Hole Handicaps

[ballgolfconvert]

Has anyone ever used individual hole handicaps in their handicap league?

In ball golf one of the more enjoyable handicap formats was best ball of partners. This is not doubles like disc golf currently plays it, but instead each player plays their own disc throughout and the lowest net score on each hole of the two partners is the team score. For example: if you are a 6 handicap, you would get a throw removed from your score on each of the 6 most difficult holes. Make a par, it becomes net birdie. make a birdie and it becomes net eagle and so forth.

is this being played anyone in disc golf or does the concept seem too difficult for disc golfers?

 

[dmoore1998]

Does disc golf have a universal handicapping system, individual hole handicaps on each course, and slope rating for each course to even be able to do this?

I get the idea of doing it for an individual league/course...but then you also need everyone handicapped, and a slope rating to know how to apply that handicap. It seems like a lot of work for everyone who runs an individual league to track/calculate...the beauty of ball golf is all that sits housed on a centralized location for the most part.

 

[Hampstead]

DG ain't bolf.

 

[DatRedDude]

Has anyone ever used individual hole handicaps in their handicap league?

In ball golf one of the more enjoyable handicap formats was best ball of partners. This is not doubles like disc golf currently plays it, but instead each player plays their own disc throughout and the lowest net score on each hole of the two partners is the team score. For example: if you are a 6 handicap, you would get a throw removed from your score on each of the 6 most difficult holes. Make a par, it becomes net birdie. make a birdie and it becomes net eagle and so forth.

is this being played anyone in disc golf or does the concept seem too difficult for disc golfers?

seems kind of backhanded to assume people don't understand but i will bite.

The PGA of America is responsible for putting a slope and rating on each course. The PDGA doesn't have this and therefore there is no standard.

You could easily come up with your own hole ranking and go from there.

i used to run a handicap league but it didn't run like a traditional golf cap. We basically set scratch at 14 and went from there.

 

[DatRedDude]

Does disc golf have a universal handicapping system, individual hole handicaps on each course, and slope rating for each course to even be able to do this?

I get the idea of doing it for an individual league/course...but then you also need everyone handicapped, and a slope rating to know how to apply that handicap. It seems like a lot of work for everyone who runs an individual league to track/calculate...the beauty of ball golf is all that sits housed on a centralized location for the most part.

you don't have to have a slope/rating for a course, just pick an arbitrary # and put that at scratch. I have an excel file i used to use for my league with all the formulas built in.

 

[Horsman]

Has anyone ever used individual hole handicaps in their handicap league?

is this being played anyone in disc golf or does the concept seem too difficult for disc golfers?

Too difficult for disc golfers??? C'mon man, we're not that dumb. And I cant say I've ever seen a handicapped league but they probably exist. I for one would never play a handicap league, it just doesn't seem fun to play with a handicap. I don;t need to be challenged with a handicap, the course is challenging enough.

 

[ru4por]

When golf handicapping is the pinnacle of your intellectual prowess....it is easy to assume others find it complicated.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

For the record it isn't about making it like ball golf. It could also make the game / league more fun for you. This format was entertaining for most all players. Both scratch golfers and 24 handicaps. We also drew partners after the round, so you could play with your normal group if desired. You can also draw pre-round and pair together which tends to add more pressure to the shots based on what your partner is doing on the hole. It does take a moment or two to draw partners, calculate the scores, so a tournament type social setting generally occurs at the end of round. It helps to be proficient in the scoring.

For hole handicaps, I would just use past league scores to get an average and handicap the holes based on that. #1 handicap hole is the highest average relative to par and #18 is the lowest average relative to par (or however many holes there are). You don't need slope ratings or whatever the disc course rating thing is.

For the guy who never played handicaps, handicaps are a way for players of all skill levels to compete on an even footing. Basically whoever plays better than their average ability ends up the winner. if you add CTP's and other games, the better players still may have an advantage overall, against contrary thinking.

 

[dmoore1998]

you don't have to have a slope/rating for a course, just pick an arbitrary # and put that at scratch. I have an excel file i used to use for my league with all the formulas built in.

You don't have to if you're just going to play one league on one course always. Around here at least lots of leagues travel among multiple courses...so you'd need some sort of slope rating (or a standin) to know how to apply everyone's handicaps based on the course.

Otherwise your "handicap" is essentially course-specific. Seems like some work to get a course handicap on every player, then figure out what "slope" to apply to that course so you'd know how to apply the handicap.

That's the beauty of ball golf "handicap", it travels with you.

 

[dmoore1998]

For the record it isn't about making it like ball golf. It could also make the game / league more fun for you. This format was entertaining for most all players. Both scratch golfers and 24 handicaps. We also drew partners after the round, so you could play with your normal group if desired. You can also draw pre-round and pair together which tends to add more pressure to the shots based on what your partner is doing on the hole. It does take a moment or two to draw partners, calculate the scores, so a tournament type social setting generally occurs at the end of round. It helps to be proficient in the scoring.

For hole handicaps, I would just use past league scores to get an average and handicap the holes based on that. #1 handicap hole is the highest average relative to par and #18 is the lowest average relative to par (or however many holes there are). You don't need slope ratings or whatever the disc course rating thing is.

For the guy who never played handicaps, handicaps are a way for players of all skill levels to compete on an even footing. Basically whoever plays better than their average ability ends up the winner. if you add CTP's and other games, the better players still may have an advantage overall, against contrary thinking.

Playing with your partner is the entire point of playing best ball though. The entire skill level involved with that particular game version is the strategy involved between the partners.

And yes, with a "real" handicap, better players have an advantage still. But with a game like DG, where the point of entry is super easy (compared to ball golf), anyone who is still in their "learning the game" phase has a massive handicap advantage over someone whose skill level is "steady". Your ability to significantly beat your average is incredible when you're first starting out.

 

[Horsman]

For the guy who never played handicaps, handicaps are a way for players of all skill levels to compete on an even footing. Basically whoever plays better than their average ability ends up the winner. if you add CTP's and other games, the better players still may have an advantage overall, against contrary thinking.

Why are you assuming that we dont know what a handicap league is?

 

[DatRedDude]

For the record it isn't about making it like ball golf. It could also make the game / league more fun for you. This format was entertaining for most all players. Both scratch golfers and 24 handicaps. We also drew partners after the round, so you could play with your normal group if desired. You can also draw pre-round and pair together which tends to add more pressure to the shots based on what your partner is doing on the hole. It does take a moment or two to draw partners, calculate the scores, so a tournament type social setting generally occurs at the end of round. It helps to be proficient in the scoring.

For hole handicaps, I would just use past league scores to get an average and handicap the holes based on that. #1 handicap hole is the highest average relative to par and #18 is the lowest average relative to par (or however many holes there are). You don't need slope ratings or whatever the disc course rating thing is.

For the guy who never played handicaps, handicaps are a way for players of all skill levels to compete on an even footing. Basically whoever plays better than their average ability ends up the winner. if you add CTP's and other games, the better players still may have an advantage overall, against contrary thinking.

i ran a handicap league for 5 years and one still exist in our club. The league is geared toward newer players. The better player will donate their money as the newer inexperienced players will get better as the league goes on in turn lowering their handicap week after week. The better players will shoot the same score every week and their handicap will stay the same.

this is my experience at least.

 

[BillFleming]

It could also make the game / league more fun for you.

I'm not sure it makes it "more fun" for most players. I've seen handicap leagues where the better players won't participate. I'm in a handicap league and I've won money a few times. Why? Because I am inconsistent. Since I'm a high handicapper - currently 16 strokes, but was 27 - I have the ability to play really well in a single round - I have played as well as 9 over and as bad as 32 over par. So I have a good chance of beating others. But the better, more consistent players will rarely play better than their average score - so where is their incentive? At the handicap league I play in....several of the best players just show up while the Ace pot is high. Once that is hit, I'd expect the majority of the better players to stop showing up.

 

[Steve West]

Here is one way, without the need for slope (which is mathematically fraudulent).

Just figure par for each rating, let each player look up their par for each hole, and play against that par.

 

[glassila]

Has anyone ever used individual hole handicaps in their handicap league?

In ball golf one of the more enjoyable handicap formats was best ball of partners. This is not doubles like disc golf currently plays it, but instead each player plays their own disc throughout and the lowest net score on each hole of the two partners is the team score. For example: if you are a 6 handicap, you would get a throw removed from your score on each of the 6 most difficult holes. Make a par, it becomes net birdie. make a birdie and it becomes net eagle and so forth.

is this being played anyone in disc golf or does the concept seem too difficult for disc golfers?

You start the tread with a legitimate question and end it with a douchy troll question.:doh:
I'm guessing you think you are being funny, but this is why a high percentage of people have blocked you.

Don't even bother answering...you are on my blocked list too. I just happened to click "view post" to see what the original post was.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

You start the tread with a legitimate question and end it with a douchy troll question.:doh:
I'm guessing you think you are being funny, but this is why a high percentage of people have blocked you.

Don't even bother answering...you are on my blocked list too. I just happened to click "view post" to see what the original post was.

Thanks for interjecting.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

Why are you assuming that we dont know what a handicap league is?

In your reply, you didn't seem to grasp the concept. Soimehow you twisted it to playing a handicap league meant that you couldn't play against the course. The beauty of this format is that you can play against the course as opposed to the normal double formats.

if i didn't get snark EVERY time ever posted something, then you all would likely see my snark go away.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

I'm not sure it makes it "more fun" for most players. I've seen handicap leagues where the better players won't participate. I'm in a handicap league and I've won money a few times. Why? Because I am inconsistent. Since I'm a high handicapper - currently 16 strokes, but was 27 - I have the ability to play really well in a single round - I have played as well as 9 over and as bad as 32 over par. So I have a good chance of beating others. But the better, more consistent players will rarely play better than their average score - so where is their incentive? At the handicap league I play in....several of the best players just show up while the Ace pot is high. Once that is hit, I'd expect the majority of the better players to stop showing up.

You can make it more interesting for the better players by adding CTP's, birdie challenges (birdie a set of predetermined holes), gross division, etc.

 

[Horsman]

In your reply, you didn't seem to grasp the concept. Soimehow you twisted it to playing a handicap league meant that you couldn't play against the course. The beauty of this format is that you can play against the course as opposed to the normal double formats.

if i didn't get snark EVERY time ever posted something, then you all would likely see my snark go away.

Baby steps, I took you off of my ignore list since I feel like your posts have gotten better. I will be less snarky towards you.

But I understand handicap leagues, I just dont like that I can absolutely beat the course and shoot hot and still lose by a lot because of the handicap. Never liked that concept.

 

[DavidSauls]

Baby steps, I took you off of my ignore list since I feel like your posts have gotten better. I will be less snarky towards you.

But I understand handicap leagues, I just dont like that I can absolutely beat the course and shoot hot and still lose by a lot because of the handicap. Never liked that concept.

I've never cared for it, from the opposite end. If someone shoots 10 strokes better than I do, I can't bring myself to claim I beat him, because of our relative handicaps. It doesn't actually feel like a win. It feels like an advantage you might give a little kid -- a head start in a foot race, for example.

But I come from non-handicapping sports. A portion of disc golfers like handicapped leagues, and I'm all in favor of whatever people enjoy.

Best score (best ball) is far less popular, handicapped or not. We use it in a tournament I run, and I like it, but it hasn't caught on. If people are going to play doubles, they tend to like best shot, where most of their mistakes are erased, and there are more opportunities to gamble on a risky shot.

So mix best score & handicapped, and you've really narrowed down the number of players who might be interested.