Someone asks you "What's your handicap ?"

[nsxguy]

As most of us know, with the now 1 year old World Handicap System we have a new course handicap calculation.

 

On the 1st tee most of us have been surprised at how many fewer strokes we get for a stroke play round and, especially early in the new WHS, it had to be explained to us - often more than once.

 

We had a short but interesting discussion in one of the threads about how one answers.

 

Care to share ?

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by nsxguy

[deadsolid...shank]

For me, in general conversation, I’ll just answer with the rounded number. I figure most people wouldn’t understand if I s

tried to explain how it can be so different based on rating. 
 

But if it’s at the course, I figure it might be pertinent to that days round and I think it’s better to give the number for that day.  If that makes any sense. 
 

Normally when I’m playing with a group (that is some kind of regular) I’ll be keeping score. So I always appreciate it when someone answers with “ I’m playing these tees today and get XX from there”. We’ve had a couple guys in our group move up this year, so it is nice not to have to ask if they’ve adjusted. 

[BNGL]

Handicaps are a weird thing to me, because I just never took the time to understand the formula plus when I’d play games with guys we’d all just play off scratch anyways even though our group was all around +2 to +5 (all of us tried to play for a living at different points in our lives). Another thing is that it’s kinda complicated explaining to a non golfer or novice golfer how a play works so usually I’ll just answer with a range of scores.

 

”what’s your handicap?”

 

”I don’t have one established but I’ll shoot anywhere from 68-74 consistently”

 

then we’ll usually readjust after 9 and then we’re usually set for the year if we play regularly. 

[Mcgeeno]

I tell people I'm around a 10 and just leave it at that even though I'm a 1.4 index lol. If its a tournament or a match or I'm playing with a quality player that genuinely wants to know I say my current index. That is relatively rare though. I can count on one hand the amount of scratch guys I joined up with who gave a crap what my index was in a casual round.

 

The wife and I travel a lot and play 100+ rounds a year, and in my experience a typical weekend golfer that you pair up with tends to get nervous or male ego kicks in and it gets uncomfortable if I would reply "I'm a 1.2 index so from this set of tees we are about to play I am a plus 1 handicap"

 

 

 

 

[aenemated]

I was gonna say goth girls but then I realized this was about golf. 

[hybrid25]

Unless it's a course official for handicap purposes, it's just casual talk to me. No need for detail, it just tires me out.

[Shupe]

There shouldn't be any reason to ask someone their handicap other than setting up a game... Drives me insane how focused everyone is on handicap when it doesn't matter for half the things people use it for.  Needed an option for each question in which you don't tell them your handicap.

[TwistedSister]

Index is useless.  Only the handicap on the course you are getting ready to play matters... One can not be given 2.3 shots.  And rounding ones index is useless as it does not give the actual handicap for the round anyway.

[Sparty4202]

5 hours ago, nsxguy said:

As most of us know, with the now 1 year old World Handicap System we have a new course handicap calculation.

 

On the 1st tee most of us have been surprised at how many fewer strokes we get for a stroke play round and, especially early in the new WHS, it had to be explained to us - often more than once.

 

We had a short but interesting discussion in one of the threads about how one answers.

 

Care to share ?

 

 

 

Wow that’s interesting...at my club we had just the opposite..before if you were a 5.0 you’d play to a 6...now you’ll play to a 7! 

[Dannys1208]

Just say my index, idc if they know what it means. For our group we calculate the CH and then say who's getting what. Then the fun starts haha.

[dubbelbogey]

Casual conversation - I just round up the index to the nearest whole number. It would feel dorky to state that I'm an x.7. Sorta like saying I'm 55yrs and 242 days old.

 

The only time I ever state the actual index value to the precise tenth is when it's officially needed for a competition. An honestly, the competition organizers generally already have this information so I rarely get asked about it directly.

 

In playing my casual rounds, I rarely even know what my exact index value even is (I don't check it daily or even sometimes weekly) and I don't care what my course handicap is, either. It doesn't matter as it's just a casual, non-competitive round and the system will figure it all out once I enter my score.

 

I actually think my buddies know my handicap index more precisely than I do myself. I generally don't care except for longer term trends.

[lefthack]

I don't have a disability, thanks for asking.

[nsxguy]

2 hours ago, tbccgolfer said:

Wow that’s interesting...at my club we had just the opposite..before if you were a 5.0 you’d play to a 6...now you’ll play to a 7! 

 

Good on ya mate !!! 👍

 

You most likely play further back than the whites. Pretty much anywhere further back and the course rating is higher than par and your course handicap ends up higher than your index.

 

Most of us humans  play whites or further forward where the rating is below par and the CH is lower than our index.

[Sparty4202]

3 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

Good on ya mate !!! 👍

 

You most likely play further back than the whites. Pretty much anywhere further back and the course rating is higher than par and your course handicap ends up higher than your index.

 

Most of us humans  play whites or further forward where the rating is below par and the CH is lower than our index.

🤣🤣..not really...our course only plays at 6200 yds and we only have 2 sets of tees..we are a par 70 but our par rating is 71.1. We are a bit unique only 9 holes but 18 tees and 3 of the greens are double greens with 2 holes..one for the front & one for the back nine. Only 1 par 5, 3 par 3s and one is 234 yds.

[nsxguy]

2 minutes ago, tbccgolfer said:

🤣🤣..not really...our course only plays at 6200 yds and we only have 2 sets of tees..we are a par 70 but our par rating is 71.1. We are a bit unique only 9 holes but 18 tees and 3 of the greens are double greens with 2 holes..one for the front & one for the back nine. Only 1 par 5, 3 par 3s and one is 234 yds.

 

There ya go. Rating higher than par.

 

6200 yards and a 71 rating ? That is pretty unusual.

 

You must have a pretty wide variety of trouble.

[RRFireblade]

I don't usually respond with the number. The people who know me...know me, and people who don't don't understand it anyway.

[mantan]

The only times I've been asked my handicap casually has been when someone is talking about the game. There I just round to a number or give a general range of scores.  In those cases people are just trying to ballpark what kind of player you are.

 

At my home course, we'll use course handicap for sidegames since that's' what we use for everything.  And we use it on our golf trip.  But I've never bothered to calculate course handicap unless it's some sort of organized event.

[naval2006]

I think on tournament day on any course if someone wants to know your handicap it can be for competition purposes so I guess it's appropriate to tell them your course handicap.  Then most of the time golfers probably round up their index out of habit.

[Abh159]

18 hours ago, Shupe said:

There shouldn't be any reason to ask someone their handicap other than setting up a game... Drives me insane how focused everyone is on handicap when it doesn't matter for half the things people use it for.  Needed an option for each question in which you don't tell them your handicap.

 

Yeah I find the only people who usually ask about handicap in casual conversation are people who maybe play 2-3 times a year and don't actually understand what handicap means. If you tell them you're a 2 then they assume you shoot 74 every time you go out there.

 

Instead of giving them a number I'll usually just say something like "I'll usually shoot anywhere from 70-76 depending on the day" and leave it at that. 

[Hawkeye77]

I answered, but the only time it ever comes up when I play is on league night and the course handicaps are already on the card supplied by the clubhouse. So I answered pretty much hypothetically.  Like I said in the other, I'd look it up on my GHIN app and likely say a whole number, but I suppose the decimal point could come out, LOL, if I get to 5.8 I might not say 6, etc., haha.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Soloman1]

I can't remember anyone asking my handicap. I just don't play in any situation where it would be relevant.

 

But then again, I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday . . .

 

If they did ask, I'd have to tell the truth that I don't keep one.

 

"I don't know point six."

[betarhoalphadelta]

When someone asks my handicap I usually just say "I'm a golfer."

 

Honestly though, I don't really get asked often. The guys I usually play with haven't set up a money game and we're mostly competing against ourselves, so we don't need to really compare who gets strokes on what hole(s). When I go on somewhere as a single I'm not going to start gambling with strangers, so again there's no real reason to ask--they'll see how bad I am within the first couple holes anyway lol.

[RobotDoctor]

If the question comes up I usually answer, "My Brain."

I don't usually reveal it when I play, at least not initially.  To be honest this question hardly ever comes up.  If the question ever comes up it is usually after several holes and only if I am playing pretty well.  I will round up to the nearest whole number saying, "I play around a X."  I don't play too many tournaments and don't play too many money games.  I am on the course to play against the course and try to play as well as I can.  That is enough for me.

[MtlJeff]

If a golfer asks me usually i just say my index to the decimal (like, i'm a 0.6)

 

If a non golfer asks me i usually just say i'm awesome at golf. And if they ask how awesome i just say something like this:

-"Do you know someone from your work who golfs and talks about golf, and people assume he's pretty good"

-"Yeah there's this guy Dave in my office"

-"I'm much better than Dave"

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by MtlJeff

[jordan2240]

I always answer 'my passion for golf.'  But for number purposes in the one league I participate in, it's a rounded number for the course.

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by jordan2240

[Funkytee75]

Fitters and Pros giving me lessons sometimes ask.  If my answer is “I’m a bogie golfer”, does that help them understand what they are really asking?

I obviously need to better understand the formula ... and get better at golf!

[A.Princey]

If they're complete strangers that I'll likely never see again, I usually say that I'm just OK or not that good, especially if we're playing together that day. This way, I'm free to have a crap round and not seem conceited or arrogant. I play so much better when there's nothing to live up to! If it happens to be someone I've played with before, or an acquaintance I usually say that I'm average. Similar concept but more truthful than not very good. hahaha

Edited January 16, 2021 by A.Princey

[CyFan]

Very seldom am I asked, but when I am I usually reply “my putting”.   Which usually becomes apparent as the round progresses.  

[JustinG76]

I reply with......”I’m not sure what it is these days.....I haven’t played in close to 72 hours so I haven’t checked, but if I had to take a guess, I would say 3.4 exactly”. 
 

Then I go out and promptly shoot 85 because I have tempted the golf gods to punish me for such outlandish behavior. 

[shoot4par]

One of two ways, Bourbon but occasionally it's an asset or about a 10. You just have to read the group. 

Edited January 16, 2021 by shoot4par