Wiltshire Golf Guide Newsletter Issue #9

Handicap Gripes Continue

Last week we asked whether the WHS handicap system had ruined club competitions and we asked you to let us know your thoughts.

You can read that here

We received some interesting comments.

Piotr got in touch to share his experience of getting his first handicap and how he feels about how things have changed since then

When I first started playing golf the maximum handicap was 18 for men and I had to have a playing interview with the Club Captain and Pro before I was accepted to be a member.

Now anyone with a stupid handicap is allowed.

If they want a 40 handicap then let them play of the pro tees where a true handicap is based on, and not from tees where you can get 2-shots on a
100 to 150 yard par 3… what chance does anyone have?

It’s just not realistic golf anymore.

Piotr went on to say

Nobody should get more than 18 shots when playing any competition

I have to say I agree with him….especially based on a very recent experience of playing matchplay pairs

Roger Chequer and myself teamed up to play in a Pairs Match play competition.

We are usually a decent pairing and can give most people a decent game.  We don’t win them all but we can at least compete.

But not this time.

On Saturday we played our match just outside Wiltshire at South Cerney Golf Club…

which doesn’t have any members and as a result they don’t currently have a course or slope  rating for the golf course – which makes calculating playing handicaps all the more tricky.

Any way we were drawn against a 4-index and a 22-index.

The 22 handicap had only just put in the minimum 3-cards to get his handicap.

I said on the first tee that it could either be hard work for him or for us…with new handicap players you just never know.

As it turned out we got hammered, – the 22 handicap played really well and shot around 80 (give or take the odd gimmie)

We were never in the game, and we actually went 5-down at one point and we were doing all we could just to limit the damage on the back 9

I’ll be very surprised if they don’t go on to to win the competition

Something to consider in this is that if the match play score card also counted towards the calculation, he would likely be off single figures for his next game, but instead some other team will likely get a hammering too.

On the bright side they were nice people and we had a good game, except for the slow play on their part, but that’s a story for another day

What do you think about the handicap system…are you for it or against it?  Feel free to let us know