THE SLOPE SYSTEM

You have all probably heard talk of the Course Slope that is to be introduced to the Golf Australia Handicapping System in January.

What is the course slope?

The slope is intended as a measure of the difference in difficulty of playing a course for a scratch (handicap 0) golfer and a bogie (handicap 18) golfer.

It is calculated by carefully measuring the course and applying statistical factors for how far and how accurately the two standards of player can hit a ball.  It takes into account the type and placement of hazards, the normal run on the course and the difficulty of the greens.  This has now been done for every course in Australia and for every set of tees on each course.

A course of ‘average’ difference in difficulty will have a slope of 113.  A course that is relatively easier for a bogie player will have a slope lower than 113 while a course more difficult for a bogie player will be higher.  The lowest possible value for slope is 55 while the highest possible is 155.  Ivanhoe Blue tees has been rated as having a slope of 103.

What will happen in January?

For a few days in January (20 – 23), the Golf Access system will be off-line while all registered players data will be processed to create a new value to be known as GA Handicap.  This will be the handicap that you would be expected to play to on a course with a slope of 113.  This is what will appear on the GolfLink website after January 23 2014.

The effect of this calculation will vary depending on whether you play in competition on different courses.  For those that only play at Ivanhoe your GA Handicap will be your current Handicap*113/103.  This means that somebody on 19.8 would get a GA Handicap of 21.7.  Somebody on 6.5 would have a GA Handicap of 7.1.

If you play competition on multiple courses, the effect is more difficult to assess as it will depend on the variation in the slopes of the courses that you have played on and your GA handicap could be higher or lower as the case may be.

What handicap do I play off?

If you are one of those that play competition only at Ivanhoe, when you play at Ivanhoe, your Daily Handicap is determined from GA Handicap*103/113 and you end up exactly back where you started from – 19.8/20 and 6.5/7.

However, if you play at another course, the multiplying factor changes.  On a course with a slope of 139, the player with a GA Handicap of 21.7 would have a Daily Handicap of 21.7*139/113 = 26.7 (rounded to 27 – seven strokes more than playing at Ivanhoe) while the GA Handicap of 7.1 would go to 8.7 (9 – two strokes more than at Ivanhoe).

I’m no mathematician, you might say, what about all these calculations.  Don’t worry, you won’t have to do any.  All you will have to know will be your GA Handicap.  There will be a look-up table provided for whichever set of tees you are playing from and by reading across to your GA Handicap (exact eg 21.7) the table will show what your Daily Handicap will be (already rounded as required).

What else is changing?

At the same time there will be a number of other changes introduced.

                Daily Scratch Rating (DSR)

This will be the equivalent of the old CCR but updated to take advantage of computerisation and some fancy statistical analysis that has been done on the vast database of competition information from around Australia.  The DSR will be allowed to vary more than the old CCR and can be up to four more and three less than the ASR for the tees played.

This rating is used only for handicapping purposes and is intended to compensate for changes in the way the course plays with the seasons (more run in summer, less in winter) and also from daily weather events.  It could even be different between morning and afternoon for different competitions.

The DSR will only affect handicapping and will not affect Competition results.

                Stableford Handicapping Adjustment (SHA)

This will be applied to Stroke events and will have the effect of eliminating the odd horrendous hole that we all have from time to time for the purposes of handicapping.

This will require that, after the regulation comes in, although you will have to play out all strokes in a Stroke event, you will also have to score your card as if it were a Stableford event.  A blow out hole gets no stableford points.  When your score is entered for handicapping purposes, it will be the Stableford score that will be entered and this will be converted to equivalent strokes using your Daily Handicap and the DSR.  The stableford score will have no effect on Competition results.

This is not likely to have a huge effect on your ultimate handicap if the horrendous hole(s) occur in a bad round as it is unlikely to ever appear in your handicap calculation (best 8 of 20).  It can have an effect if there are one or two in an otherwise excellent round.  One result of this should be to discourage anybody ‘throwing’ a hole or two to protect/improve their handicap.

                Conforming Social Scores

The system will allow the use of Social rounds provided that the Home Club has chosen to allow Social scores to be used and the player must have nominated before the round starts that it is to count for handicap purposes.

As for all handicap eligible scores, the round must be played and scored according to the Rules of Golf and must be marked by an accompanying player.

                Four-ball Scores

The method used will be very similar to the current method but a Club may choose not to handicap four-ball scores if they believe their circumstances do not support four-ball handicapping

                9 Hole and Incomplete Scores

This allows for 9 hole rounds and incomplete rounds (for whatever reason) to be used for the purpose of establishing an official handicap.

In essence, incomplete scores will not be projected more than1 hole for a 9 hole score or 2 holes for 18.  Nine hole scores will be stored and combined with the next 9 hole score that is submitted, taking into account the relevant course rating for the two nines, for the purposes of handicapping.

 Finally

The last three points are provided for completeness only, as they are unlikely to affect people playing in our competition, but they might be of interest if you play in other events or wish to have short rounds considered for your official handicap

Hopefully, I have made this clear enough but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or e-mail or button-hole me next time you are at the course.

You would have to say that there couldn’t have been a better day for golf for a long time.  A little freshness in the air first thing but then warming up to a balmy 23C or so by the time we had finished.  So what can be the explanation for the mostly fairly average scores that were returned.  Maybe it is just that the silly season is upon us once again and peoples minds are on other things or is it the start of a new competition year and everybody is relaxed about the clean slate in the Championship Table.  Well, wake up chaps, it won’t be that way for long.

It was up to one of our lifers to show us how it was done though as the form guide said this old horse has been training on another track and the experience seems to have stood him in good stead.  And he bought himself in the Calcutta – nothing like the smell of money to get his ginger up.  A 63 nett is a good start to getting his name on the Vin O’Meara Cup again and it should be an interesting group teeing off last next week.

That’s because, playing along with Rodger (and his trusty side-kick Laurie) will be young Edgar who managed to string a few together to record a nett 65.  Rounding out the group will be Mostyn who doesn’t seem to be any the worse for wear from his travels around the country but reckons he left a few out there with his 67.

In the mix with the potential to threaten the leaders are two of the Club’s low handicappers with Zimmer carding a 68 and Pepsi coming in with a 69 (also his favourite number).  A bit of a pity we couldn’t send out a five so that they all could have a red hot go.  Also a bit unusual in that all placings were singletons, not something we see very often.

As for the rest of the field, unless something remarkable happens, they can probably console themselves that at least they haven’t harmed their handicap.

The Nearest the Pin for a ball on the 12th went to none other than Oliver and the ProPin on the 15th went to the old Pro, Eddie (again).  There were 13 birdies including a double by Gordon on the 17th and 18th.  Certainly enough the bring him back next week and they added a modicum of respectability to his score.  Gordon, Targe and Brendon all reckoned they had lost the plot from about the 13th whereas Harry claimed not to have lost the plot, as he hadn’t had it in the first place.

Eddie was channeling the inner woman by using a delicate pink ball though it doesn’t seem to have done his game any harm.  Zimmer’s enthusiasm went close to bringing the players in front into danger on a couple of occasions.  More than a few reported difficulties getting the ball to fall into the hole, some even doing a 180 to avoid doing so.

The venerable old eagle was shaking on its perch in the tree by the 17th when Pepsi was attempting to sink his putt to collect the nice little nest eggs on offer.  It was Pepsi’s feathers that were ruffled when he only managed to get the par.  The about to be crowned Club Champion has obviously suffered a psychological set-back from the pressure of the adulation and expectations of his myriad fans and couldn’t even get it together with his practice balls before the tee and had similar problems after as well.  He did manage to contend in the various NTP comps on offer so it wasn’t all bad.

The Club Stroke Play Championship has now completed its second week and the progress table is available for viewing but it can be revealed that Zimmer and Pepsi have a bit of a lead and given that they should be playing in the same group next week it should make for an interesting shoot-out.  They could be caught, but Brendon and Oliver would have to get their mojo back.

The 2014 Eclectic is also under way and the leader board is also posted.  No prizes for guessing who are the current leaders but if you can’t guess, have a look.  Early days yet though.  And if you are wondering, the system has a maximum score on any hole of 9 strokes so for those of you who made double figures, go figure.

Keith has now completed his three cards to qualify for a handicap and he will be on a very comfortable 21.  Welcome back young fellah.

Nominations for Committee positions are open and over-due.  All positions are up for grabs and if you think the Club could be better run, put your hand up and make it happen.  If you have a home computer and would like to fill in for the handicapper when he is away there is an opening for an assistant but it doesn’t have to involve a Committee role unless you want to be involved in that way.

Results for Saturday, 07 December 2013
1st Rodger Clarke(63) 2nd Eddie Kloprogge(65) 3rd Mostyn Gregg(67) 4th Kazim Akdag(68) 5th Andrew Petricola(69)

What can you say?  The Championship has been decided pretty much for weeks, but is Oliver satisfied?  No way, after tearing the course apart last Saturday AND Sunday he came back to give it another work-out today.  The conditions as far as the weather was concerned were as good as we have had for quite a while and it is a bit of a shame that the numbers partaking were not greater than the 17 or so who turned up.  It seems that the delicacies that Oliver turned out on the bar-b-que afterwards were not enough to tempt more to turn up.  Oh well, those who were there will be able to gloat about the marinated chops and chicken wings, gourmet sausages and beef and bacon burgers that were available in plenty.  Not to mention the pide and wholegrain sourdough to keep your fingers from getting sticky.  There was also some dead horse but it seemed a shame to spoil the fare by slathering it with the indeterminate substances that they pass off in squeeze bottles these days.

Back to the golf.  Oliver’s form did slip a little from last week and he only managed a 73 off the stick to card a 65 nett.  His playing partners report that he duffed quite a few off the tee.  Must have been some great recovery shots if that was the case.  Needless to say that the Championship was deservedly his by a country mile.

Targe was more than a little miffed that he was pipped at the post again to go through the year without a win to his name.  A swag of good placings did stand him in good stead though and he was well up in the Championship Table.  His nett 66 cost him a little on the handicap front, just in time for the start of the new Competition Year.

Following closely behind and obviously positioning himself for the upcoming Vin O’Meara was the little tear-away Zimmer who put together a very respectable 74 off the beater for a 67 nett.  He was closely followed by Pepsi and Harry who both played to their handicap with nett 68.  Last in the points parade was AndrewB who got in by the skin of his teeth by handing his card in during the presentations to tip Brendon out of the list with a 69 – his favourite number.

This week was also the first round of the 2013 Club Stroke Play Championship and scores carded by those who played today over the next two weeks will be aggregated with your playing handicap for this week to determine the winner of this new event.  Can somebody please knee-cap Oliver?

Can you believe it, but the nearest the Pin for the ball on the 12th didn’t go off, partly down to the fact that somebody didn’t put their name on it because they thought they would be too far away and they wanted to save the ink.  The ProPin on the 18th (no Jackpot despite Gordons best efforts) was won by Gordon who was the only one to get close it seems.  Despite the seeming lack of accuracy, there were 11 birdies so there must have been a fair number on the longer holes.

Keith (not his distant cousin Frank) was back on the track today to put in his second card on the come-back trail.  Pepsi was another one who might have been looking out for position in the Vin O’Meara as he was going great guns for about 12 holes and then the wheels seemed to fall off.  Mehmet was also off his best in that group and Chrispy claims that this put him off his game as well.  Harry started off not at his best with doubles and a triple on the first three and that included a draughtie on the third which went awfully close to being an airie.  The long rough didn’t help the second shot much either.

When people stopped stuffing themselves from the bar-b-que, there was then the important business of the Calcutta Auction which ended up going quite well despite the small numbers present.  There was a certain amount of one-up-manship in some of the bidding but in the end most ended up being about fair value.  There were a few doubtful starters sold so if you haven’t made your intentions clear could you please do so so that we can finalise the pool.  Don’t forget that, if you have been bought by somebody, you have the option to take up a half share in the pool for half of the bid price.  If you don’t take up that option before the event starts you have forfeited any claim.  For those that wish to, there will be nominations next week before the round for the fixed price pool.  You buy your-self for $25 – best nett score(s) in the pool take all.

We are also coming up to the Annual General Meeting and the nomination and election of the Committee for the coming year.  If there is a role that you would like to contest, please put your hand up as soon as possible so that the necessary paper-work can be put in place in time for the meeting on 21 December.  Don’t forget this is also the Stuart Clarke Champion of Champions and Break-up event.

Results for Saturday, 30 November 2013
1st Oliver Gross(65) 2nd Targe Mifsud(66) 3rd Kazim Akdag(67) 4th Harry Boughen(68) 4th Andrew Petricola(68) 5th Andrew Blight(69)

 

 

You know what they say about Melbourne weather – if you don’t like it, just hang around for five minutes.  Just as we were teeing off from the first, it started to rain and by the time we got to the 3rd there were more than a few thoughts running through what passes for a brain as to whether we really wanted to be there.  Then, it eased off, and eased off and in the end the sun was shining and the greens were ‘dry’ and all was good with the world.  Whether it was the weather forecasts or just the time of the month/year, but there were not many bodies on the ground and if it was not for Keith Delzoppo starting his come-back we wouldn’t have made double figures.  Chrispy was not pleased about the low turn up as he only took on the job for the challenge that it entails and when he doesn’t even have to take his socks off to keep track of the numbers he wonders whether it is all worth it.

One sign of a true champion is that he doesn’t give up and Oliver showed no signs of doing that in the penultimate round of the year, racking up three birdies and two gashes to lead the field home with 38 points.  Given that there were only seven birdies all up for the day, that is a fair percentage.  So, not only did he win but he increased his lead in the championship table to be even more unassailable than before.

Not far behind, with 37 points, were Bill and Harry who both left scoring opportunities begging although Bill was apparently chipping in and sinking putts from all over the place.  Despite the small numbers playing, not everybody was able to be in on the podium positions and the next three were filled by singletons.  Mostyn played to his handicap, Targe was one over and Mehmet was three over. The rest of the field were you know where.

 The Nearest the Pin, was set by Craig on the 7th because that was the green that he put the ball onto and nobody else did so he won the ball.  The double Jackpot ProPin on the 15th went off today when Eddie managed to skull one onto the dance-floor close enough to get on the card.  Pity, a triple jackpot might have been enough to bring a few more out of the wood-work next week.

The big disappointment for the day was the fact that the inside Championship round was abandoned by the management due to the condition of the greens (water – not damage, that’s OK).  People who were having good rounds despite the conditions were a little miffed at either having to try again next week or (for one of the front runners – not one of us) not being able to play next week at all.

Keith claims not to have played since he left a few years back but the driver still seems to be working well and particularly when the greens were under water, he was sinking putts from just about anywhere.  Mehmet reckons the first group should have been counted as a five, though the word slander springs to mind if the reason was to be published.  There was a bit of a private competition on between Chrispy and Craig but as Craig had to get away early to go to a party, he persuaded Mehm to text him a pic of Chrispy’s scorecard.  Cruelled Chrispy’s plan to exaggerate his score when he caught up with Craig.

Next week is the last round for the competition year (ultimate, for those of you who like long words) and this is the occasion for the calcutta on the Vin O’Meara that will be played the following two weeks.  So that the auction can be fairly done and to minimise the book-keeping, we really need to have an idea that you will be playing so if you could advise Gordon or Harry at the earliest opportunity if you will definitely be playing or not.  We would prefer not to have maybes – either a yes or no.  There will also be a BarBQ to ease to pain of forking out your hard-earned as you bid up big for the fancied runners.  Oliver has offered to speak with his favourite butcher so the snags should be top quality.

Also don’t forget that next week and the two rounds of the Vin O’Meara will make up the inaugural (first, for those that like short words) Club Stroke Play Championship.  The placings will be determined by the aggregate nett score for the three rounds from your starting handicap.  So mark it on your calendar and make up a decent field for what should be an interesting event.

Results for Saturday, 23 November 2013
1st Oliver Gross(38) 2nd Harry Boughen(37) 2nd Bill Eastoe(37) 3rd Mostyn Gregg(36) 4th Targe Mifsud(35) 5th Mehmet Akdag(33)