Trusting each other “The legitimacy of the Handicap system depends on the players”
“You must try to make the best score at each hole in every round” – USGA.org
The Handicap System is based on the goodwill of players (and the vigilant friends playing along them). That goodwill should be reflected on the intention to obtain the best possible score on every hole in every round.
In this new era of golf with so many forms to track your Handicap, this principle of “Trust” becomes more and more relevant. People now post their scores using Apps on their mobile devices or writing the scores themselves on their computers when they get back home. In fact, there are not a lot of barriers for someone to manipulate their scores.
The USGA Handicap System establishes that for a Handicap Index to be official it should belong to a licensed Club, which is no more than a group of people that regularly play together and that can verify each other’s ability. This happens naturally by playing together or by looking at each other’s posted Scorecards.
Now, is also true that technology is allowing many other benefits that would have not been possible in the past. For example, we created a pretty cool feature at www.TheGrint.com that allows players not only to upload a picture of their scorecards but also to look at the picture of their friend’s scorecards. This has become pretty handy to me considering some of my friend’s ability to somehow always have a higher handicap.
Let’s go back to: “The intention to obtain the best possible score on every hole on every round”. Most people trust that everyone does this because they want to get better and brag about their handicap. However, because the handicap is used to compete, having a higher handicap is actually beneficial for any player. So next time you see someone writing a higher than actual score on a hole, you will probably think twice before letting them.
Enjoy your golf!
