought we have a better system, I kind of think it would be much better if every round counted for your handicap.

Good point but NFL rules changes are for safety and to make the sport better to watch. I don't think either of those apply here.

I get the idea but it basically makes it a different code of golf. You couldn't compare performance under full rules with performance under modified rules. Passing TDs in arena football aren't quite the same as passing TDs in NFL.

Yeah, I'm a UK bloke @DaveP043. I think half of my posts revolve around differences between UK and US golf . I find it interesting what we both consider normal when they are sometimes very different. The rules in this case are different. Gimmes are not allowed in any way for a round that counts toward handicap. To contribute to the original post, I give putts when making the putt is a waste of time. That's the whole point of it for me. However, if a group of us (say half a dozen) play as one three ball teams against the other, with best 2 scores to count for example, we will agree no gimmes, even though it is an informal knock about with 'buddies'. It's not that we don't trust each other it's just that we would spend more time agreeing the distance at which a putt is given, and then checking that distance on every putt when it's not clear, than we would actually holing out every hole. Basically, we only ever use gimmes in match play.

This is extremely strange in my opinion. A couple of mates playing together every weekend who give each other 3 footers all day long, are definitely posting scores better than they would have done had they putted out on every hole.

if you receive a gimme, do you still count the round for handicap calculation?

Since 2008. I think they've always been restricted to 10 max per year.

It's been around for a few years. We've discussed this before on here. Basically US handicaps are more representative of someone's general golfing ability. UK ones are more representative of their ability in competitions and applying full rules.

You have to declare with club prior to the round and play under full rules of golf and scored by another club member. Only category rule is that cat 1 (hcp 5 and below) can't do it. Cat 1 handicaps can only be affected by scores in proper club competitions. And you can only do 10 of these supplementary rounds per year.

I see. I just read that you guys have a specific course handicap depending on your exact HI and the course rating. I did not realise this. We simply have a playing handicap which is nearest whole number from exact handicap and we use it at all courses.

Doesn't 0.9 round up to a 1 hcp?

Scratch is 0 handicap. "He plays off scratch" means he plays off a 0 hcp. I don't understand how a scratch golfer could have a hcp above zero. It's more commonly used when describing a competition as not using handicaps.

Make that 390 (390 x 2/3 = 260). where do you get this information from man!? Two thirds is ridiculous.

Faldo!!!