Hi. I want to discuss "handicapping".
My thoughts: 1. Really, who cares? 2. Do your best - why would you do anything else - while enjoying the day and the company of others. 3. Handicapping has one purpose, namely, competition between those that have good golf scores and those that don't. 4. The reason for handicapping seems to be motivated by Ego ... and Gambling. 5. The professional tours and top "open" events don't have a handicapping system - you pay to enter and if you make the cut, you get paid according to your results or no payment for amateurs. 6. I don't like the professional (and other) tours tampering with the players by penalizing long hitters - one example, "Tiger proofing" - or penalizing putting innovator Sam Snead. 7. I know that golf is not changing soon and sandbagging, cheating, bragging, etc. will go on until it does.
Now that my thoughts are out there, here is what I want to know. Over 15+ years ago, I read an article proposing a simplified golf handicapping system. I lost the article and attempts to find it or ask got me nowhere. It was like a cure for cancer had been presented but it was covered up - never to be discussed again. Except here I am discussing it again. It was simple enough that perhaps someone can piece it together from the following things that I do remember.
Here are the pieces I remember: 1. Simply put, your handicap is based on the previous hole's score. 2. If you par a hole, then your handicap for the next hole is 0. 3. If you birdie a hole, then your handicap for the next hole is +1. 4. If you bogey a hole, then your handicap for the next hole is -1. SIMPLE, YES! However, the author(s) had done some research and had some basic limitations/adjustments to limit/prevent someone from easily cheating/gaming their handicap system - yeah, like anyone would want to "cheat or game" a handicap system.
This is where I don't fully remember the adjustments: 1. Hole 1 and Hole 18 scores are reduced by 1/2 a stroke ... so someone doesn't take advantage of purposely "gaming" with a high score on the first hole and a low score on the last hole. 2. There is a maximum high and low adjustment that you can carry to the next hole. Truthfully, I don't remember but I think the most you take into the next hole is -2 (that is, if you had a triple bogey (-3) you would only get -2 strokes on the next hole). On the other hand, if you eagled, the most you take into the next hole is -1.
Does anyone remember this article or handicapping system? I thought of trying to use the above with some lower and higher scoring players but haven't yet - Life distracted me. I have time now so this Spring I plan to try it.
Thanks for reading and helpful comments!
