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Implement GHIN Handicap

• c17n 13 Posts

  Tue, Mar 14 2017 6:39 PM

  Description: I'd like to submit a couple of feature requests:
  #1. Implement the option to use GHIN Handicaps in rounds
  - automatically compute them with ranked rounds and player vs player rounds.
  - Sometimes I'm playing very low tier players or even brand new players and they just quit rather than spend the time to play the round knowing they can't possibly win in a tournament format.

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Wed, Mar 15 2017 2:44 PM

  Apart from the fact that we should see ourselves as Pros (with no Handicap),
  I assume that any real world Handicap would have to be licensed.
  WGT circumvented these costs by developping a similar calculation, the average.

  Those who quit to spare a loss are sour losers to me - a fair game should be finished out of respect of the counterpart!

• srellim234 2,077 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 7:54 AM

  alosso:

  Apart from the fact that we should see ourselves as Pros (with no Handicap),
  I assume that any real world Handicap would have to be licensed.
  WGT circumvented these costs by developping a similar calculation, the average.

  Those who quit t to spare a loss are sour losers to me - a fair game should be finished out of respect of the counterpart!

  I agree they would have to pay to use the GHIN but you are incorrect with regards to only seeing ourselves as Pros with no handicap. Handicaps can be plus or minus; many players who consistently shoot below par carry handicaps that force them to actually add shots to their scores. The handicaps just don't apply in professional tournaments.

  They can be used in head-to-head competitions and country club tournaments at the discretion of the competitors and the tournament committee.

  I don't expect such a system will ever be developed for WGT but it would add a new dimension to the game.

   

• c17n 13 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 8:46 AM

  Ok so,

  Do you really want just the top 150-250 people on WGT to be given cards to join no handicap rounds broken up by continent and sanctioned events, be specifically invited to invitationals & qualify for majors?

  Oddly I wrote the above trying to make a point, but it does sound fun to compete to qualify to play at Augusta, even if it was just virtually.

  Anyway the reason for the initial rhetorical question I asked above is I actually play in real life tournaments and we are absolutely given strokes or have to concede stroke(s) based on our handicap.  Granted we are far FAR from PGA pro's just club men's leagues and local tournaments.

  Still it does promote trying to even out the playing field to make the game fairer for everyone.

  I'm curious what your thoughts are.  Treat everyone including hacks and amateurs as PGA tour pro's or should we consider different PGA style events where all strokes are counted and smaller tournaments where strokes are considered?

  I'm honestly not sure what I think as you raise a good point, but there are holes in approaching every competitive round the exact same way you would treat a PGA event.  Frankly it might be interesting to have different event styles to compete in, pro, casual, local tournament... gross vs. net strokes counted 

• c17n 13 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 8:52 AM

  Srellim234,

  You got my intent perfectly.  

  I was just thinking of how GHIN is used in normal casual rounds and local tournament rounds.  Not how PGA events are scored (gross score, not net +/-handicap strokes given or conceded to/from the field)

  I just think it would add a new dimension to the game that might be worth considering.

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 9:36 AM

  Handicaps are a part of the golf amateur regulations. Pros don't have handicaps, period. To see myself in such position has spared me of many complaints of my own of "why are the others better?" - they just ARE better than me.

  Low scores will eventually put us in the next tier, the next league if you want.

  There are private handicap systems here for CC use, good enough if you ask me.

• lonniescott711 4,206 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 10:27 AM

  I think the game would be better if WGT removed the saturation . This would stop a lot of the quitting garbage . Without the saturation then the average would always fluctuate and players wanting those low 50 avg`s would have to actually play and earn them . That would really seperate the truly good players from the fakes . Then the only way the fakes could protect their avg`s would be to only play practice rounds thus eliminating them from multi - player games .

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 10:36 AM

  Nope: Quitting "to protect the average" is only nonsense because of saturation. Without that, each and every score would forever count, and bad scores would have to be avoided. OTOH, like in the former setting (before 2010), players might use high scores to avoid tiering up or to go back in tier.

  I'm afraid that "truly good play" is not in our host's view, it's rather "revenue".

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 10:39 AM

  alosso:

  Handicaps are a part of the golf amateur regulations. Pros don't have handicaps, period.

  Pros  don't shoot 18-20 regularly like they do here, either. We both know those that can are a minority so call them Pros and then a handicap system would be useful. 

  Doubt we'll ever see it.  :-(

• srellim234 2,077 Posts

  Thu, Mar 16 2017 6:38 PM

  alosso:

  Handicaps are a part of the golf amateur regulations. Pros don't have handicaps, period. 

  Absolutely incorrect, alosso.

  http://www.golf.com/photos/handicaps-pga-tour-pros