PGA / LPGA / personal golf

[Omnis]

I’m down to easily breaking 100 while playing like garbage lol. Just shot a 97 today. Bought an official USGA handicap and it’s currently at a 30.1. Will have to see how much it improves when it refreshes tomorrow

 

[Omnis]

29.1 New low.

 

[MagpieRacer]

The Old Course at St. Andrews is confirmed to the hosting The Open in 2027: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/articles/ceve4rjedpdo

This year of course it is at Royal Portrush and next year it heads to a slightly revamped Royal Birkdale.

29.1 New low.

Congrats, nice to dip under 30, wont be long before it heads towards 20. I have also just hit a new personal best handicap as well, 19.5. Based on 23 rounds I've put into Golfshake.

Quite like Golfshake as it uses the same formula as WHS but I don't have to pay or keep physical cards that need to be signed by people I don't play with. Technically I have 3 handicap indexes but 2 of which are "official", this Golfshake one (19.5) which is a recognized handicap complete with certificate etc, The Grint, which uses it's own method of calculating (differing course difficulties and a different formula to produce a handicap using the GHAP system) which shows me at 22 and a spreadsheet I keep which also uses a similar formula to WHS (An 18-hole Score Differential is calculated as follows and rounded to the nearest tenth, with .5 rounded upwards: Score Differential =(113 ÷Slope Rating)x(adjusted gross score –Course Rating – PCC adjustment) that uses just my last 20 rounds and currently has me at 19.4.

So for the sake of being accurate to the World Handicap System and what I would be at with England Golf, my playing handicap is 19.5.

 

[Omnis]

How exactly does that work for you across the pond? For us, you have a GHIN (Golf Handicap Identification Network/Number) with the USGA. Every GHIN is indexed and reviewable in the USGA's database so you can see what someone's handicap really is. I used to keep track via TheGrint, but then they dissolved their free handicap program. I couldn't find anything like this on their website, but if you look through their app they offer you a GHIN subscription at your local PGA chapter's price (mine is through FSGA) and they give you a discount on their premium app so you only pay an extra $20 to unlock it instead of having to pay the normal $100 for Grint on top of the USGA fee.

I'm sure I will go much lower because my golf right now feels more like a 18-20 if I can hit a fairway off the tee. Most of my calculated scores are from like 1-2 years ago and my most recent ones are all 9-hole rounds in the low 40s.

 

[Stavingo]

@Omnis I think the handicap system is pretty similar amongst most countries, for us we all have a GHIN as you mentioned through whoever the national governing body is for golf through your country - for myself it’s through Golf Australia (GA)

Instead of it being called a GHIN here it’s renamed under Golf Link Number (What GA used to be called after rebranding)

Depending on how you acquire your handicap will change the algorithm of a number from one golfer to another.

The GHINs are available to look up through the GA website and can be publicly viewed. But it’s really up to the individual to share your number anyway, since it’s required to book into club competitions at your local municipal or as a visitor elsewhere, the club may disclose your Golf Link Number on result sheets after playing a competition round through their chosen scoring app or on the clubs intranet.

The worst that can happen is disclosing your number to someone that will impersonate you and book you in to multiple visitor comps and be a no show and get flagged by the clubs? But I’ve never heard of that happening before 😂

Hopefully the above makes sense lol

 

[Omnis]

For us you can just search by name even if you don’t have the number. I put some local coaches in and they’re not even single digit lol. I can look up Asia and Oceania people, too, but not people that fall under the R&A’s purview, which I assume is all of Europe and maybe Africa in addition to the UK

 

[MagpieRacer]

How exactly does that work for you across the pond? For us, you have a GHIN (Golf Handicap Identification Network/Number) with the USGA. Every GHIN is indexed and reviewable in the USGA's database so you can see what someone's handicap really is. I used to keep track via TheGrint, but then they dissolved their free handicap program. I couldn't find anything like this on their website, but if you look through their app they offer you a GHIN subscription at your local PGA chapter's price (mine is through FSGA) and they give you a discount on their premium app so you only pay an extra $20 to unlock it instead of having to pay the normal $100 for Grint on top of the USGA fee.

I'm sure I will go much lower because my golf right now feels more like a 18-20 if I can hit a fairway off the tee. Most of my calculated scores are from like 1-2 years ago and my most recent ones are all 9-hole rounds in the low 40s.

Apologies, I meant GHAP in relation to the Grint (Global Handicap for Amateur Players), not GHIN which is of course USGA. In the UK, we cannot link The Grint to England Golf (our governing body for amateur golf in England). So if I want to have an official handicap registered with England Golf on the WHS like you do with the USGA, I need to pay a subscription to England Golf and submit 54 holes worth of scores which are marked by another England Golf member who has a WHS index. Then every subsequent round needs the same. Most clubs here handle that for us and even include the cost of the England Golf side within the membership fees and have computer terminals in the clubhouse or bar for uploading scores, but for me as someone who mostly plays solo it doesn't really work (mind you, how many people upload legitimately is up for debate, if you have a few friends who are members you could just sign off each others cards regardless of whether you were there, zero checking process).

For why I want a handicap, Golfshake is adequate, it uses the same calculations as the World Handicap System (England Golf, USGA etc), so I know it's accurate, I can keep it without needing every round to be marked by someone else and it costs nothing unless I want a physical card/certificate. In the UK as well, any courses that require a player to hold an official handicap (e.g. St. Andrews Old Course requires you to be a 21 index and some near me need proof of handicap for proof of golfing competence) and nationwide tournaments such as the Mizuno Golf Pairs tour (biggest amateur tour in the UK), accept Golfshake handicaps as an official handicap.

I won't take you long to get lower then, I was hovering around 22-23 for a while and then started getting into the mid 90s and a few high 80s and it tumbled down to the 19s. My brother on the other hand was as high as 28 not even 6 weeks ago and is currently down to 18.5. But he is at University, has had a lot of time off (nearly 2 months) and in the last 3 days alone has played 6 rounds of golf, with scores ranging from 87 to 95.

 

[Stavingo]

For us you can just search by name even if you don’t have the number. I put some local coaches in and they’re not even single digit lol. I can look up Asia and Oceania people, too, but not people that fall under the R&A’s purview, which I assume is all of Europe and maybe Africa in addition to the UK

Ahh fair enough lol, Golf Australia doesn’t allow you to search up numbers based on your name, the app you can use to look at your handicap requires the number first before anything else.