Playing to your handicap

I know that a lot of this is centered around shooting ones handicap relative to specific events, but the more I've been thinking about it today, and after spending some of my afternoon re-reading Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, I'm realizing that, for any events I get into this year, or any year, I'm kinda rethinking things.

Have fun.
Leave your expectations at the door.
Approach every shot with the best mental focus you have available.
Treat every shot as an opportunity.

And let your handicap sort itself out. I don't think most of us could handjam updates to our index anyway. It's PFM (pure flippin' magic) as far as I'm concerned.


This is the attitude I'm going into #TheGauntlet with. Love me some Dr. Bob.
 
I've managed 3 (18 hole) rounds so far at my home course and with a 19.0 handicap that gives me a 93 at my course, So far I've shot a 95, 92, 98. Good thing my official season isn't until Apr 1, 5 more days of practice rounds. Pretty close to what your pro was saying.
 
My last 20 rds.
15% better than my cap
50% 5 strokes or more than my cap.
Hi 91 low 77
Average 83.8
Current cap is 8.2

If Im around 80 it generally is a good day.
I played one tournament at my home course and I shot exactly my cap both days of the tournament (net par) and i was thrilled, but i got killed in my flight by everyone, by a lot. Cheaters. I left pleased i brought my game to the tournament, i just learned not to play in the tournament.


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I really dislike the math behind course ratings. Depending on where you play your most golf, it can really affect your handicap. Let me give you an example.

The course I work at is a 75.5 rating from the tips (unsure of slope at this moment) and about 7300 yards. The course I'm a member at is 6100 yards and a rating of 70.5 or so. The problem is, I shoot about the same score at both places (upper sixties for great rounds to middle seventies for an average).

The course I work at has large fast fairways and big greens. It gets its yardage from par 4s as all of the par 5s are reachable in 2 for me. The course I'm a member at has extremely tight fairways with lots of trees. The greens regularly run 11s or 12s, and only 1 reachable par 5 (only 3 of them).

Just because a course is shorter doesn't mean it isn't harder than a longer course. I feel like the handicap system favors this formula too much.

If I were to keep my handicap solely based on play from my work I would be a +1 or +2 which isn't accurate in my mind. On the other hand I would be a 4 or 5 handicap at the course I belong to, which isn't accurate either.

Basically I think there could be improvements to handicaps that take more variables into the equation than the USGAs rating.

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I can usually play to +/- 3 strokes of my handicap but I haven't verified the statistics. There are always exceptions but during the normal season I feel comfortable with the statement!
 
I really dislike the math behind course ratings. Depending on where you play your most golf, it can really affect your handicap. Let me give you an example.

The course I work at is a 75.5 rating from the tips (unsure of slope at this moment) and about 7300 yards. The course I'm a member at is 6100 yards and a rating of 70.5 or so. The problem is, I shoot about the same score at both places (upper sixties for great rounds to middle seventies for an average).

The course I work at has large fast fairways and big greens. It gets its yardage from par 4s as all of the par 5s are reachable in 2 for me. The course I'm a member at has extremely tight fairways with lots of trees. The greens regularly run 11s or 12s, and only 1 reachable par 5 (only 3 of them).

Just because a course is shorter doesn't mean it isn't harder than a longer course. I feel like the handicap system favors this formula too much.

If I were to keep my handicap solely based on play from my work I would be a +1 or +2 which isn't accurate in my mind. On the other hand I would be a 4 or 5 handicap at the course I belong to, which isn't accurate either.

Basically I think there could be improvements to handicaps that take more variables into the equation than the USGAs rating.

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When you make the process too complex, it tends to break down completely. Any system that is used under as many different conditions and environments as the USGA handicap rating system is, must of necessity make some compromises. All it can really do is arrive at a ballpark figure. The more different courses you play at, the more likely it is that it will average out to a more accurate overall number.
 
As long as you post all of your rounds, and you play different courses, I believe the handicap is an accurate assessment of your golf game, on average. I also believe that, if you play only at one course, your handicap may not be a true assessment of your golf game.

The only way to know if you can play to your handicap is to get out and play different courses and see what happens. Some days will be better than others, of course. If you shoot your handicap or better "away from home", then you know it travels. If you do not shoot close to your cap (which I would define as in the bottom 25% of recent handicap posted scores), then it does not.

It does happen that good golfers (sub-5 handicap) will shoot a blow up score (which is part of the handicap system - it would be in the bottom half of scores), but, given a usual distance for their game, if they shoot more than 12 strokes above their course handicap, I would tend to believe that their game does not travel.
 
Within 3 shots of 3 over my cap is definitely accurate for me - sometimes I beat my cap by a few....
 
I generally play to my handicap more often if I stick with my 5 club bag. When I go to a fuller set I have no chance.
 
I generally play to my handicap more often if I stick with my 5 club bag. When I go to a fuller set I have no chance.

you only play with 5 clubs? from a standard set of tees?
 
I generally play to my handicap more often if I stick with my 5 club bag. When I go to a fuller set I have no chance.
I find that very curios but good for you!
 
Standard set of tees? Not sure I follow? The courses I play are about 6,000 yards. I play better with fewer clubs. Im really good with certain clubs so the more I add the more sloppy I get. I'm far from the only golfer that plays this way. Punch in minimalist golfers on google and start reading. Not to mention speed golf. Those guys shoot under par running with 5 clubs now that is impressive.
 
Standard set of tees? Not sure I follow? The courses I play are about 6,000 yards. I play better with fewer clubs. Im really good with certain clubs so the more I add the more sloppy I get. I'm far from the only golfer that plays this way. Punch in minimalist golfers on google and start reading. Not to mention speed golf. Those guys shoot under par running with 5 clubs now that is impressive.

you only have a 3h as your longest club, so i'm wondering how you're finding success from what i would consider to be standard distance tees of around 6,500 yards +/- a couple hundred yards. still, at 6,000 yards i think i would struggle mightily. but play the game you want to and have fun with it.
 
Ok I see what you mean. I don't generally play long courses. Last time I played from 7,000 yards I used 6 clubs. Shot 100 on the dot. Not good for me but not bad for only 6 clubs. I do switch between a 3h and 3w but hit them both very similar. No driver, have never had great success with drivers even fitted ones.
 
I generally play to my handicap more often if I stick with my 5 club bag. When I go to a fuller set I have no chance.

I know what ya mean here by saying "play to my cap" but technically we really cant play to our HC on a regular basis at all because if we did it would move lower. Our caps are always going to be a tad lower than what we play to because it only represents our best. Its always going to be one step ahead of us. Kind of strange when ya think about it.
 
To me the issue at THP events tends to come when guys play the same goat track for the lack of a better term and show up to an event with let's say a 7 handi. They handicap doesn't travel however. They get to a THP event and somehow can't break 100.

I'm in the reverse situation, my home course (where I play most of my rounds) has a slope of 133 from where we play and is a hair over 6600 yards. My course handicap is a 14, I currently carrying a 12 anywhere else, I normally play better at away tracks, because our home course isn't a "goat track".

Dax
 
Last year a lot of my rounds were at my home course, and I would generally shoot high 80's low 90's. When I travel I'm generally low-mid 90's, but there weren't many rounds away from my course last year. This year though, I'll be spending more time at other courses. Interesting to see how it changes.
 
0/1 after the first in season round of the year.
 
Yesterday in my match play I played to my handi cap. I played a guy with a 3 handi cap. I have a 22 and I shot 94 and won 2 up. He played over his handi cap by 4 and shot a 79.
 
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