I just started keeping handicap online, never have before. It was kind of interesting. I've inputted 7 rounds so far and while they range from 80 to 94 and mostly 87-94, 1 80 and 1 83 in the 7. My handicap index was computed to 10. What's up with that??? I figured I was at best a 15. I know slope and rating figure into it, and I guessed at my course slope and rating since it's a muny and it's not on the score card maybe that was the factor that got my index down. I did read that your handicap is not your average score and is the score you shoot only 25% of the time. But still.
....as I understand it, your index is based upon the best 10 of your last 20 rounds. Course rating, slope, etc are all factored in the index rating as well. Your "handicap" will be different on each course you play depending on the course rating and slope of the individual course.....sounds to me like you got one damn strong muni rating/slope! :wink: I don't know if the metrics would work out to be 25%, but your "average" score less your handicap will exceed par.
Hey AJ just what do you have to go through to get your class A license? I suppose that you won't be attending the PGA this year. Too bad it's just down the road from my place. Nice news about Taylor. My son was home two weeks ago and we got in a round. Damn if he didn't throw 5 birds at me. He's finally learning it aint how far you hit it, it's how quickly you get it in the hole.
Terry, When you get to 20 scores, they will use the best 10 of 20. When you only have 7 scores in, it probably uses only two, or three at most...since you have an 80 and an 83 in there, badabing, you are at a 10 or so becaus your average is around 81 or 82. When you have all 20 in, if your average is 87 or 88, that will probably translate to a hdcp of 13 or so, depending on how consistant your scores are. The "25%" comes in because your handicap is roughly the average of the best 50% of your scores, so theoretically 75% of your scores are above that mark. Also slope and rating figure in, and there is an automatic 4% reduction as well. Handicap differential = your score x course rating x 113/course slope)...then take the average of the lowest 10 handicap differentials, multiply by .96, and there is your handicap index. Then your handicap on any given day is your handicap index x 113/course slope rounded up (or down). Simple, no?
I went back and corrected my course rating and slope and the Handicap Index went up to 11, according to the stats they give you I have to shoot a 78 to lower my handicap. That's not likely to happen very much unless I stop counting. I assume it will likely rise over time as I add more scores in the 85-90 range Looks like it's really hard to raise or lower your handicap, which I guess is how it should be to be fair.
Don't forget to limit your scores per hole according to your handicap. For instance, those in the 0-9 handicap range can't take more than a double bogey. Snowmen just don't count.
DOC: Here's a sure way to handle your HDCP. Take 2 weeks off, then quit. HDCP: Stu and Buck T are right in top of it. The GHIN system we use, which is based on the USGA standard works like this: (1) To actually get a start on a HDCP avg, you have to post 10 scores. They can be a mix of 9 or 18. When you post a 9 hole score, the system waits until another 9 hole score is posted and then the math is done. You can also have a 9-hole HDCP. We do this a lot for the ladies and super senior members. (2) Once the system has 20 scores in it's data base, it will remove the Lowest and the highest rounds you've posted, and then re-calculate your GHIN/USGA HDCP avg. This then becomes your true HDCP. From then on it's effected by a mixture of your play and the slope and course rating if you post scores from different courses and not just your home course. (3) What Gipper is referring to is the ESC (Equitable Score Content). It allows someone to adjust their overall score based on severally bad holes played during a round. e.g., a 12 HDCP'r takes a 13 on a par 5. When he posts his score, he takes his ESC for his HDCP and adjusts his score to a 7 for the hole. This is basically a HDCP mulligan. It just keeps your HDCP under control and gives you a break for a bad day/bad hole. (4) We do not use the ESC for tournament play. We use past Tournament scores and their avg. We when post scores from all tourneys played, we mark them as a "T" in the system. It's a very effective way to keep the Sand Baggers honest. Gipper: In a nut shell, the PGA apprenticeship program works likes this: (1) You have 4 different levels to complete. They're a mixture of book work and work experience. There are a total of 37 books you have to work through, (2) After completion of each level, you have to schedule and go down to the PGA headquarters located in Port St. Lucie, FL. (Imagine me in FL) You're there for 1 week to take the test, discuss your work experience, go through the interview process, display teaching techniques, and basically prove yourself that you know what the hell your doing. (3) They (PGA) says it takes about 3-4 years to get through. I'm shooting for 3. There are a lot of University's and private institutions that offer PGM degrees and training, but you still have to do the PGA apprenticeship to get your A-1 Head pro classification. They do get credit for what they've done, and are moved to and accelerated level. Most of the young kids that I run into just want to get free golf, or think they've got a shot on tour. When your a PGA A-1 Head Professional, you run a golf course/club. It's a business first. Then you get to play.
AJ, Thanks for the report on your kids and for taking the time to explain some of the things that as a casual sometimes golfer I've never completely understood. One question: what is the course "slope"?
I'd like to know that myself. I know it's a number that tells you how hard it is..but how they come up with that I have no idea.
Course rating takes into account mostly the distance of the course...it kind of relates more to the difficulty of the course for scratch golfers...they aren't as affected by bunkers, lateral hazards, tricky doglegs, barb wire, land mines, etc. Slope relates more to how difficult the course would play for a "bogey" golfer...the USGA comes in and somehow rates it in terms of hazards, layout, etc...not sure how they do it, but it must be somewhat subjective. The slope of an "average" course would be 113. Thus if your handicap is 11 and you are playing a harder course (say 120)your handicap goes up to 12 or so. (multiply index by slope/113) On the other hand a scratch golfer or a 2 handicapper would still play at 0 or 2 so you would get an extra stroke against them. The other effect is that when you play a tougher course, your score differential is multiplied by the reverse (113/120) so a good score would lower your handicap more so than the same score on an easy course.
Thanks for the explanation. The site that I'm using said if you didn't know your courses rating/slope to use 70/113. Does rating go up with degree of difficulty so that a course rating of 74 is more difficult than a course rating of 70?