Does your handicap feel too low?

[Sean2]

You aren't supposed to shoot your handicap all that often. What the HI indicates is your potential. I shoot in the 70s more often than not, but feel my HI is a bit low. The thing is, you shoot a few of those really good rounds and your HI will drop appreciably.

[Harleyweedwhacks]

The PGA Tour pros who keep a handicap usually are plus 4 to plus 5. People say they are plus 8 and I think "Bullcrap". Most of the time, these guys have at least a plus 4. I'm talking average touring pro here, not the ones that win week after week; those that do usually have plus 5.5 or plus 6 MAX.

 

I met Boo Weekley and he said his handicap was around a plus 4. He was hitting perfect 7 irons 175 yards in the same spot every time.

 

Today I shot an 88 from the tips at a golf course I'm not used to. I've played it before from the men's tees, so I know the course, but I've never played it from the tips before. As usual, I hit most of my long shots well, but I couldn't get up and down, so I probably would have shot around 73 or 74 if I had a better short game.

 

My handicap is a 9.3, and it hasn't changed much in the past 7 months. Short game for me, getting up and down more often. But mostly, it doesn't matter which tees I play, I shoot around the same scores. So since course handicap, slope, and course rating change from tee to tee, if you play from the tips and shoot around an 88 consistently, when normally you shoot an 87 consistently from the men's, your handicap goes down. It's all imperfect and makes me realize that handicap really doesn't matter anyway, because in a genuine amateur competition, it's all based on scratch performance. You shoot 88, you're likely to come in last because it's all gross scoring and not net scoring.

 

If you want to get competitive you have to basically be scratch or better. And even that doesn't guarantee you'll win or even come close.

[dornstar]

The PGA Tour pros who keep a handicap usually are plus 4 to plus 5. People say they are plus 8 and I think "Bullcrap". Most of the time, these guys have at least a plus 4. I'm talking average touring pro here, not the ones that win week after week; those that do usually have plus 5.5 or plus 6 MAX.

 

I met Boo Weekley and he said his handicap was around a plus 4. He was hitting perfect 7 irons 175 yards in the same spot every time.

 

Today I shot an 88 from the tips at a golf course I'm not used to. I've played it before from the men's tees, so I know the course, but I've never played it from the tips before. As usual, I hit most of my long shots well, but I couldn't get up and down, so I probably would have shot around 73 or 74 if I had a better short game.

 

My handicap is a 9.3, and it hasn't changed much in the past 7 months. Short game for me, getting up and down more often. But mostly, it doesn't matter which tees I play, I shoot around the same scores. So since course handicap, slope, and course rating change from tee to tee, if you play from the tips and shoot around an 88 consistently, when normally you shoot an 87 consistently from the men's, your handicap goes down. It's all imperfect and makes me realize that handicap really doesn't matter anyway, because in a genuine amateur competition, it's all based on scratch performance. You shoot 88, you're likely to come in last because it's all gross scoring and not net scoring.

 

If you want to get competitive you have to basically be scratch or better. And even that doesn't guarantee you'll win or even come close.

At that level, it doesn't matter if they're a +4 or a +7. It all comes down to their ability to do it day after day.

 

And as far as calling bullcrap on a +8 handicap, I've been very fortunate to play with a few pros over my 20+ years of golf. The difference between me as a +1 to +3 was pretty much like the difference between me and my best friend who is a 12-15. Just a massive difference in overall command of the game. A local +2 isn't even in the same stratosphere.

[b.mattay]

Today I shot an 88 from the tips at a golf course I'm not used to. I've played it before from the men's tees, so I know the course, but I've never played it from the tips before. As usual, I hit most of my long shots well, but I couldn't get up and down, so I probably would have shot around 73 or 74 if I had a better short game.

 

My handicap is a 9.3, and it hasn't changed much in the past 7 months. Short game for me, getting up and down more often. But mostly, it doesn't matter which tees I play, I shoot around the same scores. So since course handicap, slope, and course rating change from tee to tee, if you play from the tips and shoot around an 88 consistently, when normally you shoot an 87 consistently from the men's, your handicap goes down. It's all imperfect and makes me realize that handicap really doesn't matter anyway, because in a genuine amateur competition, it's all based on scratch performance.

 

You're right about handicap doesn't matter in tournaments! Scoring average is a way better predictor of performance! On a side note, I've never heard anyone claim that they "should have been" 14 shots better in a round lol.

[b.mattay]

At that level, it doesn't matter if they're a +4 or a +7. It all comes down to their ability to do it day after day.

 

So true! I know a guy who is a legitimate +5 who I am likely to beat over a tournament because he is prone to follow a 66 with a 80.

[RSinSG]

One of the courses I play is rated 65 from the whites because it is so short. Unfortunately for me I find the course harder on my handicap than others I play that are rated higher and play much longer. I have to shoot under par to not post above my handicap. Last week I shot +1 and it posted as a 7.3.

 

I've found over the years that my handicap is a pretty accurate reflection of my game. Every once in a while I'll post a (for me) low score, but I can just as easily throw a high 80's round in the mix.

 

To answer the OP - the only time I think my handicap is too low is when I play in the club championship or other tournament.

[bluedot]

Ok, let's slow down here for just a moment; take a few deep cleansing breaths and just relax and think.

 

The purpose of the handicap system is NOT to be a way for you to evaluate how good you are as a player, though it can certainly be used that way IF you understand what it is measuring and what it isn't measuring. It IS measuring your potential for a given period of time and number of rounds; it isn't trying to tell you what your average is or should be. You shouldn't expect to shoot a differential that meets or goes below that number more than once every 5 rounds or so, so be careful how you judge yourself AND how you judge the system when you don't match your index in EIGHTY PERCENT of your rounds!

 

HERE'S THE KEY POINT: The purpose of the handicap system is always and ONLY to find a way to equalize competition between golfers of different abilities, playing different courses and even playing from different tees. Everything else is a side issue; don't get confused.

 

So suppose I play the same course 90% of the time, and know it like the back of my hand. I know where not to miss, I know the greens perfectly, and so on. Will my scores, and therefore my index, tend to be lower there than when I play an unfamiliar track on a buddies trip? Of course! Does that mean my handicap is "too low"? Of course not! I'm a textbook case; I shot 75 on the friendly confines of my home course (where I have played hundreds of rounds) last Sunday in perfect weather on perfect bent grass greens. On Monday in the rain at an unfamiliar course with grainy bermuda greens, I shot 86, and on Wednesday I shot 84 on another unfamiliar course that hosts a PGA event and has bermuda greens that were running about 12. Does ANY of that mean that my index is too low? Nope; we just used our indexes to assign strokes both days, and the matches and bets came out just about right. I lost money giving strokes on the 75, won money on the 84 getting a stroke, and broke even on the 86 getting four.

 

It doesn't matter that I'm a 4 index, but on my golf trip my best differential is a 10. What matters is that my buddy who is a 10 index is getting 6 shots from me on the unfamiliar track just like he is back home. Now if for some reason he is able to handle unfamiliar courses better than I, that's a "me" problem, and not a flaw in the handicap system, but beyond that possibility, the system WILL work as intended. If you are using the handicap index and system for anything beyond assigning strokes to equalize competition, you are likely misusing it and/or misunderstanding it.

 

The handicap system isn't perfect, simply because of the human element involved; not all players post all scores, not all player play strictly by the Rules of Golf, and not all players are honest, either with themselves or other golfers. But the system itself actually works beautifully, as those of you that have been fortunate enough to be in a club with peer review of scores already know. Your index is simply the right side of a math formula, and the left side of the formula is pretty carefully thought out.