2005 Handicap Analysis
Handicaps
‘Slashed’ in 2005
January
2006: Well the 2005 nnomads Golf Club
competition year has ended and the analysis of member handicaps is complete. We
took the first and last 18 hole score cards and
handicaps recorded in 2005 for all active members and looked at the difference.
This showed us whether member handicaps were ‘coming in’ or ‘going out’ during
the year (See Table at End of Document). The results showed that about half of the current
members in 2005 reduced their handicaps while a further three remained
static. The remaining members all went out by less
than one stroke (with a maximum loss of 0.6 strokes). A ‘Press Release’ from the
Club Committee said “It shows that nnomads Golf Club members were maintaining or improving
their handicaps during 2005. Steve, Pete and Harry did particularly well as did
others. It’s a very healthy outcome for the 
club.”
Steve
Lead Slasher in 2005: At the top of the 2005 player board was
Steve S who began the year on a handicap of 23 strokes and ended up on 18.2
strokes, a reduction of 4.8 strokes over the year. While he consistently
reduced his handicap all year, it was in the last three months that he did most
of the damage with 2 x 89 strokes and 1 x 88 strokes off the stick at Yarrambat
(between 3 and 5 strokes under ACR each time). “It
shows that the handicap review late last year was totally unnecessary. It was a
complete waste of time” mumbled Brendan in a somewhat cynical tone. (Note:
Last year’s handicap review process is further discussed below).
Pete S Has One Large Slash: Pete also gained a significant handicap reduction in 2005, moving down 4.4
strokes to 17.8. This was solely due to his 80 stroke round in the
Melbourne Cup Cup where he was 10.6 strokes under ACR
and lost 4.4 strokes from his handicap. “So you play that one great game and your
handicap gets slaughtered” reasoned Pete trying to defend last year’s
Handicap Review.
Handicap
Review Process Questioned: There was quite some debate around the
Committee Room when the 2005 handicap results were officially published. This
was because Steve S and Pete S had been the recipients of handicap reviews late
last year and had received significantly higher handicaps as a result. “And they are both almost exactly back to
were they were before the review and where they bloody well belong” scoffed
Brendan who among others had some qualms about the original decision. And readers, They were right! After the review last year Pete S’s 18 hole
handicap moved out from 16 to 22 strokes. At the end of 2005 he 
was
back to 18 strokes. Steve S moved from 19 to 23 strokes after the review and
has come back to 18.2 at the end of 2005. “So
they had the advantage of higher handicaps in 2005. What a gift!” smiled
Steph mischievously. “It just
shows that the handicapping process works. They both legitimately fitted the
review criteria at the time, although it was a case of 'the squeaky hinge', but the result 
shows their original handicaps weren't too far off the mark." Sources within the Club revealed recently
Harry Had A Slash or Two:
Harry was the only other member to reduce his handicap by over 4 strokes in
2005. He achieved this slowly across the year including 2 x 99s at
Yarrambat, 1 x 98 strokes and 1 x 97
strokes at Yarra Bend and 1 x 99 at Buenaventura CA bring his handicap down
from 32 strokes to 28. “Well I’m chuffed
and somewhat surprised really. If I keep on going I might get down to a
reasonable handicap” mused Harry when asked about
his performance.
US
Slashers: 
with
a handicap of 17.6 strokes but after 2 x 89 strokes at
Last of 1 + Slashers Steph:
Steph was in the top 10 performers in 2005 reducing his handicap by 1.2 strokes
to end up on a handicap of 21 strokes. Key performances included 1 x 92, 1 x 93
and 1 x 91 at Yarrambat and 1 x 89 at Yarra Bend. “Stroke by stroke.
I’m getting there stroke by stroke” smiled the big feller when considering
the outcomes.
Min, Brendan, Ricko and Tom Slash A Stroke Give-or-Take: Min, Brendan, Ricko and Tom
all reduced 
their
handicaps by between 0.9 and 0.6 of a stroke in 2005. “Anything over 0.5 of a stroke is as good as a stroke after you round it” instructed Mark who was asked to pass opinion. Min dropped 0.9 of a stroke due to an excellent 102 at Yarrambat (3.8
strokes under ACR). Brendan started on a handicap of 14.7, before going out to
16.1 strokes in April (MOTT at
SA
Slashers: The South Australian boys are at somewhat of a
disadvantage. Their handicaps are based on the ‘only two 18 hole score cards’ from the PIS each year. Despite this
limitation Jacko (0.5 of a stroke) and Nick (0.4 of a stroke) managed to reduce
their handicaps across this event. And Normie (of the
stormy variety) reduced his handicap by a full stroke, a great performance
across two days. The Committee commends
these Players and their colleagues in SA and strongly encourages all SA
nnomads to send in their score cards via the web site – “We can calculate and maintain an accurate handicap for you over time. The
more cards you submit the more accurate the handicap; and you may take solace
in the fact that the Mexicans are funding the operation” observed our Club
Handicapper in a brief moment of clarity
'The Challenge For 2006':
" ... 2006 represents a new challenge for members to keep
reducing their handicaps, and the best way to do that is to have lower scores
than you had this year … Or you could buy some new clubs ...expensive ones ... that might do it …”
advised our highly informative spokesperson.
“Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into
an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose” (Winston Churchill).
Change In Player 18 Hole Handicaps
During 2005
(Difference between first and last entry during 2005)
|
Player |
Handicap at Start |
Handicap at End |
Difference |
|
Steve S |
23.0 |
18.2 |
-4.8 |
|
Pete S |
22.0 |
17.6 |
-4.4 |
|
Harry |
32.0 |
28.0 |
-4.0 |
|
|
17.6 |
15.3 |
-2.3 |
|
Andre (US) |
20.1 |
18.0 |
-2.1 |
|
Steph |
22.2 |
21.0 |
-1.2 |
|
Normie (SA) |
43.9 |
42.9 |
-1.0 |
|
Min |
32.7 |
31.8 |
-0.9 |
|
Brendan |
14.7 |
13.9 |
-0.8 |
|
|
36.4 |
35.8 |
-0.6 |
|
Tom |
26.4 |
25.8 |
-0.6 |
|
Jacko (SA) |
27.8 |
27.3 |
-0.5 |
|
Nicko (SA) |
24.7 |
24.3 |
-0.4 |
|
Fruitcake (SA) |
33.5 |
33.5 |
0.0 |
|
Greenie (SA) |
22.2 |
22.2 |
0.0 |
|
Tim B |
29.9 |
29.9 |
0.0 |
|
Pitte Man (SA) |
37.2 |
37.3 |
0.1 |
|
Bo (SA) |
44.8 |
44.9 |
0.1 |
|
Boog (SA) |
22.2 |
22.3 |
0.1 |
|
Pete M |
30.2 |
30.3 |
0.1 |
|
Therese |
45.3 |
45.4 |
0.1 |
|
Jack |
24.0 |
24.2 |
0.2 |
|
Mark F |
34.4 |
34.6 |
0.2 |
|
Mike (US) |
8.1 |
8.5 |
0.4 |
|
Gordon |
24.3 |
24.9 |
0.6 |
|
Fritz |
26.7 |
27.3 |
0.6 |
Note All Players – Handicap Reviews: Any
player who hasn’t managed to play to their handicap in any cards
submitted in the calendar year of 2005, may request a review of his
or her handicap. The review would recalculate the handicap based on recent
score cards submitted (at least 5 cards). For a handicap review contact the Handicapper
via www.nnomadsgolfclub.com before