How well does your handicapp travel?

[deadsolid...shank]

I posted this as a question/repsonse in another thread, but thought I'd throw it out there on it's own and see what people think.

 

My two courses are relatively short and not too difficult, 6500 yds and a rating of around 70.5 and the other 6800 and around 71 for a rating (regular men't tees on the first and tips on the second). Elevation is around 4000 ft, so they actually play even a little shorter. I've posted pretty good rounds in the mid to upper 60's on each and it gets you to thinking you can play. Then you go somewhere else and quickly get humbled.

 

We've decided that our handicapps just dont' travel well.

 

How do others fair when they leave the comfy confines of home(course)?

[TCMP]

My handicap travels poorly as well. Shoot well most of the time at my home course but when I step it up a notch, the game just goes away. There's something to be said for knowing where to miss!

[MadGolfer76]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1296868148' post='2952273']
I posted this as a question/repsonse in another thread, but thought I'd throw it out there on it's own and see what people think.

My two courses are relatively short and not too difficult, 6500 yds and a rating of around 70.5 and the other 6800 and around 71 for a rating (regular men't tees on the first and tips on the second). Elevation is around 4000 ft, so they actually play even a little shorter. I've posted pretty good rounds in the mid to upper 60's on each and it gets you to thinking you can play. Then you go somewhere else and quickly get humbled.

We've decided that our handicapps just dont' travel well.

How do others fair when they leave the comfy confines of home(course)?
[/quote]

I always expect to play well, but I don't expect to play [i]as[/i] well I might if I was on my home course. Pros need practice rounds too. I do reasonably well cold if I can get accurate yardages and the greens are consistent. There are some courses where local knowledge is essential, however, and there is no getting around it.

[WilCox]

I agree with the other posters, being familiar with a course makes all the difference. I rarely score well the first time I play a new course.

[Cody4]

I would say my handicap travels at least fairly well. I'd say that is due to more my game than anything though. I'm generally a fairly long hitter off the tee but struggle with accuracy so if I'm having a good day driving the ball I've gone places and the first time I play them I shoot low to mid 70's and then go to my home course and shoot 82 the next day. I'm a streaky golfer though, so I think I'm a bad example. If it is a super tight course though where if you miss the fairway it is out of bounds on every hole I'm usually in trouble haha.

[Guia]

I play 175 rounds a year at my home course, to a 9 handicap. I play another 25 rounds at away courses to a handicap of between 12 - 13. No it doesn't travel well.

[oregongolf]

For me, it depends on the type of course... a tight tree-lined course is probably going to punish me. Anything else and I'm usually pretty close.

I seldom play the same course more than two times in a row though.

[SpinMill75]

I think alot of it depends on the courses you play. If you play a more difficult course, your handicap should travel.....if you play easy courses, your going to get destroyed.

[Ray Jackson]

I play a tight, tree lined, ob, small green relatively short course.......my handicap travels well to long, but not overly open courses......eg Spyglass, Pasa, Cordevalle etc where the rating and slope are high and they can play long. Where i lose out is at the middle ground course - not too long and wider course where the rating is lower and the greens are flatter and I don't make more than 2 birdies a round.

[Dizz]

My handicap travels fairly well I just think it depends on the course for me. Back when I actually carried a handicap I was something like +2.2 or similar. But I was playing all my golf on very easy 6500-6600 yard par 72 courses with flat greens and fairly open. I would routinely shoot a few under par. When I traveled that summer I played on one golf course that was a par 70 around 7400 yards from where we played it and the rating 75.1 I shot 70 there and it really affected my handicap. The next place I played was a par 71, around 7000 yards rated 73.8 but very, very narrow off the tee. I threw up a smooth 81, for me its not so much being comfortable at home its just wherever I'm comfortable playing...some courses don't fit my eye off the tee and that's when I struggle.

[JJK947]

When I kept a USGA handicap in high school I never posted any rounds from my home course anyway. I only posted scores from tournaments and rounds at the better/harder local courses. So I guess you could say my handicap traveled very well. I'm also not a very big proponent of the system you could say, so I wanted my GHIN to be indicative of my actual scoring ability.

[deadsolid...shank]

Interesing replys. I think that is probably summed up in a nutshell, that how well your handicapp travels does directly coorelate to the difficulty of the course you normally play (duh, brilliant deduction huh?) I do think that playing a course previously does make a huge difference. We did travel last year to a course with a rating of about 73 at about 6900 yds (almost 5000 ft elevation), numerous somewhat blind shots off the tee, first time out shot 81 and second time 73. Big difference knowing where to hit it. Going to have to try to play some better courses this summer, just to try to stay respectable. Problem is, it's a pretty good drive to find many.

[Asleep]

Not all that well ... probably 3 strokes.

Course knowledge, or complete unfamiliarity, is huge.

[fore_life]

At my home track (6800, 70.2 rating, par 72), Im a scratch handicap. With my membership, we get 4 courses, but I tend to play the main course close to home the most, so I'd say 95% of my scores come from there, where I can be anywhere from a few under par to high 70's, even creeping in to the 80's.

I rarely play any other courses than what my membership covers, but lately it's been traveling much better. Im assuming thats because I've drastically dropped my handicap and have become a better player, so Im not losing tons of strokes by wild driving or loose shots like before. I actually think my last 3 travel rounds have been one's that have lowered my handicap( 73 at Paa Ko Ridge, 75 at UNM, 69 at Dobson Ranch).

[deadsolid...shank]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1296877468' post='2952673']
At my home track (6800, 70.2 rating, par 72), Im a scratch handicap. With my membership, we get 4 courses, but I tend to play the main course close to home the most, so I'd say 95% of my scores come from there, where I can be anywhere from a few under par to high 70's, even creeping in to the 80's.

I rarely play any other courses than what my membership covers, but lately it's been traveling much better. Im assuming thats because I've drastically dropped my handicap and have become a better player, so Im not losing tons of strokes by wild driving or loose shots like before. I actually think my last 3 travel rounds have been one's that have lowered my handicap( 73 at Paa Ko Ridge, 75 at UNM, 69 at Dobson Ranch).
[/quote]


I can't remember what I've read for sure, is Ahwatuke CC your home course? One of these days I'm going to get back down there and play it again. When we lived there (apt. complex on the Lakes course), I played the CC usually at least once a week. If I've got the wrong member here just ignore my post and write it off to a senile old man:)

[Rockfish]

[b]It really all depends on where your 10 best rounds come from.

1) IF your 10 best are ALL on your home course you are DOOMED when you travel to one you've never played before (unless it's really wide open, easy and/or rather short).

2) IF your 10 best are on a nice variety of courses, all/most of which you know fairly well (or very well), see above. Won't be AS bad as #1, but,,,,,,,

3) IF your 10 best are at a variety of courses, a few to a lot of which you don't play very often your handicap should travel pretty well but if you've never played the new (travel) course before you're STILL at least a 2-4 strokes behind the 8 ball.

*I* am a perfect example of #1. When I got serious about golf (around '87) I played (ONLY) at my home course every Saturday and Sunday and got down to a 1.

But when my club went "away" on a club outing I was TERRIBLE. No better than a 10 (seriously).

I played in the DuPont Tournament in 1994 (while I was still playing ONLY my home course. But when I got down there I played a practice round on each of my tournament courses, played multiple balls (courses were empty) and kept a yardage book and made notes of every hazard, where NOT to hit the ball, slope of each green, etc and played absolutely the best "off home" golf in my life during the tournament.

In 2003 I moved to NJ and only went back to my home club occasionally because of the length of the drive. That meant I played a lot more OFF my home course and played a variety of courses and I got a lot better at it. I was still a couple or 3 shots worse IF my OFF HOME COURSE handicap was to be calculated separately vs. my HOME course handicap but at least it was a LOT closer (AND more consistent AND I play MUCH better at outings now as well ).[/b]

[fore_life]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1296878078' post='2952706']
[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1296877468' post='2952673']
At my home track (6800, 70.2 rating, par 72), Im a scratch handicap. With my membership, we get 4 courses, but I tend to play the main course close to home the most, so I'd say 95% of my scores come from there, where I can be anywhere from a few under par to high 70's, even creeping in to the 80's.

I rarely play any other courses than what my membership covers, but lately it's been traveling much better. Im assuming thats because I've drastically dropped my handicap and have become a better player, so Im not losing tons of strokes by wild driving or loose shots like before. I actually think my last 3 travel rounds have been one's that have lowered my handicap( 73 at Paa Ko Ridge, 75 at UNM, 69 at Dobson Ranch).
[/quote]


I can't remember what I've read for sure, is Ahwatuke CC your home course? One of these days I'm going to get back down there and play it again. When we lived there (apt. complex on the Lakes course), I played the CC usually at least once a week. If I've got the wrong member here just ignore my post and write it off to a senile old man:)
[/quote]

Hahah you got the right guy, so rest assured that senility has yet to show its wicked face.

Do you still live in AZ? If so, you've got to come out the the AZ WRX golf outings! We just did one last month at Ahwatukee, and are talking about doing a skins game at The Lakes in late Feb/early March,

Im pretty busy with school right now but I still get out 2 or 3 times a week, so hit me up if you want to go play any of the 4 we get (The CC, Club West, The Duke, or The Lakes).

[Awsi Dooger]

Very well. My home course is a terrible fit for me. I'm an awful bunker player and literally every hole has at least 2 greenside bunkers and only a handful of holes have fewer than 3. My scores vary wildly based on how many bunkers I hit.

When I'm outside Florida many playing partners scoff that I play to an 8 but it's absolutely legit based on my course, and playing at sea level. I love altitude and the rescued 10-20 yards, plus the architects who weren't obsessed with sand. Chipping instead of splattering feels like theft.

Hitting behind the ball makes no sense to me and I can't get the hang of it. I'm decent out of fairway bunkers.

[deadsolid...shank]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1296878463' post='2952720']
[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1296878078' post='2952706']
[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1296877468' post='2952673']
At my home track (6800, 70.2 rating, par 72), Im a scratch handicap. With my membership, we get 4 courses, but I tend to play the main course close to home the most, so I'd say 95% of my scores come from there, where I can be anywhere from a few under par to high 70's, even creeping in to the 80's.

I rarely play any other courses than what my membership covers, but lately it's been traveling much better. Im assuming thats because I've drastically dropped my handicap and have become a better player, so Im not losing tons of strokes by wild driving or loose shots like before. I actually think my last 3 travel rounds have been one's that have lowered my handicap( 73 at Paa Ko Ridge, 75 at UNM, 69 at Dobson Ranch).
[/quote]


I can't remember what I've read for sure, is Ahwatuke CC your home course? One of these days I'm going to get back down there and play it again. When we lived there (apt. complex on the Lakes course), I played the CC usually at least once a week. If I've got the wrong member here just ignore my post and write it off to a senile old man:)
[/quote]

Hahah you got the right guy, so rest assured that senility has yet to show its wicked face.

Do you still live in AZ? If so, you've got to come out the the AZ WRX golf outings! We just did one last month at Ahwatukee, and are talking about doing a skins game at The Lakes in late Feb/early March,

Im pretty busy with school right now but I still get out 2 or 3 times a week, so hit me up if you want to go play any of the 4 we get (The CC, Club West, The Duke, or The Lakes).
[/quote]

No, moved from there almost 19 years ago and would still like to move back. I used to there four or five times a year, but it's probably been six or seven since I've been there. Played Club West several times, never the Duke. I usually watch the SW section and I see when you guys are having the outings. One of these days...and I will definetly touch base when I'm heading that way, I would love to get together and play with you guys.

[TCMP]

[quote name='Rockfish' timestamp='1296878111' post='2952707']
[b]It really all depends on where your 10 best rounds come from.

1) IF your 10 best are ALL on your home course you are DOOMED when you travel to one you've never played before (unless it's really wide open, easy and/or rather short).

2) IF your 10 best are on a nice variety of courses, all/most of which you know fairly well (or very well), see above. Won't be AS bad as #1, but,,,,,,,

3) IF your 10 best are at a variety of courses, a few to a lot of which you don't play very often your handicap should travel pretty well but if you've never played the new (travel) course before you're STILL at least a 2-4 strokes behind the 8 ball.

*I* am a perfect example of #1. When I got serious about golf (around '87) I played (ONLY) at my home course every Saturday and Sunday and got down to a 1.

But when my club went "away" on a club outing I was TERRIBLE. No better than a 10 (seriously).

I played in the DuPont Tournament in 1994 (while I was still playing ONLY my home course. But when I got down there I played a practice round on each of my tournament courses, played multiple balls (courses were empty) and kept a yardage book and made notes of every hazard, where NOT to hit the ball, slope of each green, etc and played absolutely the best "off home" golf in my life during the tournament.

In 2003 I moved to NJ and only went back to my home club occasionally because of the length of the drive. That meant I played a lot more OFF my home course and played a variety of courses and I got a lot better at it. I was still a couple or 3 shots worse IF my OFF HOME COURSE handicap was to be calculated separately vs. my HOME course handicap but at least it was a LOT closer (AND more consistent AND I play MUCH better at outings now as well ).[/b]
[/quote]


Thank you for your post as it was an interesting read. However, why do you insist on posting in bold all the time?

[mr.vik]

Hi guys! New member here How does your hcp system work anyway? Do you post the 10 best scores from your entire season or is it always the 10 last rounds?

[fore_life]

I think its actually the best 10 from the last 20? At least thats what it shows me on my AGA page

[mr.vik]

I think its actually the best 10 from the last 20? At least thats what it shows me on my AGA page

 

Thanx

its funny we in sweden allways talk about how much better your system is but we allways thougt it wast the avrage from your las10.

 

Our system is just a bit more complicated

 

But to answer the topic, my R&A hcp is 0 and i most often shoot between 65 and 71 on my home course from the tips. When i play tournement golf we often play 7000y + courses and my avrage last year was 74. my lowest score then was 66 (-6) and the highest was 78 i think.

 

 

 

[JP101]

My handicap travels pretty well. My scores usually range from +2 to 4. My home course where I have worked has a really easy course rating with tough greens so it actually hurts my handicap. My handicap usually goes way down when I play a course with a harder than 72 course rating.

I have a lot easier time shooting around even or even a few over to play scratch rather than having to shoot a couple under to play scratch.

[Socrates]

[quote name='TCMP' timestamp='1296915076' post='2953229']
[quote name='Rockfish' timestamp='1296878111' post='2952707']
[b]It really all depends on where your 10 best rounds come from.

1) IF your 10 best are ALL on your home course you are DOOMED when you travel to one you've never played before (unless it's really wide open, easy and/or rather short).
[b].........z..........z... [/b][/b]
[b][b]consistent AND I play MUCH better at outings now as well ).[/b]
[/b][/quote]

Thank you for your post as it was an interesting read. However, why do you insist on posting in bold all the time?

[/quote]


Don't want to speak for him, but he is likely copy/pasting from another application. It never comes out right when I do that.

My hcp usually goes up a few strokes at new courses unless I have studied the the course via yardage book or if they have a great online site. It usually has to do with making mistakes on where to hit it rather than poor play. Just a few misplaced shots can really add up. That is why the pros make it look so easy - tremendous prep by both the player and the caddie.

i.e. last week on vac. on one hole I hit a perfect drive and thought I had hit a perfect wedge, but it was 2 yards too far and I didn't know it was dead behind the green. A little course knowledge would have made me hit short rather than go for a back pin. Result = Triple Bogey

[CryMeARiver]

It travels well as long as the pencil has an eraser...