A Sad Day for Golf, No More Stableford
in [Golf in UK]
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From: Paul Schmitz-Josten on 20 Feb 2007 02:27 The LHC on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:10:30 GMT in <GL5Bh.332295$MO2.2139(a)fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk>: (HCP 54) >> Is it "ridiculous" just because you aren't used to it? > >It's ridiculous because anyone needing 54 shots doesn't yet have the basics >down solid enough to be playing on a golf course. Nobody says that they need it - it is just the first number the players get over here. > If you're that bad that >you need 3 shots per hole then you should stick to the practice range until >you can hit the ball better. I accept this as your personal opinion. >Obviously things are slightly different for >juniors because at younger ages their range is so much more limited, rather >than their swings being poor. Usually, the juniors are improving much faster than adults. Have you ever played with a 12 year old with a 20 handicap? What a delight! >> Then, it's also "ridiculous" to have a general speed limit or not to >> have one. > >Your metaphor is wrong, I don't think so, because I'm not comparing the usage of speed limits but rather people's attitude looking at them. (poor American driving test) > IMO that isn't good enough to allow you to drive a car on the >road and in the same way a handicap of 54 isn't good enough to allow >someone on a golf course. Yet millions of Americans who passed these poor driving tests drive safely on American streets - I never heard of an excessive number of casualities. In the same way, people in Germany start playing golf off 54. This is to the same extent ridiculous as the American driving beginners are. >> In my eyes it's just a different habit, resulting from different >> historical and environmental conditions. Some of them are the >> different number of golfers and the different number of golf courses. > >In my eyes it just allows someone who's never held a club to go straight >out onto a course getting in the way when they don't know the first thing >about the game. Fortunately, you changed your mind on that issue already. Ciao, Paul
From: Paul Schmitz-Josten on 20 Feb 2007 02:27 Kev Nurse wrote on 16 Feb 2007 13:51:29 -0800 in <1171662689.538848.62330(a)t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com>: >On 15 Feb, 15:10, The LHC <the...(a)hotmail.co.uk> wrote: >> It's ridiculous because anyone needing 54 shots doesn't yet have the basics >> down solid enough to be playing on a golf course. If you're that bad that >> you need 3 shots per hole then you should stick to the practice range until >> you can hit the ball better. > >I disagree. Golf is relatively new to Germany, .... 100 years, to be precise... Yet it has been becoming _really_ popular only in the last 5 to 10 years. > so in the interests of >fostering the sport, their national body (no doubt aware of the limits >elsewhere) want to encourage the competitive spirit of the game and >therefore attract more players onot the courses. True. In the old days, handicap limit was 36, which is still the "official" limit. HCPs from 37 to 54 are in the clubs' authority, though they are very broadly accepted. Many players move to lower handicaps very quickly, depending on skill and time. > Hitting countless >balls on a range isn't golf. Yes, and people today woudn't accept to practice for a year or more before starting to play golf on a course. > Playing a casual round with your mate is >golf, but its not the same as true competition. Good luck to the >Germans, I say. One day, when their golf courses are full of 40+ >handicappers playing in club medals, they might then consider lowering >the max allowance. Thank you. There are some limits today already. Some clubs only allow their own players to play with such handicaps and require (paying) guests to show 45 or 36. And, different to clubs in some holiday countries, they are very strict in observing these numbers. In some tournaments the handicap is cut to these numbers, too, thus excluding the beginners. >In the meantime their officials should be >agressive with the handicaps to ensure that rapidly improving players >are cut timely and appropriately. In this field there hasn't been any official pressure until now. Only from this year on players who fail to play at least four tournaments per year may be excluded from the prize ranks in the next year. OTOH, players who want to improve their handicaps will play in tourneys anyway. (with a few exceptions, only tournament results count against the handicap) Ciao, Paul
From: Janet Homer on 20 Feb 2007 04:50 >It's ridiculous because anyone needing 54 shots doesn't yet have the basics >down solid enough to be playing on a golf course. >Nobody says that they need it - it is just the first number the players get >over here. It seeems you are implying that perhaps many who are given this handicap are to one degree or another better than this when they first start to play yet they are given a 54 handicap regardless. To get a handicap here - and I am happy to stand corrected as I only know what happens with the ladies - but we are all the same now aren't we;)) - you need to put in three (or four?) cards and your first handicap is based on the results. You can't play in a competition until this happens - i.e. you have a valid handicap. Are you saying that people play with the 54 handicap in competitions before their true playing ability is assessed? Peace & love Janet
From: Roberto D V on 20 Feb 2007 11:13 Paul Schmitz-Josten <alossola(a)web.de> wrote in news:53vm87F1uevmdU1(a)mid.individual.net: > The LHC on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:10:30 GMT in > <GL5Bh.332295$MO2.2139(a)fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk>: > > (HCP 54) >>> Is it "ridiculous" just because you aren't used to it? >> >>It's ridiculous because anyone needing 54 shots doesn't yet have the >>basics down solid enough to be playing on a golf course. > > Nobody says that they need it - it is just the first number the > players get over here. How is that number arrived at? If its arbitrary, I think a visit is in order to relieve you of some silverware!! > >> If you're that bad that >>you need 3 shots per hole then you should stick to the practice range >>until you can hit the ball better. > > I accept this as your personal opinion. I would say that being given three shots per hole would indicate a disparity in playing ability and the course selected. > >>Obviously things are slightly different for >>juniors because at younger ages their range is so much more limited, >>rather than their swings being poor. > > Usually, the juniors are improving much faster than adults. Have you > ever played with a 12 year old with a 20 handicap? What a delight! > How many years will it have taken for the junior to get down to 20 from "just the first number the players get over here." - 54? RdV
From: The LHC on 20 Feb 2007 13:53
"Janet Homer" <JanetH(a)teeoldlinksgolf.com> wrote in news:45dac469$0$8744$ed2619ec(a)ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net: >>>It's ridiculous because anyone needing 54 shots doesn't yet have the >>>basics down solid enough to be playing on a golf course. >>Nobody says that they need it - it is just the first number the >>players get over here. > It seeems you are implying that perhaps many who are given this > handicap are to one degree or another better than this when they first > start to play yet they are given a 54 handicap regardless. To get a > handicap here - and I am happy to stand corrected as I only know what > happens with the ladies - but we are all the same now aren't we;)) - > you need to put in three (or four?) cards and your first handicap is > based on the results. You can't play in a competition until this > happens - i.e. you have a valid handicap. yep, exactly the same for me when I joined a club last year, three cards (medal) to get the handicap and then you can enter the comps. > Are you saying that people play with the 54 handicap in competitions > before their true playing ability is assessed? sounds like it. LHC. |