* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Our objective is to offer you a useful, informative
and interesting newsletter. If you have any suggestions
for us, feel free to contact us at
news@caddiemaster.com If you are receiving this
in error and did not subscribe to CaddieMasterNews,
please follow the removal instructions at the
end of this email.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CaddieMasterNews
What Handicaps Mean to Most Golfers

I frequently read articles about golf and have learned some interesting facts about the profile of the typical golfer and how he or she feels about keeping an accurate and certified handicap. In this context the word "certified" means that a player's handicap has been computed using the procedures defined by the industry's governing golf association and that the handicap has therefore been duly sanctioned by that association. It seems that invariably every significant golfing country in the world has one of these associations - the most dominant being the USGA. So, let's look at the US and assume that what is happening there reflects what is happening in the rest of the world.

There are over 26 million golfers and right off the top we know that over 66% do not keep any type of handicap. That's over 18 million golfers. Over half of the golfers that do keep a handicap do not in fact keep a certified USGA handicap. It gets worse. Of the 4 million golfers that keep a certified USGA handicap, many (most??) do so as a requirement of the private club or men's club to which they belong and opt in primarily because the service is perceived as being "free" because it was built into their membership fees. They don't ever use the "imagined" benefits of a certified handicap over a non-certified handicap and would quite frankly be just as happy with a non-certified handicap.

In some ways the demise of the USGA is unfortunate. In my humble opinion they were the inventors of the most significant advancement in handicap calculation procedures in decades - maybe ever! And that invention is the slope system. This system recognizes and mathematically quantifies the fact that not all golf courses are created equal. They also recognized that tough golf courses punish the poor golfer proportionally more than the good golfer. Have you ever noticed that sand, water and deep rough are pretty well invisible to the pro? But on a golf course, those are my homes away from home. Pros love fast undulating greens that for me are a one-way ticket right off the putting surface.

Anyway, let's quit feeling sorry for the USGA and move on. What does the future hold? Well to be a bit scientific about it, the preceding facts show us that there are 3 types of golfers. (1) The traditional golfer who really buys into the history of the game and into industry-sanctioned programs including a certified handicap. (2) The pure recreational golfer (remember that 66% majority) that plays for pure enjoyment and is sometimes hard pressed to even keep score (my wife never has!); much less keep a handicap. (3) The most interesting group to me is those golfers for whom the game is recreation but at the same time want to monitor their performance and even take serious steps to improve their skill level. But their evolution to more serious golf does not include getting a certified handicap because, quite frankly, they do not perceive such a handicap as contributing in a meaningful way to the attainment of their primary goals.

Are the above demographics changing? They undoubtedly are, but the big question is, in what way? That's anybody's guess, but my feeling is that group 3 is going to increase proportionally more than the other two. A good percentage of the base of pure recreational golfers (the big majority) will increase their commitment to the game and migrate into group (2). It is also not inconceivable that the percentage of hard-core traditionalists that comprise group (1) will remain static or even diminish as non-certified handicapping options become more available, less expensive and prove to be more than adequate to satisfy the needs of these golfers. From a marketing perspective and taking a shameful self-serving view, I feel that the market for products like CaddieMasterPro will be increasing over time.

My take is that handicaps are being used more and more as a means of leveling the playing field for small groups such as men's clubs, ladies' clubs or just a single golfer who keeps on top of the skill level thing for himself and a group of 3 to 20 of his close golfing buddies. For these types of situations it is not so important what handicap calculation formula is used. What is important is that everyone in the group is using the same approach. Mind you, this goal of consistency is attainable by using an accepted formula and the obvious choice is the one invented by the USGA. But in these situations, "certification" is a non-starter and minor variations in the formula (like ignoring tournament play for example) are similarly of little importance. Continuing on this theme, I don't see anything wrong with allowing the user to customize the number of "counter" rounds and the number of "best" rounds used to come up with the final handicap. In fact, it could be argued that it makes a lot of sense to use, for example, the best 5 rounds of the last 10 played instead of the USGA standard of the best 10 of 20 for some situations. For example if the golfers in a group tend to play significantly less rounds per season than the usual average of 21, it could be more useful to concentrate on just the most recently played rounds as an indicator of a golfer's skill level.

For tournament play, our goal should be to recognize that accurate handicaps are not necessarily the primary focus of every event. They should not "get in the way" of much more noble goals like raising money for a charity or the enjoyment of an entertaining outing on the links. Remember that for golf tournaments, as for any business, the goal is to get repeat customers. And since the losers will always dramatically outnumber the winners, let's identify the real goals and implement procedures that do not intimidate the recreational golfer whose money is every bit as good as the better player's money.

My feeling is that we don't have to change world - just recognize the world (well the golf world anyway) as it really is.

Best regards,
Brian Yager

___________________________________________________
Want to know how to track your handicap? It's easy!
Check out the CaddieMasterPro Overview

Do you own a golf related website, newsletter or ezine?
Make $$$ today with the CaddieMaster Affiliate Program!
___________________________________________________

Thank you for letting us serve you,
Brian & Dre
CaddieMasterNews Team

To unsubscribe from the CaddieMasterNews Newsletter, please go to http://www.caddiemaster.com/news-remove.html