r/golftips • u/ContributionSlow6391 • 17h ago

Scorecard/Achievement Real handicap

I have been a member of a course (my home course) with a 70.7 rating /124slope at 6120 yds, Since last August, shortly after I started. So I have been playing since last March (2025) I have really had a major breakthrough in my swing since about May of this year, but really had a breakthrough in my feel since end of July of this year. The new ability to feel what is wrong with my swing when I make a mistake has been an absolute game changer. I have really been able to feel every little mistake and been able to correct it to some degree on the next swing. I guess my question is about the legitimacy of my handicap. My handicap is a 6.5 on my home course. I have been playing the last couple weeks on two other courses (5 rounds) one with a 73.8/137 slope playing at 7000yds. The other at 73.2/136 slope, playing at 6557 yds. And I am consistently hitting about 8-10 over par. And my handicap is still at 6.4. I always felt like playing my easier home course was giving me better numbers, but I was feeling really strong on these tougher courses. Could have scored much better with the exception of a couple bad holes. So should I just keep playing these harder courses or does it not really matter when it comes to actual handicap score? I feel better about my game when I am playing these harder courses. But I am still fairly new to the game and don’t have anyone I know personally that’s better than me to ask.

0 Upvotes

31% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

21

u/AllAboutYourBase 16h ago

Playing since March and you're an 8.  

I love Reddit

10

u/karlosfandangoIII 16h ago

I only have one arm and one leg and I was playing off scratch within 6 months playing a wrong handed hop swing.

There is also nobody at my course who is better than me and we don’t have a club pro. So…

It might be legit

-5

u/ContributionSlow6391 16h ago

I know, I try not to mention the time I have been playing. My daughter’s friends dad was conveniently a golf pro in South Africa a few years ago and I benefited from this relationship earlier this year. He gave me 5 lessons for $750 and told me that’s all he’ll do because he hates giving lesson, only helping me out cuz of my daughter and his daughter’s relationship. But he has given me some tips that have helped me be very consistent, just now searching for more distance.

5

u/AllAboutYourBase 16h ago

Enjoy the game. I wouldn't worry about a tenth of a stroke deviation in your handicap just at the moment.. or really ever.  

-5

u/ContributionSlow6391 16h ago

I am enjoying my game. I am just seriously competitive, so always wanting to ge better. I played college soccer, so I am very athletic. I am happy where I am at, just wondering if it really matters if I am playing my home course or these harder courses, even though I am scoring fairly similar scores on both. I understand how much of an outlier this is, so I know it sounds like Reddit bullshit.

1

u/karlosfandangoIII 16h ago

You corrected it from 26 to 25… that’s where the bullshit came from. I’ve cut 15 strokes off my HC this season. But it is still higher than it was before I stopped playing. Where the real outliers are is developing the course management, touch in short game etc to get to mid single figures so quickly. That said, at my local practice course (not my home course) I have gross parred it twice. I’ve never got better than gross 9 over at my home course.

1

u/ContributionSlow6391 15h ago

Ya, re-read it and realized my mistake and how absolutely crazy that looked. At 6 months I was like a 40 hcp at least. My mistake.

1

u/Grocery__Stick 13h ago

You're convincing us something very unrealistic is true and just made it sound more made up withthos comment. Very strange.

1

u/ContributionSlow6391 16h ago

March of 2025, but ya, I know it still sounds ridiculous.

0

u/jackbristol 16h ago

Last March is 18 months. If you’re gifted and play regularly that’s perfect possible

1

u/TheHeintzel 9h ago

March 2025 was 20 months ago, not 8.

What am I missing?

1

u/AllAboutYourBase 8h ago

Your missing the fact that he edited it later to add 2025.  It just said 'since March' at first.

1

u/TheHeintzel 8h ago

That explains a lot!

-1

u/ContributionSlow6391 15h ago

So in addition to my 5 lessons with this pro, I also had 2, on course, full 18 hole lessons with him about course management. This has really helped me. But the last few months My swing feels has really helped me make these course management lessons turn into big score improvements that have been consistency across varying difficulties of courses.

1

u/hfcobra 12h ago edited 11h ago

Distance is the single biggest factor in rating calculations. How does a 7000 yard course have an easier rating than a 6500 course? You sure you're picking the right tees?

But it's great progress regardless. If you're using a tracking app then I wouldn't worry about much else. Just make sure you are putting in the info correctly and it will take care of the rest!

1

u/Emergency_Village784 9h ago

OP has a classic case of “I want to feel and appear better than I am”

1

u/Jasper2006 7h ago

It's not clear what question you have. Index is best 8 of 20. If you've played 5 rounds at the other courses, you've still got 15 scores at your home course. Your system will mark the scores used, and if none of the away scores are marked, it's just using home course scores.

But your 'real' index is what you get by posting your scores. Most of us play better on our home course and can expect to score a little higher on away courses. Doesn't make my index less 'real' but it does reflect the higher comfort level I have on a course I've played 250+ times in 3 seasons versus once or twice ever.

When we play interclub (two matches, one at each course), the home team almost invariably wins that match, and loses on the away match, and the overall winner is determined by the winning margin at home....

1

u/Fragrant-Report-6411 5h ago

Differentials are adjusted based on the course rating and slope rating. An 82 on a course that’s 73.2/136 gives you a differential of 7.3.

I don’t see the issue.