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"They call it Golf because all the other 4 letter words were taken"
It’s been five years of rowing, arguments, and controversy – and that’s just the World Handicap System. Go back through golf’s history books and you’ll find the concept of giving other players shots, based on ability, has always sparked fierce debate no matter which method has been in place. But should we have handicaps at all? How could you play competitions without them?
I often think the handicap system just causes more problems than it solves, You’ve got this premise where people say, ‘but it’s unique to golf and it means anyone of any age or ability can compete against each other’.
“I get all that and it is definitely a hugely advantageous thing but that relies on the system being correct and it relies on calculating players’ indexes properly so they get over the line at the same time and it seems we can’t actually settle on a system that does that.”
I’ve played a lot of sports over the years which have had handicapping elements. All of them were set up for the purpose of competitive play. When I played league snooker, I had a ‘start’ for games, but that didn’t cross over to social games. We just decided that among us ourselves It seems to me that the World Handicap System separates handicapping from competitions. Governing bodies say golf needs to be accessible to all. One of the ways that can be achieved is through universal handicapping because it allows everyone to measure their progress. Today you can submit scores outside of competitions. Prior to 2020, the only way you could really have a handicap in GB&I was by playing competitive golf.
General play has completely changed the narrative.
But, at least in the minds of some golfers in GB&I, the social and competitive elements don’t often mix well together. They feel like two rams butting heads. The authorisation of general play scores has led to allegations of manipulation.
If golfers were measuring progress through handicapping without entering competitions – in the same way as runners measure their times and personal bests with apps like Strava – there wouldn’t be nearly the controversy about WHS. It’s the competitive element, when those numbers are used to play in games with prizes on the line, that changes the equation.
So what to do about it? Taking the running example, where there are prizes and overall winners but competitors are also split into categories as a way of recording results, Tom suggested using handicap indexes simply to separate golfers into divisions.
“I think you maintain the concept of an index and we carry on submitting scores into our apps and we see our index move up on down on that basis,” he explained.
“Then, if we’re going to play in a club competition, rather than playing off a handicap we all play in a division. We have a nought to 10 index and those people play off scratch. We have an 11 to 20 division and those people play off scratch, and so on.
“It’s not impossible for a scratch golfer to lose to an eight handicap. I think it would happen more than you would expect.
“On the day they do it, the eight would be delighted – they’ve beaten a scratch golfer and they’ve done it off stick end. If your index goes lower or higher, you move division.
“I think that’s the best way of doing it. You’re put into a pot based on your index and then you play off scratch. That’s how you resolve club competitions, in my mind.” When I suggested to Tom that the 10-handicappers – to take his example – might instinctively be aggrieved to find themselves going up against scratch players with no shots in the bank, he replied: “Benchmarking against yourself is the healthiest approach to take for any sort of sporting endeavour, because you can’t influence genetics.
“Someone may well be predisposed to just being better than you at jumping or running or hitting but what you can do is try and beat you.
“On your 10-handicapper point, they may well be angry about not winning this scratch league every week, but they’ll be really happy about being in it, won’t they?”
So the question is, how can you beat a golfer who is clearly better than you are?
Most high handicappers will be fatalistic about taking on somebody who is much better than they are. I really don’t see it that way. If I am playing off 18 and my opponent is an 8 handicapper all the pressure is on them because they are giving me or you a load of shots.
Play Your Own Game
A good golfer will probably hit the ball further than you. Whatever else you do, do NOT try to keep up with him. Attempting to hit the ball too hard is a recipe for disaster. Always swing within yourself.
When you get to par threes, never look at what club your opponent is using. You know how far you hit the ball. Play your own game. So what if he hits an eight iron while you are using a hybrid? It doesn’t matter.
Be Smart With Your Strategy
Do whatever it takes to keep the ball in play. A big hitter is going to miss some fairways. If you are playing every second shot from the short and prepared then you already have an advantage because at some point one of his wild drives is going to be punished.
When you stand on the tee at a 450-yard par four, make the decision to play the hole as a par five. Take whatever club from the tee that will guarantee you end up in the middle of the fairway. Ensure you take no more than three shots to reach the green. You never know - you just might hole out for par, meaning your opponent probably needs a birdie for a half.
Shot Selection is Key
Even low handicappers make mistakes. If he hits his drive out of bounds or into a lake it is absolutely crucial that you do not do the same thing. Do whatever it takes to keep the ball in play.
Do not take on impossible shots. Most top professionals seldom take dead aim at the flag. Make sure that you play the approach shots that take bunkers and water hazards out of play.
If you should find a bunker look for the easiest way out. It’s better to escape the sand by any means rather than leaving it in there.
Get Into Your Opponent's Head
If you keep finding the right place, trust me when I tell you that it will drive your opponent crazy. And maybe he will then start trying to force shots and hitting the ball too hard.
Think carefully about conceding short putts. There is a school of thought that says you should give lots of short putts early on. Your opponent will expect you to keep doing this but at some point you make him hole out - and you will be amazed how often those putts are missed.
Rule 9k.34
If a tree is between the ball and the hole, and the tree is deemed to be younger than the player, then the ball can be moved without penalty. This is so because this is simply a question of timing; when the player was younger, the tree was not there so the player is being penalised because of his age.
Rule 1.a.5
A ball sliced or hooked into the Rough shall be lifted and placed on the Fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled into the Rough with no penalty. The hapless golfer should not be penalised for tall grass which grounds keepers have failed to mow.
Rule 2.d.6
A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed NOT to have hit the tree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game. The hapless golfer must estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree, and play the ball from there.
Rule 6.a.9
There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone else, thereby making it a stolen ball. The hapless golfer is not to compound the crime by charging himself with a penalty.
Rule 7.G.15
If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped. The Law of Gravity supersedes the Rules of Golf.
Rule 8.k.9
Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could be blown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to balls more than three inches from the Hole. No one wants to make a mockery of the game.
Rule 3.B.3
There is no penalty for so-called “out of bounds”. If penny-pinching golf course owners bought sufficient land, this would not occur. The hapless golfer deserves an apology, not a penalty.
Rule 4.c.7
There is no penalty for a ball in a water hazard, as golf balls should float. Hapless golfers should not be penalised for any shortcomings of the manufacturers
Rule 5
Advertisements claim that golf scores can be improved by purchasing new golf equipment. Since this is financially impractical for many hapless golfers, one-half stroke per hole may be subtracted for using old equipment.