Plus players’ handicaps? | Golf Monthly
Playing handicaps are increased from the Handicap Index for more difficult courses, lets say if a member of Bracknell Municipal is playing Carnoustie. That increase is greater for higher handicaps. Now when you get into plus handicaps, unless you believe that plus players play better at Carnoustie than Bracknell, then their handicaps should increase also, but that means that the number reduces, because it is being added rather than subtracted. But because the system is, ahem, anchored, sorry, benchmarked at 0, the amount of increase falls from a lot at high handicaps, to a bit less at mid handicaps to a little at low handicaps to none at scratch then moves to a reduction when it crosses from regular (subtractive) handicaps to plus (additive) handicaps. That assumes the relationship between playing score at Carnoustie compared to Bracknell inverts at scratch. It plainly doesn't.
So 3 guys, handicaps 5, 0 and +5 play Carnoustie, slope 145 (not sure if that is correct, but don't worry about it).
5 guy is now 6
Scratch is now 0.
+5 guy is now +6.
So the worst player gets a small extra handicap allowance, the scratch player gets none and the best player is penalised for playing a harder course.
Now they play a return match at Bracknell Miuni which has a slope of 100.
5 guy is now a 4, scratch guy is still 0 and +5 guy is now a +4.
So the 5 handicapper gets a lower handicap at the Open venue than the chicken run, but the opposite applies to the + guy?
