Question on handicap?

[PittViper]

Hi,

I've noticed something that I don't know how to explain.

First off, I am a former real golfer, but have never scored as well as I do in this game, and also have never been on a handicap system.

What I've noticed is the following. Say, for example, my handicap is showing 4.5. And I play handicap rated courses, and score at or below par most all of the time. Shouldn't my handicap go down? As it seems, the better I score, it "looks" as if my handicap goes up?

This is contrary to how I've always thought handicaps work. The better you score, the lower your handicap should go.

After many, many rounds of scoring at or below par, my handicap just continues to go up? And, the lower I score, the more it goes up?

I've talked to a real golfer about this, and he told me that it could be reflecting a "negative" handicap. He will certainly, more than likely, be on the real tour someday. Could this be what is happening?

For example, he told me that with his scratch handicap, if he plays someone with a higher handicap, and say they play a par 5, it's like for him he must birdie the hole to equal the score of the opponent paring the hole. That I understand.

So, to round this up, how do I get my handicap in this game to go down? It also seems to go down if I score badly. That is totally contrary to how I have always believed handicaps to work.

And regarding societies, most require a 0 handicap. I know I am playing scratch golf. Yet, my handicap says 4.5, thus, I am unable to join any of those said societies.

How do I get my handicap to go down; reflective of how I actually score?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Viper

[Neitsuke]

A positive handicap means that you're better than average. The logic goes that if you're better than someone else, you should be handicapped more.
Let say that you always birdie every hole. Your handicap will then become +18. Another player isn't very good and always bogeys the same course. His handicap becomes -18. You two now plays a match against each other, and after applying handicaps, you two now have a score of 0

[PittViper]

So, are you saying that a more positive handicap is good? That has always been contrary to what I believed.

[Mal]

Originally posted by PittViper:

So, are you saying that a more positive handicap is good? That has always been contrary to what I believed.

Neitsuke is correct.

[Master Blaster]

In real golf the higher your handicap the worse player you are and need those additional strokes to compete with someone let’s say at +1 and you are +18…I keep an official handicap at my home course and I’ve never heard where higher handicap players being better…if true the game is opposite of real golf.



“The lower the handicap, the better the golfer; and the higher the handicap, the worse the golfer. If you have a high handicap, you need more than the suggested number of strokes (par) to finish the golf course. ... That means they finish the course or hole on par. You'll often see golf pros with negative handicaps.”

[Master Blaster]

Originally posted by PittViper:

So, are you saying that a more positive handicap is good? That has always been contrary to what I believed.

Originally posted by PittViper:

So, are you saying that a more positive handicap is good? That has always been contrary to what I believed.

Yea real golf is opposite.

[Gaming.M.EniaC]

Has anyone noticed lately playing in Societies you get random holes where the number of strokes is being added up? Bogey on Par, par on Birdie, Birdie instead of Eagle? I just noticed it since I have not played in a little while. Everyone seem to be saying this is "handicap scoring" not sure if it's just a random rule that was put in an official PGA Golf Simulator, but that does not really sound like Handicap to me ... if something, this scoring system makes a player even worse by adding strokes to not bad rounds and THUS bringing up your overall handicap no ?

[Mal]

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

In real golf the higher your handicap the worse player you are and need those additional strokes to compete with someone let’s say at +1 and you are +18…I keep an official handicap at my home course and I’ve never heard where higher handicap players being better…if true the game is opposite of real golf.



“The lower the handicap, the better the golfer; and the higher the handicap, the worse the golfer. If you have a high handicap, you need more than the suggested number of strokes (par) to finish the golf course. ... That means they finish the course or hole on par. You'll often see golf pros with negative handicaps.”

You are completely incorrect.

What is a positive handicap in golf?
While the majority of golfers shoot over par, there is a positive handicap as well. For example, a +2 handicap means you normally shoot around two under. PGA Tour pros are usually in the +4 to +6 range on championship-level golf courses.

Google is your friend.

[Master Blaster]

Originally posted by Mal:

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

In real golf the higher your handicap the worse player you are and need those additional strokes to compete with someone let’s say at +1 and you are +18…I keep an official handicap at my home course and I’ve never heard where higher handicap players being better…if true the game is opposite of real golf.




“The lower the handicap, the better the golfer; and the higher the handicap, the worse the golfer. If you have a high handicap, you need more than the suggested number of strokes (par) to finish the golf course. ... That means they finish the course or hole on par. You'll often see golf pros with negative handicaps.”

You are completely incorrect.

What is a positive handicap in golf?
While the majority of golfers shoot over par, there is a positive handicap as well. For example, a +2 handicap means you normally shoot around two under. PGA Tour pros are usually in the +4 to +6 range on championship-level golf courses.

Google is your friend.

that statement in quotes comes from the usga...not sure where u play golf at but go to a course that has handicap tracker computers and tell them you are low handicap becuase you are a bad golfer...they will laugh.

I play all the time go try and keep a legit usga handicap and see for yourself..any high handicaper is a worse golfer than a low a handicapper...

anyway i dont have time to argue with someone that has no ideal how real golf works, this if for the usga hdc...the pro's can get up + in low numbers but if you are an amateur and carry a + 18 hdc...its because you are not a good golfer.

[Mal]

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

Originally posted by Mal:

You are completely incorrect.

What is a positive handicap in golf?
While the majority of golfers shoot over par, there is a positive handicap as well. For example, a +2 handicap means you normally shoot around two under. PGA Tour pros are usually in the +4 to +6 range on championship-level golf courses.

Google is your friend.

that statement in quotes comes from the usga...not sure where u play golf at but go to a course that has handicap tracker computers and tell them you are low handicap becuase you are a bad golfer...they will laugh.

I play all the time go try and keep a legit usga handicap and see for yourself..any high handicaper is a worse golfer than a low a handicapper...

anyway i dont have time to argue with someone that has no ideal how real golf works, this if for the usga hdc...the pro's can get up + in low numbers but if you are an amateur and carry a + 18 hdc...its because you are not a good golfer.

A high handicap is in the NEGATIVE. For instance, a -10 handicap equals 10 stokes being REMOVED from your total stroke tally, and is HIGHER than a -7 handicap. A low handicap is in the POSITIVE. So you ADD strokes to your final score. A bogey golfer is someone with a -18 or higher handicap.

Low +5 +4 +3 +2 +1 (scratch) -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 etc. High

[Neitsuke]

If you remove strokes from your score with a negative handicap, it will improve it. If you add strokes from your score with a positive handicap, it will worsen it ; This would be done for players who are above average, not for players who don't play as well. By that logic, a high positive handicap means that you're better. I thought handicap in game were making enough sense

[Master Blaster]

for those that leave the house and actually play golf you already know this but for those that dont here is the way handicap works for golfers:

What Your Handicap Means
Essentially, the lower your golf handicap, the more skilled you are. A player with a handicap of 5 means that the average of this player’s previous rounds was 5 over par (criteria changed from 5 rounds to 3 rounds starting in 2020). Handicaps are often used to judge how a player performed compared to their average level of play opposed to a straight head-to-head matchup. Handicaps allow players to compete and win against more talented golfers based on how they each played that day.

For example, let us say you and a friend are going to play a 18-hole course with a par of 72. Your friend, with a golf handicap of six, is expected to play 78 strokes, or six over par. While you and your twelve handicap are expected to hit 84 strokes, 12 more over par. Your handicap, in short, is the number of strokes over par you should take in the course of the 18-hole round. In this scenario, let’s say you shoot a 82 and your friend shoots an 80. Technically, your friend shot the lower round, but because you incorporated handicaps (you are -2 and your friend is +2) you are actually the victor!


there are many factors in establishing a handicap but for competing this is how it works.

When actually belong to the USGA, if you play golf you know what this means...you will officially enter your scores into the system along with the course rating and they calulate what your playing handicap is.


The 2020 calculation is done using this new formula: Handicap Index X (Slope rating/113) + (Course Rating-Par)

Notice the changes; the new formula includes course rating minus par. These changes were done to accommodate players who play from different tees. Because they are playing with different benchmarks, there is a need to make handicapping more fair.

The 2020 changes introduce new rules of handicapping, and it represents the strokes players receive in a competition. Therefore, the new formula for playing handicaps is the course handicap X handicap allowance. This new change introduces two new rules for handicapping that are: you will be allowed to use course handicaps to adjust your scores, and secondly, playing handicaps will be used for net competition purposes.



Calculate the course handicap
A course handicap is the number of strokes a player receives on a particular course.

Course handicap = Handicap Index X Slope Rating/113 + (Course Rating-Par)

Example: This course handicap calculation assumes a 12.7 and a course slope of 115

Course Handicap = 12.7 x 115 / 113 = 12.92 = 13


If you belong to a home course most will have a computer that you enter your score and the course slope of the course that you played and it will calculate your handicap and carry an official rating for you so that when you enter tournaments they can establish if true or not.

Having a low handicap you better be able to shoot low or you will get beat by a high handicapper that tries and cheat the system so that they can win.

for those that dont know, Course rating and slope are not your handicap but are used to calculate your handicap along with 113 and your score.

I did get a good laugh when non golfers keep saying that a high handicap golfer means you are a better golf than a low handicap golfer...i guess the internet doesnt teach you everything you need to know lol.


the number in this game is skewed and not relative to real golf as you are playing many different numbers while playing.

[Mal]

Master Blaster, You still don't get it do you. Since most people in the real world don't have a positive handicap, we generally say things "I have a 10 handicap," which means my handicap is a NEGATIVE 10, or -10. A higher handicap would be anything -11 or MORE.

The handicap in the game is nonsensical since it doesn't properly determine slope rating and player settings drastically influence the difficulty.

Since most players have a positive handicap in the game, The course rating is marginally a better barometer for actual course difficulty, but again, unless you are playing on legend difficulty with all aids turned off (like a few of us over on TGCtours), none of this actually matters.

[Neitsuke]

It is said in game though that handicap does work like in real life, taking into account slopes and all that. I personally don't really care if handicap works the same way positive/negative wise, what I know though is it's very easy to manipulate and nobody should take that number seriously, especially when it doesn't take account different difficulty settings

[Master Blaster]

Originally posted by Mal:

Master Blaster, You still don't get it do you. Since most people in the real world don't have a positive handicap, we generally say things "I have a 10 handicap," which means my handicap is a NEGATIVE 10, or -10. A higher handicap would be anything -11 or MORE.

The handicap in the game is nonsensical since it doesn't properly determine slope rating and player settings drastically influence the difficulty.

Since most players have a positive handicap in the game, The course rating is marginally a better barometer for actual course difficulty, but again, unless you are playing on legend difficulty with all aids turned off (like a few of us over on TGCtours), none of this actually matters.

obviously you have never played golf and certainly in no tournaments that carry an official handicap...get outside more.

even your own post contradicts itself...you really are confused
now im thinking if you made some of the fake game courses that they might have been the ones that have messed up players hdc and had to play the pga to get it sorted back out to make the game work again...
damn its all making sense now...

[Mal]

Originally posted by Master Blaster:

Originally posted by Mal:

Master Blaster, You still don't get it do you. Since most people in the real world don't have a positive handicap, we generally say things "I have a 10 handicap," which means my handicap is a NEGATIVE 10, or -10. A higher handicap would be anything -11 or MORE.

The handicap in the game is nonsensical since it doesn't properly determine slope rating and player settings drastically influence the difficulty.

Since most players have a positive handicap in the game, The course rating is marginally a better barometer for actual course difficulty, but again, unless you are playing on legend difficulty with all aids turned off (like a few of us over on TGCtours), none of this actually matters.

obviously you have never played golf and certainly in no tournaments that carry an official handicap...get outside more.

even your own post contradicts itself...you really are confused
now im thinking if you made some of the fake game courses that they might have been the ones that have messed up players hdc and had to play the pga to get it sorted back out to make the game work again...
damn its all making sense now...

This just gets more comical with each of your posts. Poor me, I only happen to have some of the top rated and most played real course recreations in the game. Oh well...