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Chavalit Osathanonda
Thai golfer
Yes I do care about handicap. As I do not play golf too frequently, I don't take that too seriously. I know what handicap I should play to within reason, but I am really out there for fun with friends and meet a new friends. Players who lie about handicap soon find themselves without anyone to play with, cheaters are never welcome. However, most Clubs are pretty accurate with their handicap now, which makes things fairer.
Nguyen Viet Tram Anh
Phuong Nam JSC, Company
I have played golf about 5 years and my handicap is 18. In my opinion the golfers who play golf seriously often want to reduce their handicap to show their skills improvement. However, many players are controlled by golf prizes so they often cheat handicap by making a false statement about handicap or rigging scores on competitions. Despite the Vietnam Golf Association existence, this issue belongs to individual self-awareness and responsibility. Hope that in the near future, people consciousness will be improved.
Pham Dong Phong
Dong Phong Investment JSC, Company
Nowadays, in spite of Vietnam Golf Association establishment as well as the golf association in the local city, the golf handicap management for golfers seems not good enough. Because of the fact that many golfers do not belong to a golf club association so the golf handicap management has to face with a lot of difficulty in holding the golf tournament. Players ready to make a false statement about their handicap, make it very low to have the opportunity winning prizes. Personally, I think the issue belongs to golfer’s honesty but also the Vietnam Golf Association’s responsibility. I expect VGA will try its best to solve this matter soon.
Pham Hoang Lan Huong
Executive Director of Project Property Company
As far as we know, golf is a kind of sport that you play with yourself. For this reason I only concern about my handicap. The golf course where I am a member will calculate handicap for me. I do not have concept to ‘raise’ handicap. Although nowadays I watch many players utter a falsehood about their handicap or the same actions, I actually do not pay much attention. If they can win the prize by this method, it’s not their truly trophy. Because the real prize which gains by real ability and strength is more glorious and delight.
Le Xuan Viet
Director of Technology Development JSC
In order to create the fair-play spirit for all of golfers when participate each tournament, beyond the golfer’s honesty, I think the organizing board should recheck all the players’ handicap. Each competitor has the handicap affirmation mark of his/her managed organ. Even though this method can’t absolutely right but it will limit the cheating and confirm the fair-play for the tournament.
Jutta Arnaud
Coco Beach Resort
I guess I care about my handicap when I play; I try to play as close as possible to it. No, I do not know how to calculate my own handicap. As I am member in 2 golf clubs, I give my score cards there after play and use the handicap the calculated. I also used already online score tracking and handicap calculation websites.
Giving wrong handicap is definitely widespread in Vietnam; lots of players give only bad score cards to their club in order to keep their handicap high to have a chance of winning. Lots of tournaments players win by playing 8-10 strokes under their handicap, a definite sign that their handicap was wrong to start with.
Phil Wright,
Danang Golf Club
As a head golf professional, I don’t really have a handicap. So, no, I don’t care about it from my position here at DGC. If I was a club player, though, and was wagering money on my game, then yes, I would have a handicap and care about my handicap. As for calculating handicaps: Yes, I do know how to calculate my handicap, although these days it’s all computerized. Many of our players here at DGC tend to play together and as a result they kind of know each others' skill levels. That can be good, because no one wants to play with a stranger who claims a 15 handicap and shoots 72 in a betting situation. There are no surprises when you play with someone whose game you're familiar with.
This is a problem for a developing golf country like Vietnam. We see this on occasion -- that situation where a player will, over time, let his bad scores give him a handicap that might not be a true indication of his skill level. Through our computer system, we try to limit this practice. But at the end of the day golf is a game of integrity.
Jeremy King
Knight Frank Vietnam
My handicap is very important to me. It is a measurement of the standard of golf I am playing. My aim has always been to get my handicap as low as possible. That is, to be the best I can be. My handicap is calculated by the golf club where I am a member in Australia (Royal Queensland Golf Club). Across Australia the handicap system has recently been changed to the “slope” system which is used in the USA. Before we used the system used by the R&A, which I preferred. I understood the R&A system but I do not fully understand the “slope” system.
Golf is a game for gentlemen of honor. It obviously involves being honest with counting your shot, adherence to the rules and handicapping. There is no place for cheats in golf and those caught should be punished severely and humiliated publicly. A handicap is mean to make it fair for all to compete equally. However, many golfers do not belong to a club and do not have a handicap. It is often genuinely quite difficult for these people to truly gauge their fair handicap. That is, they can shoot 102 in one round then 90 the next and may only play 5 times per year. A system or website where these infrequent players or those non-club members, could input their scores may assist those who are unsure of their fair handicap.
Even within golf clubs’ members can potentially “manipulate” their handicaps and I know of cases where golfers have been called by the committee to “please explain” or have had their handicap capped. Tournament organizers are responsible for ensuring that “cheats never prosper”.
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* Calculate your handicap
1. Take the scores from the last five rounds (18 holes each) that you played.
2. Look up the rating and slope for the course that you played for each of these scores. This information is usually printed on the scorecard, although you can also call to the course.
3. Subtract the course rating from the score you earned on that course.
4. Multiply that number by 113.
5. Divide that number by the slope of the course. This number is the differential.
6. Take the lowest of your five differentials and multiply it by 0.96, and you have your handicap.
Update: 15/09/2011
