Golf handicap, the great equaliser

There is a feeling of joy and wonder that usually comes over me when I’m out on the golf course.

I see beauty in the sky and the trees. The feeling of happiness as I walk the fairways with close friends or acquaintances has become a drug that I crave for every weekend.

This usually lasts until I have to make the next shot.

My swing never seems to actualise the beautiful shots that I visualise in mind. My golf handicap just seems to creep up on me. There is one man who aptly likened the golf handicap to a pregnancy — no matter how much we try to hide it, it usually shows in its own time.

The golf handicap is probably the best invention for us amateur golfers. If it wasn’t for golf handicaps, majority of the amateur golfers would probably never enter competitions for fear of humiliation.

It is because of these handicaps that a beginner is able to win in a field of seasoned golfers. Golf handicaps, when properly administered, are a great equaliser. The golf handicap is, however, becoming a source of dissension when it is felt that certain individuals are playing off higher handicaps than they deserve.

A few people have found ways of manipulating their handicaps. Thankfully, such golfers are very few and far between. There are, however, a number of golfers who are playing off the wrong handicaps due to failure on the part of their home clubs.

Many clubs have CONGU manual for 2016-2018 but their leadership have not taken the time to familiarise themselves with the requirements of the system. My computer programming lecturer used to say of programs: “garbage in – garbage out”.

It is the same of the Master Scoreboard, the computer program that we use to administer the CONGU handicapping system. There are certain things that all golf clubs need to do ensure uniformity in the administration of handicaps in the country.

The first step is to have a handicap committee.

This is not a recommendation. It is a requirement for all clubs in Kenya that run the CONGU handicapping system.

The handicap committee should have at least three members. The committee members should take some time to familiarise themselves on the responsibilities of the club in administering handicaps of golfers.

They are ultimately responsible for the maintenance of handicaps of members at the club. This task is too important to be left to golf administrators of clubs. It is also not the responsibility the golf Captain.

The golf Captain may sit in the handicap committee but there is no mention of Golf Captain in the Rules of Golf or in the CONGU manual.

One of the shortfalls of the handicap programme that we are running today is its inability to automatically update away scores. If a golfer plays in a club that is not his/her home club, they would have to rely on the away-club to supply the results of the game to the home-club.

Many golfers have used this as an excuse to play off the wrong handicap when away score are not updated promptly or if it is never done.

This should not be the case. Golfers are ultimately responsible for the reduction of their handicaps when they play well.

The Rules of Golf require that a golfer plays from the correct handicap. For ease of handicap administration, it is recommended that where a golfer is a member of more than one club, his/her handicap is maintained by the club at which he/she competes most frequently in qualifying competitions.

There is a peculiar phenomenon that I am hearing a lot of lately of golfers “declaring” lower handicaps.

This happens a lot especially when the said golfers want to enter a competition where there is a handicap limit.

The fact that the Rules of Golf don’t disqualify a golfer for writing a lower handicap on the score card, does not mean that a golfer is allowed to assume a lower handicap than they deserve. I was told that during the apartheid era in South Africa, black Kenyan golfers who went to play there were given honorary white status in order to be allowed to participate in competitions.

In the same way they didn’t magically become white from the declaration, high handicappers don’t automatically earn a lower handicap by declaration.

The golf handicap is a wonderful invention that equalises the playing field for golfers of different abilities.

If properly administered, handicaps will offer more encouragement during competitions. However, if left to manipulation, it will only lead to disagreements and suspicion during competitions.

Handicap committees need to ensure that handicaps are not abused.