Following on from my 7/8 thread.
I've done some more searching, particularly with Nick Perkins'
"direction" and come up with a possible conflict.

From various sources, the EGU "directs" that full handicap shall be
used for all singles competitions.
I take this to mean that it's not compulsory, but pretty much should
be.

However, the EGU did some presentations about the 2008-2011 CONGU UHS,
where it is  stated that full handicap is "mandatory" in singles
competitions.

This is on the EGU website via their "handicapping seminar
presentation" found via handicapping/handicapping publications at
http://www.englishgolfunion.org/core/core_picker/download.asp?id=4874&documenttable=libraryfiles

I take this to mean compulsory.

So is the use of full handicaps a direction or mandatory?



Still confused.................... but only slightly now.

Cheers,
Mick
p.s. Pushed the "spirit and intent" bit of the Welsh golf union
presentation under my Handicap Chairman's nose tonight - he wasn't
happy...................!!
Seen as Wales and England are both following the CONGU UHS, I omitted
to mention that it came from a source outside the EGU!

newbryford wrote:
> Following on from my 7/8 thread.
> I've done some more searching, particularly with Nick Perkins'
> "direction" and come up with a possible conflict.
> 
> From various sources, the EGU "directs" that full handicap shall be
> used for all singles competitions.
> I take this to mean that it's not compulsory, but pretty much should
> be.
> 
> However, the EGU did some presentations about the 2008-2011 CONGU UHS,
> where it is  stated that full handicap is "mandatory" in singles
> competitions.
> 
> This is on the EGU website via their "handicapping seminar
> presentation" found via handicapping/handicapping publications at
> http://www.englishgolfunion.org/core/core_picker/download.asp?id=4874&documenttable=libraryfiles
> 
> I take this to mean compulsory.
> 
> So is the use of full handicaps a direction or mandatory?
> 
> 
> 
> Still confused.................... but only slightly now.
> 
> Cheers,
> Mick
> p.s. Pushed the "spirit and intent" bit of the Welsh golf union
> presentation under my Handicap Chairman's nose tonight - he wasn't
> happy...................!!
> Seen as Wales and England are both following the CONGU UHS, I omitted
> to mention that it came from a source outside the EGU!
> 

'Direction' definitely means 'must', 'mandatory', 'compulsory' and 
'tough'! As opposed to a 'suggestion' or 'recommendation' which it had 
been previously.

I really don't get it. Why is everybody (particularly low handicappers) 
so uppity about this full handicap nonsense.

We've had the theories about how people play and handle their golf 
differently in match play as opposed to stroke play but my own 
experience still doesn't support the flat earthers as in all the match 
play competitions I've monitored in recent years of 2 golf clubs and a 
society I've been involved in have all been won by the best and most 
consistent golfer and have all been from the lowest half of the handicap 
spectrum.

Every dog has it's day and on that day they are probably unbeatable off 
scratch! So not having the higher handicapper penalised to a greater 
proportion than the lower just helps bring out the best in the lower 
handicapper if they have a mind to rather than wallowing in victimhood. 
On a normal day (rather than the dog's day), if both play to the best of 
their ability the lower handicapper will still win because they will be 
more consistent.

There is no reason high handicappers should be penalised further for 
having a high handicap, they should be pitied and consoled after defeat 
for all the lost balls and rubbish swings they have to cope with :-)

The handicapping system in most cases works just fine, it is there to 
level the playing field and I cannot think why it always seems to have 
been skewed towards the lower end - maybe because previous incarnations 
of the handicapping system didn't work so well, I don't know. Maybe one 
of the historians of this forum may help enlighten us.

There maybe an issue with juniors' handicaps because their speed of 
improvement isn't always reflected by the usual methods but active 
watching and monitoring by the H/cap Committee should spot anything.

Anyway, so what is wrong with a high handicapper or improving junior or 
retired golfer winning a few things? Nobody wins a game by accident like 
in football, golf is too much of a hard game which calls upon the very 
depths of resilience and skill as the toughest opponent is our own 
selves - think defeated and you will surely be defeated; think you've 
got it licked and it will come back and bite you big time!

--
Durram
(H/c 7)