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What's More Impressive? A Half Season or Full Season Handicap?

What's More Impressive? A Half Season or Full Season Handicap?

  • NY

    Votes: 16 33.3%

  • FL

    Votes: 3 6.3%

  • Both are equally impressive

    Votes: 29 60.4%
  • Total voters
    48
dcbrad

dcbrad

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It's hard to make the title come across clear, but I was talking with one of my friends a little while back and we got into a discussion about Northern and Southern golfers. Obviously, guys who live in the south can golf, for the most part, year round and guys who live in the north have about 6, maybe 7 months if they are lucky. Here's a scenario to ponder:

A guy who lives in NY carries a 4 handicap consistently from year to year, but can only play 6 months of the year and say only makes one trip south to play during the winter months.

Another guy who lives in FL carries a 4 handicap as well from year to year, but golfs year round on a consistent basis.

For argument's sake, let's say they practice equal amounts of time/year.

Does the guy who can only golf real rounds, half the year, and still able to carry a 4 handicap more impressive? Or is it more impressive that the guy from FL, who has probably at least 20 more rounds, because of a larger sample size? But wait, the guy who has a 4 in NY can't golf for 6 months of the year. But the guy who lives in FL has more chances to inflate his handicap with a poor round.

This is just an opinion post, and one that I have no opinion on, but it was an interesting conversation. What do you think?

1) NY
2) FL
3) Doesn't matter, both these guys can swing the sticks, and swing them well.

Interested to hear your thoughts
 
I'm not sure I see the scenario in which the guy in the south's 4 is more impressive.
 
Both are equally impressive, but it seems like you could make a stronger case for the northerner's handicap being more impressive.
 
If you're assuming the Northern 4 handicap is defined mid-late season, I would believe them to be a wash.

I don't know how 12 month golfers do it. My body can't wait for winter sometimes, despite my brain/heart throwing a fit over cold weather and snow.
 
voted equally, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Yes, up in the north, not having the ability to play is a liability from a keeping sharp perspective, there also is an advantage of the rest both physically and mentally.

I think about it almost in the same way you hear arguments about records in baseball, where players play more games today than they did in yesteryears, but at the same time, they didn't have to travel nearly as much and play night games back in the 50's either.
 
I fall into the category with the NY guy, and am that guy, so I have to say the guy with a 4 and only able to play half the year is more impressive.

But in all seriousness it doesn't matter how long you can play during the year, having a 4 handicap is a 4 handicap and you can golf your ball.
 
I see them both being impressive. Wash
 
I can't imagine the long lay off you guys up north have to go through. I know for us in Georgia where we keep recording scores all year the winter can be pretty tough on the index. Cold temps keep you bundled up so tougher to swing. Temps equal less distance too. Also it's our rainy season so no roll out on drives. Winter golf usually adds 3 to 4 strokes to my index. So yes I'm playing year round but the golf isn't always good for the confidence.

For me the Northern golfers index would be more impressive.
 
A 4 handicap is impressive any way you slice it! I am fortunate enough to live down south where I can play about 100 rounds a year with only a handful of them being not on weekend days. I was in a slump in October / November where I was struggling to break 80 and my handicap rose 2 strokes. Coming back down to the 5 range now with nothing but low to mid 70 rounds so far in December. So there is definitely something to be said about playing too many rounds and the possibility that it can hurt your handicap if you get out of sorts for a period of time. On the other hand, have no idea how I would come back after 6 months of inactivity with loss of timing, feel, etc. Very interesting ponder....
 
I think it depends on how many rounds each year they play, but I voted for up north. If it's someone like me, where 20 rounds in a year would be a lot, I would say up north is more impressive. Because you might not even have all the rounds contributing to your handicap take place in the same year. So the rounds where you're getting back into your groove at the beginning are counting towards your handicap for a longer period of time.
 
The fact that they are both a 4 handicap is great. I see them both being pretty equal.
 
I have been both a northern and southern golfer and really don't see much difference. Yes, I can now play year round whereas for years I could only play May - October but at my level a few months off did not hurt my game.

What I think has made more difference is the time available to play/practice several times each week without having the distractions of work and family.
 
NY, he has to deal with winter rust.
 
I don't think the one is more impressive than the other per say. Here in Vancouver we play year round but conditions are brutal and weather can be ugly for 4 - 5 months a year. We only get roll out on drives (I'm talking true rollout) in July/August and a little in Sep.

Regardless our handicap season is March to November.
 
I'm inclined to say the Northern golfer is more impressive, but that's probably biased because I live up here. But here's the issue with that statement: your handicap is based on your best rounds, so it's an indication of your potential. In other words, you can throw out your terrible rounds but the good rounds are what counts. It's 10 scores out of 20 that make up a handicap, so for example, the Northern golfer could rip off 2 months of really good rounds and have those rounds carry through on his handicap for a few months after that.

How did I come up with that scenario? I'm that guy! My season up here is probably April-November. I struggle coming out of the gate every single year and usually don't play my best golf until July-September. So my handicap every year is at its lowest in September, and usually carries through until early in the following year because I don't play much golf between the fall and spring. Put me out on a course right now and I'd probably play as a 12-15 handicap, but I'm listed at 9.1.

I'm rambling, but I guess that I see it as both guys can play pretty well and have the same ceiling, so to speak. I would assume that the Southern golfer, being able to play more, has less variation in his game from month to month.
 
I would say a wash, save for the FL handicap probably having way more rounds in. I think its hard enough to keep my handicap up over 4 months, let alone an entire year. I would think my body would just give up at some point.
 
Canadan said:
If you're assuming the Northern 4 handicap is defined mid-late season, I would believe them to be a wash.

I don't know how 12 month golfers do it. My body can't wait for winter sometimes, despite my brain/heart throwing a fit over cold weather and snow.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by this? Just curious. I play a lot of sports and golf is pretty easy on your body compared to most others.
 
I believe both are equally impressive and I envy both hypothetical players. The northern player has to deal with the winter months and doing things to keep his HCP down over that period of limited/inactivity. On the other hand, the southern golfer plays year round and has more chance for things to go wrong or the cap to go up. If you got these two golfers on neutral ground together at a time when they are both actively in mid-season shape, they would be nearly equal golfers. Therefore, a 4 HCP is a 4 HCP where ever it is, north south east west. Great topic though.
 
arydolphin said:
I'm inclined to say the Northern golfer is more impressive, but that's probably biased because I live up here. But here's the issue with that statement: your handicap is based on your best rounds, so it's an indication of your potential. In other words, you can throw out your terrible rounds but the good rounds are what counts. It's 10 scores out of 20 that make up a handicap, so for example, the Northern golfer could rip off 2 months of really good rounds and have those rounds carry through on his handicap for a few months after that.

How did I come up with that scenario? I'm that guy! My season up here is probably April-November. I struggle coming out of the gate every single year and usually don't play my best golf until July-September. So my handicap every year is at its lowest in September, and usually carries through until early in the following year because I don't play much golf between the fall and spring. Put me out on a course right now and I'd probably play as a 12-15 handicap, but I'm listed at 9.1.

I'm rambling, but I guess that I see it as both guys can play pretty well and have the same ceiling, so to speak. I would assume that the Southern golfer, being able to play more, has less variation in his game from month to month.
Click to expand...
This is basically what I was going to say.

The person who plays year round still only has their last 20 rounds contributing. They guy who has to start over every year will take some time to get the rust off, but once they get in some rounds, it comes back fairly soon. Your frst 10-15 sounds might not be as good as you know what you can do, but once you get in 30 rounds or so, your beginning of the season rounds have dropped off, and if you play regularly, not just a few times a month, your handicap should be pretty close to what it should be by then.

This year mine was over 20 for a while because I couldn't break 90 (rounds from 92 to 95) my first five rounds. So at that point, my handicap was based on a 92 and only a 92! (I use oob). My handicap didn't go under 20 until July and held mostly steady from July 18 through the end of the year. I got my 16th full round score on July 19 last year, and stayed 13-14 from the middle of August on. I had a three round slump in the middle of September where I shot 95-97-99 in consecutive rounds, but those scores never figured into my handicap because they were never part of my 10 best out of 20.

So by the end of the northerner's year, it all evens out, but then of course they have to start all over. I am really interested what happens to me in 2014, as this was by far the best year I have ever had.
 
I don't really see a difference.
 
I had to vote equally impressive, I did that because the purpose of a handicap is to make an equitable playing field when golfers of different skill levels get together to play so it should apply when golfers of equal handicaps get together to play also. I also believe that logically if the northern golfer were able to play year round his skill level would surpass the person already playing all 12 months. I like this question/poll, good job Brad.
 
DawgDaddy said:
I had to vote equally impressive, I did that because the purpose of a handicap is to make an equitable playing field when golfers of different skill levels get together to play so it should apply when golfers of equal handicaps get together to play also. I also believe that logically if the northern golfer were able to play year round his skill level would surpass the person already playing all 12 months. I like this question/poll, good job Brad.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that mean you would think a 4 hdcp for the northern golfer is more impressive?
 
Barberakb said:
What do you mean by this? Just curious. I play a lot of sports and golf is pretty easy on your body compared to most others.
Click to expand...

Maybe it depends on your game. After 100+ rounds, endless evenings on the putting green and driving range, with a swing speed of over 110mph, my left shoulder, my lower back, and usually one of my knees are begging for a break. Any one of them could be lingering soft spots from years of playing hockey, but each year I feel that way.
 
I think getting to a 4 handicap is impressive regardless of the situation. Yeah, the NY guy has an off season to worry about but it seems most of the NE guys have access to indoor practice facilities and sims to keep the swing grooved.
 
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