Is there any better example of socialism than the golf handicapping system? A person who works hard stands not to benefit at all from the fruits of his (or her) labors. In fact, the whole system is actually a disincentive to become any better.
My regular weekend play is with a great group of guys, but our game is generously slanted toward the higher handicap players. We play a basic game of skins and greenies, but everyone wheels off the person with the lowest handicap. I started the year off with a 6, but have now worked it down to a 1. Unfortunately, I receive none of the benefits for improving my game. Instead those who have stayed the same, or worse yet, have gotten worse, now get even more strokes. Last weekend I played with an high handicapper who went net birdie-eagle-birdie. Of course, his actual scores were par-birdie-par, but because of golfing socialism he ended up winning some skins.
I used to play a more American game – tennis. There is no comparable handicapping system in tennis. If you play against a better player you will almost always get beat. The only solution is to work hard to raise your game to the level of your opponent's. Failure to do so will only result in more defeats. Your opponent is not asked to carry a bucket of sand or use half of the court as a means of making up for your own shortcomings. If you don’t like it, don’t play, or find someone of comparable ability. The better, more skilled player wins – the American way.
The above is only half tongue in cheek. I actually care more about what I shoot as opposed to how much money I made. I’d rather shoot a 69 with no skins than a 79 with couple of skins I lucked into over the course of a sloppy round. I play golf while others are playing skins – there’s a definite difference between the two. But there seems to be something inherently unfair about a system that doesn’t reward a person’s desire for self-improvement.
My regular weekend play is with a great group of guys, but our game is generously slanted toward the higher handicap players. We play a basic game of skins and greenies, but everyone wheels off the person with the lowest handicap. I started the year off with a 6, but have now worked it down to a 1. Unfortunately, I receive none of the benefits for improving my game. Instead those who have stayed the same, or worse yet, have gotten worse, now get even more strokes. Last weekend I played with an high handicapper who went net birdie-eagle-birdie. Of course, his actual scores were par-birdie-par, but because of golfing socialism he ended up winning some skins.
I used to play a more American game – tennis. There is no comparable handicapping system in tennis. If you play against a better player you will almost always get beat. The only solution is to work hard to raise your game to the level of your opponent's. Failure to do so will only result in more defeats. Your opponent is not asked to carry a bucket of sand or use half of the court as a means of making up for your own shortcomings. If you don’t like it, don’t play, or find someone of comparable ability. The better, more skilled player wins – the American way.
The above is only half tongue in cheek. I actually care more about what I shoot as opposed to how much money I made. I’d rather shoot a 69 with no skins than a 79 with couple of skins I lucked into over the course of a sloppy round. I play golf while others are playing skins – there’s a definite difference between the two. But there seems to be something inherently unfair about a system that doesn’t reward a person’s desire for self-improvement.
