What's my handicap ? Slope ratings etc wanted ....

[SurinBeach]

Dear All,

I've re-started playing Golf again in Phuket, need to work out my handicap, went to www.sandbagger.ca as recommended

but you have to input all course info like par and course and slope which is OK if I could find that info !

Anyone know of a good site to use please ?

I just registered for another couple of sites and they'd never hear of Thailand !

Thanks

SB....

[Forkinhades]

Just join a local golf society...?

[SurinBeach]

Found some ...

Country Club Course - 9 Holes (Yardage & Par Rating calculated as 18 holes)

Tees

BLUE

YELLOW

WHITE

RED

Yardage

6,750 yards

6,474 yards

6,020 yards

5,136 yards

Par

72

72

72

72

Yardage Rating

73.8

72.2

71.2

71.6

Course Rating

75.1

73.5

72.1

72.8

Slope Rating

140

136

122

122

New Laguna 2015

Course Slope Rating :

Black Tee (Men) – 71.1/124 :

Blue Tee (Men) – 68.6/118 :

White Tee (Men) – 67.1/114 :

White Tee (Ladies) – 71.9/126 :

Red Tee (Ladies) – 68.7/119

Blue Canyon, printed on the cards ....

[PeterH]

try this one - www.thaigolfer.com - has info for most courses in Thailand and you can enter your scores and it will calculate your handicap. Seems to work well....

[tadthai]

sign up at www.myscorecard.com. I think it's $12 / year and you just put the scores in. They have all the courses in Thailand and around the world with course and slope ratings in their data base.

[godden]

Is having no money a handicap?

[mikosan]

Yes, join a golf club or golf society, play some rounds, put your cards in and they'll allocate you a handicap. Don't stress too much about slope ratings, a lot of courses don't have them in Thailand. To recalculate players handicaps after each competition we use HandicapMaster set to calculate the average of the top third nett scores taking the SSS (standard scratch score) of the course, to determine the CSS (Competition Scratch Score) of the day, but no more than plus 3 or minus 1, as per CONGU handicap rules.

[TigerandDog]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

[TigerandDog]

"Don't stress too much about slope ratings, a lot of courses don't have them in Thailand. " Mikosan, you could not be more wrong. Of the 200 plus courses in Thailand, all but about a dozen have been given course and slope rating by the Thailand Golf Association, and those that don't yet have one, will have one by the end of this year.

[Dublin]

Try Google,,, its easier than TV,,,,,, http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Golf-Handicap

[mikosan]

"Don't stress too much about slope ratings, a lot of courses don't have them in Thailand. " Mikosan, you could not be more wrong. Of the 200 plus courses in Thailand, all but about a dozen have been given course and slope rating by the Thailand Golf Association, and those that don't yet have one, will have one by the end of this year.

I stand corrected, but I can tell you that the slope rating at one of the golf courses I am a member of is a complete joke. C'est la vie.

[mikosan]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

[Forkinhades]

End of the day, IMO just enjoy your golf, have fun.

[Ban Merry]

Is it okay to just take your handicap from the last five games played? Say for instance my last five scores were 14, 12, 7, 11, 10 over par on a par 72. This gives me a total of 54 then divide by 5 to give me a handicap of 10.8. The last five games of golf is all I calculate. Is this handicap system okay for guys that just have the odd hit and would like to know what handicap they are. We don't play tournaments so no need for a real handicap.

[TigerandDog]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

[mikosan]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

Thank you for your very informative reply. Where I live in Thailand one of the clubs to which I belong holds members competitions all the year around on a Thursday and also on a Tuesday in the high season. We play by the rules of golf as set down by the R&A and USGA and all scores are recorded on HandicapMaster and displayed for members via MasterScoreboard. Unfortunately and much to my disgust, the course rating remains SSS 72, CSS 72, Par 72, day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, which is ridiculous and I don't believe this gives a fair reflection of how the course plays and therefore handicaps are not correctly maintained. I have tried to persuade the committee to at least calculate the CSS using an average of the top third nett scores, which would more accurately reflect how the course was playing on an individual day, but to no avail. However, two societies that I also belong to do use this system and I update handicaps from 'Away' competition scores for all three entities. I appreciate it's not ideal, but it's the best we can do in the circumstances I believe and better than doing nothing. I fully appreciate how the system works in the UK and Australia, having lived and played in both places, but sometimes you have to make the best of a bad job and I believe we do better than many, if not most, other golf courses or societies in Thailand. However, back to the main subject, so how does one get a true handicap in Thailand, if the system is how it and if your suggestion of joining the TGA is so open to falsification? I've played here in competitions with people with 'official' handicaps, particularly Thais, that are so obviously incorrect, so maybe the system we use more accurately records players handicaps. Certainly, with me updating all players handicaps on the HandicapMaster system, rather than them doing it themselves on TGA, is less open to falsification and whilst players may not end up with an 'official' handicap, it's a handicap that is a fair reflection of how they are playing. It's a time consuming job though!

[TigerandDog]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

Thank you for your very informative reply. Where I live in Thailand one of the clubs to which I belong holds members competitions all the year around on a Thursday and also on a Tuesday in the high season. We play by the rules of golf as set down by the R&A and USGA and all scores are recorded on HandicapMaster and displayed for members via MasterScoreboard. Unfortunately and much to my disgust, the course rating remains SSS 72, CSS 72, Par 72, day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, which is ridiculous and I don't believe this gives a fair reflection of how the course plays and therefore handicaps are not correctly maintained. I have tried to persuade the committee to at least calculate the CSS using an average of the top third nett scores, which would more accurately reflect how the course was playing on an individual day, but to no avail. However, two societies that I also belong to do use this system and I update handicaps from 'Away' competition scores for all three entities. I appreciate it's not ideal, but it's the best we can do in the circumstances I believe and better than doing nothing. I fully appreciate how the system works in the UK and Australia, having lived and played in both places, but sometimes you have to make the best of a bad job and I believe we do better than many, if not most, other golf courses or societies in Thailand. However, back to the main subject, so how does one get a true handicap in Thailand, if the system is how it and if your suggestion of joining the TGA is so open to falsification? I've played here in competitions with people with 'official' handicaps, particularly Thais, that are so obviously incorrect, so maybe the system we use more accurately records players handicaps. Certainly, with me updating all players handicaps on the HandicapMaster system, rather than them doing it themselves on TGA, is less open to falsification and whilst players may not end up with an 'official' handicap, it's a handicap that is a fair reflection of how they are playing. It's a time consuming job though!

As I said the big problem with the way TGA allows scores to be input is wide open for falsification. I'd be interested to know which clubs you play club comps at each week. The upside of the USGA system is that it rewards consistency. So if you have a handicap of say 12.3, you need to consistently be returning scores around that mark to maintain that handicap, or lower to improve it.. The USGA system only looks at your last 20 submitted cards, selects the best 8 scores played to (based on Course and Slope rating), averages those played to scores and multiplies the average by .93. The resulting handicap is your official handicap and it is based on a slope rating of 113 ( 113 is considered to be the average slope rating). If you play at a course with a slope rating of say 135 for the white tees, your handicap for the day would be 12.3 x 135 / 113 = 14.9. You would play off 15 at that course for the day. Also bear in mind that slope ratings can be higher or lower for a course depending on the tees you hit from. Also, the only time a Course rating should change is if preferred lies are being played. As for taking weather conditions into account, that's why if the handicap system is set up correctly, it looks at the 5 nearest golf courses to ascertain how the scoring was at those courses. Strong winds and rain in the immediate area would affect all 5 courses and the handicap programme would automatically take all this information into account.

As for stopping the falsification of scores input to the TGA web site, there is only ONE way to do that, and that would require golf clubs to allow their members to run competitions, and the match committee (elected by the members)would be responsible for submitting the scores to the TGA. This is how it's done just about everywhere else in the world.

Attached for your information find a spreadsheet of my handicap record. The scores returned shaded in yellow are my 8 best played to rounds. The rest should be self explanatory. Most of the courses I play in BKK have a Slope rating of 113, but they have varying course ratings. All are par 72, but the Thai Army & Air force courses have course ratings between 69.9 and 70.9. e.g. if I played a course with a course rating of 69.9 and shot 90 I will have played to a handicap of 20.1. Not sure how the formula works on courses with a slope rating higher than 113. The round I played to 14.4 in the spreadsheet was on a course with a slope rating of 145.

Edited March 27, 2015 by TigerandDog

[mikosan]

As I said the big problem with the way TGA allows scores to be input is wide open for falsification. I'd be interested to know which clubs you play club comps at each week. The upside of the USGA system is that it rewards consistency. So if you have a handicap of say 12.3, you need to consistently be returning scores around that mark to maintain that handicap, or lower to improve it.. The USGA system only looks at your last 20 submitted cards, selects the best 8 scores played to (based on Course and Slope rating), averages those played to scores and multiplies the average by .93. The resulting handicap is your official handicap and it is based on a slope rating of 113 ( 113 is considered to be the average slope rating). If you play at a course with a slope rating of say 135 for the white tees, your handicap for the day would be 12.3 x 135 / 113 = 14.9. You would play off 15 at that course for the day. Also bear in mind that slope ratings can be higher or lower for a course depending on the tees you hit from. Also, the only time a Course rating should change is if preferred lies are being played. As for taking weather conditions into account, that's why if the handicap system is set up correctly, it looks at the 5 nearest golf courses to ascertain how the scoring was at those courses. Strong winds and rain in the immediate area would affect all 5 courses and the handicap programme would automatically take all this information into account.

As for stopping the falsification of scores input to the TGA web site, there is only ONE way to do that, and that would require golf clubs to allow their members to run competitions, and the match committee (elected by the members)would be responsible for submitting the scores to the TGA. This is how it's done just about everywhere else in the world.

Attached for your information find a spreadsheet of my handicap record. The scores returned shaded in yellow are my 8 best played to rounds. The rest should be self explanatory. Most of the courses I play in BKK have a Slope rating of 113, but they have varying course ratings. All are par 72, but the Thai Army & Air force courses have course ratings between 69.9 and 70.9. e.g. if I played a course with a course rating of 69.9 and shot 90 I will have played to a handicap of 20.1. Not sure how the formula works on courses with a slope rating higher than 113. The round I played to 14.4 in the spreadsheet was on a course with a slope rating of 145.

I can't see the attachment, but I have sent you a PM in any case. I am very familiar with the USGA system, I used it for 5 years when I lived in Australia and I like it, it gives a much fairer reflection of how you are currently playing than the CONGU system and therefore a much more accurate handicap record. We played competition rounds 3 time a week and entered our scores and those of our playing partners on the computer at the club after our round and it was all stored on a centralised computer. The competition committee used to check cards to avoid errors.

[chrgrims]

I thought a usga hcp was calculated from last 20 scores, take best 10 and multiply by 0,96. not best 8 and multiply by 0.93.

[mikosan]

I thought a usga hcp was calculated from last 20 scores, take best 10 and multiply by 0,96. not best 8 and multiply by 0.93.

I believe you are right. The Australians used that system for a while then adapted it slightly to the best 8 multiplied by 0.93, for some reason.

[topt]

I thought a usga hcp was calculated from last 20 scores, take best 10 and multiply by 0,96. not best 8 and multiply by 0.93.

I believe you are right. The Australians used that system for a while then adapted it slightly to the best 8 multiplied by 0.93, for some reason.

If anyone is really that interested have a look at this explanation here - http://www.outbackgolfbar.com/index.php/component/content/article/80-information/89-usga-handicap-cards-explained. Pattaya Sports Club use an online inputting system that has many of Thailand's courses included so does it all for you and let's you concentrate on enjoying your game.......

[topt]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

TigerandDog being pedantic UK uses the Congu system not the USGA. I doubt anyone with an official CONGU handicap would have a problem having that accepted most places..........

"Patttaya week of golf" - I have never been asked for a handicap at any course in and around Pattaya or Hua Hin ever.

And I would also disagree that people join a club to have a club competition every weekend. Two friends (both single handicaps) who taught me to play at their club (members since teenagers) hated (probably a bit strong) the fact that there was a competition every weekend.

But hey horses for courses and different strokes for different folks. I completely agree about playing to the official rules of golf but at the end of the day for many of us it is also about having a good time.

[topt]

Is it okay to just take your handicap from the last five games played? Say for instance my last five scores were 14, 12, 7, 11, 10 over par on a par 72. This gives me a total of 54 then divide by 5 to give me a handicap of 10.8. The last five games of golf is all I calculate. Is this handicap system okay for guys that just have the odd hit and would like to know what handicap they are. We don't play tournaments so no need for a real handicap.

It is okay if you agree that with friends and then play that amongst yourselves - nobody's business but yours.

The problem comes if you then play in an organised comp of some sorts where prizes are involved.

[TigerandDog]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

TigerandDog being pedantic UK uses the Congu system not the USGA. I doubt anyone with an official CONGU handicap would have a problem having that accepted most places..........

"Patttaya week of golf" - I have never been asked for a handicap at any course in and around Pattaya or Hua Hin ever.

And I would also disagree that people join a club to have a club competition every weekend. Two friends (both single handicaps) who taught me to play at their club (members since teenagers) hated (probably a bit strong) the fact that there was a competition every weekend.

But hey horses for courses and different strokes for different folks. I completely agree about playing to the official rules of golf but at the end of the day for many of us it is also about having a good time.

The UK & Ireland are the only 2 countries that still use the CONGU system. Every other National Golf Association in the world uses the USGA Handicap System. Have you actually played in official competitions/tournaments under the rules of golf in Pattaya or Hua Hin? I doubt it because CONGU is NOT recognised for official tournaments or competitions any more. It has not been accepted outside of the UK and Ireland for almost 5 years now. I know of several English players whom I met in Thailand, who came to Australia to play in some sanctioned tournaments there. They had OFFICIAL CONGU handicaps, and they were all told by the Tournament Officials that CONGU was no longer an accepted national handicap system outside of the countries it is used. Therefore as they did not have official handicaps accepted outside of the UK & Ireland they were not allowed to compete and their entry fees were refunded. The USGA handicap system is now the standard system used by National Golf Associations. I know for a fact that if you were to try and play in any club competition or sanctioned golf association tournament in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, etc, CONGU is NO LONGER accepted as being an OFFICIAL handicap. All that aside, the USGA system is the most accurate and it rewards consistency, not once in a lifetime scores. If you have a certain handicap and you want to maintain your handicap at that level or improve, then the only way to do that under the USGA system is to consistently play to that handicap or to consistently shoot lower scores to improve.

Edited April 4, 2015 by TigerandDog

[TigerandDog]

I thought a usga hcp was calculated from last 20 scores, take best 10 and multiply by 0,96. not best 8 and multiply by 0.93.

It used to be best 10. But it was best 10 scores played to ( 10 best handicap played to results { course with slope rating of 113, par 72, course rating 72. You shoot 85 scratch playing off a handicap of 12. On the day you have played to a 13}). So out of your last 20 cards, average those 10 best played to scores and then multiply by .96. This was revised, if memory serves me correctly around July 2013, to take the best 8 played to scores, average those 8 scores and then multiply by .93

Edited April 4, 2015 by TigerandDog

[topt]

I thought a usga hcp was calculated from last 20 scores, take best 10 and multiply by 0,96. not best 8 and multiply by 0.93.

It used to be best 10. But it was best 10 scores played to ( 10 best handicap played to results { course with slope rating of 113, par 72, course rating 72. You shoot 85 scratch playing off a handicap of 12. On the day you have played to a 13}). So out of your last 20 cards, average those 10 best played to scores and then multiply by .96. This was revised, if memory serves me correctly around July 2013, to take the best 8 played to scores, average those 8 scores and then multiply by .93

T&D if nothing else you got me to look up the USGA details and if anybody else wants to read -

As I posted earlier and chgrims says above the current web site suggests that the 20/10 card is still in use if you have 20 cards - http://usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-10/

On other pages it mentions these rules are in force from 2012 to 2016 and I could not find any evidence of revisions - which does not mean there aren't any

10-2. Handicap Index Formula

The Handicap Index formula is based on the best Handicap Differential(s) in a player's scoring record. If a player's scoring record contains 20 scores, the best 10 Handicap Differentials of the most recent 20 scores are used to calculate the Handicap Index. As the number of scores in the scoring record decreases, the percentage of scores used in a scoring record decreases from the maximum of the best 50 percent. If the scoring record contains 9 or 10 scores, only the best three scores (30 to 33 percent) in the scoring record will be used. Thus, the accuracy of a player's Handicap Index is directly proportional to the number of acceptable scores posted. A Handicap Index must not be issued to a player who has returned fewer than five acceptable scores. The following procedures illustrate how an authorized golf association, golf club, and computation services calculate a player's Handicap Index.

The procedure for calculating a Handicap Index is as follows:

Step 1: Use the table below to determine the number of Handicap Differential(s) to use:

Step 2: Determine Handicap Differential(s);

Step 3: Average the Handicap Differential(s) being used;

Step 4: Multiply the average by .96*;

Step 5: Delete all numbers after the tenths' digit (truncate). Do not round to the nearest tenth.

Example 1: Fewer than 20 scores (11 scores available).

Total of lowest 4 Handicap Differentials: 104.1 Average (104.1 / 4): 26.025 Multiply average by .96: 24.984 Delete all numbers after

the tenth digit (truncate).

Do not round to the nearest tenth:

24.9 Handicap Index: 24.9

* Bonus for Excellence is the incentive for players to improve their golf games that is built into the USGA Handicap System. It is the term used to describe the small percentage below perfect equity that is used to calculate a Handicap Index (96 percent). As a Handicap Index improves (gets lower), the player has a slightly better chance of placing high or winning

a handicap event.

Example 2: Twenty scores available. The following is an example of a Handicap Index calculation for a player with 20 scores.

Total of 10 lowest Handicap Differentials: 154.8 Average (154.8 / 10): 15.48 Average multiplied by .96: 14.861 Delete all digits after tenths: 14.8 Handicap Index: 14.8

[chrgrims]

Thanks for that. Some people might find this discussion too detailed but i like it because i am trying to run a small club in phetchabun/phichit. we have collected score cards and been running competitions for a few years (nothing serious, just for fun). we have never used slope etc. but now we will try to do use slope and rating together with another club.

[topt]

Just to perhaps cloud the issue a little more I was told yesterday by an Aussie golfer that they do indeed use 8 out of 20 x .93 etc.

A quick Google - http://www.golf.org.au/newgahandicapsystem

So curious how that flys with the USGA.................

They also have a cap on how much the handicap can reduce in 12 months.......

[Guest]

Forget about golf societies and their BOGUS inaccurate handicap systems. If you want to have an OFFICIAL handicap recognised worldwide ( CONGU and other systems used by golf societies are not recognised worldwide), and based on the USGA handicap system, now used universally by national golf associations, then go to the Thailand golf association web site, change the language to English and select handicap membership. All the information you need to join is there. You don't have to worry about course or slope ratings as they are built into the TGA web site. Once you are a member you just login and input your scores for the course you played, the tees you played from and the name of your marker. TGA review handicaps towards the end of each month. An example of CONGU handicaps etc not being recognised is, say you want to play in Phuket golf week or Pattaya week of golf etc. To enter you must have an OFFICIAL handicap and be able to provide proof of that. Golf society handicaps are not accepted at these amateur tournaments. Enjoy your golf.

Again I stand corrected and very pleased to be enlightened. However, I am a member of two golf clubs in Thailand and BOTH use HandicapMaster and CONGU. My handicap from these has been accepted anywhere I have played in the world. That said, I am interested to find out more with regards to the information you have provided, so I will certainly check it out. Thanks.

Mikosan, your CONGU and Handicapmaster handicaps might be accepted by other golf societies or social golf clubs in the world, and at other Thai golf courses, but if you were to play in an event played strictly under the rules of golf (e.g. Centara Masters at Hua Hin), they most certainly would not be. Also be aware that every golf club in Thailand is a separate entity and they all use a variety of handicap systems, and most do not take into account course or slope rating. Unlike golf clubs in the majority of countries, Thai golf clubs have no affiliation with the National Association here. The only way to have an OFFICIAL golf handicap in Thailand is for individuals to become handicap members of the TGA. Personally I think it's ludicrous, because it's wide open to falsified cards being input to the system so handicaps can be easily manipulated. I also think that those golf clubs that do have memberships are not doing the right thing by their members by not conducting weekly member competitions. After all that's why we join a golf club, for the competition under the rules of golf every Saturday & Sunday, not just to save a few baht on green fees during the week. All golf clubs with members in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, South America and elsewhere are ALL affiliated with their national golf associations, and all club competitions are played strictly under the rules of golf and they ALL use the USGA handicap system, which is the most accurate system available. In all these cases, the clubs submit players scores to the National Association by uploading a file over the internet and handicaps are automatically adjusted daily. The whole purpose of using the USGA system is that to maintain a certain handicap you have to be consistent. The USGA system takes into account the national associations course rating, the clubs daily course rating, and also looks at the 5 nearest courses to the course you played. By doing this weather conditions for the day are then able to be taken into account as well. You're most likely wondering how the hell I know all this? In my previous country (Thailand is now home) I was a member of my national Association, as well as being a former match committee member, club captain & club president & an accredited R & A Golf Rules Official. These were items that in these positions that were dealt with on a daily basis. Just by way of information, it would be quite simple to start up member competitions at golf clubs in Thailand. All the members would have to do is firstly agree that they would like weekly comps, elect a President, Club Captain and Match Committee. The President and captain would approach club management to have certain times blocked out on the booking sheets each Sat & Sun. Each member would be registered with the TGA, the Match Committee would decide what event to play, stroke, stableford etc and at the completion of the day, the club captain would input ALL the scores to the TGA. Official handicaps in place, no need for CONGU or any other inaccurate handicap system anymore.

very informative, I want to run competitions in our area and I have a couple of questions if you don't mind?. we play on Wednesdays here why do you say

sat/sun for the comps we used to play competitions 4 or 5 days a week in my old country and all were recognised as comps by the golf assoc. in Australia no matter what day they were played on.

and can a small club send handicaps to TGA

thanks in advance

[TigerandDog]

Just to perhaps cloud the issue a little more I was told yesterday by an Aussie golfer that they do indeed use 8 out of 20 x .93 etc.

A quick Google - http://www.golf.org.au/newgahandicapsystem

So curious how that flys with the USGA.................

They also have a cap on how much the handicap can reduce in 12 months.......

Not quite correct with regards to the cap. There is no limit on how much a handicap can reduce. However, there is what they call an anchor. Say you reach your lowest handicap ever, say 10.2. What the anchor means is that during the 12 month period following the reaching of this lowest handicap, your handicap can only increase by a maximum of 5 shots in that 12 months. In other words, no matter how badly you played for the next year, your handicap could never get higher than 15.2. The aussies made these changes and the change to 8 best played to scores to tighten up what they perceived as a weakness in the USGA handicap system. This also gave players a more fairer portability of handicap when playing other golf courses with different slope ratings.