COMMUNITY

Nothing wrong with how you feel abput playing by the rules. Golf is a gentleman's game and the attitude you takes is very honorable. At the end pf the round, do we not take off our cap and shake hands with your opponet or even friend! Keep doing what you are doing.

I concur on your reasoning about handicaps but you do not take into account those who post scores to achieve a handicap who will never play in a tournament requiring a USGA handicap. Those are people who do it for their own sense of purpose, either for ill or good.
Whether the rules are followed or not is, in a casual round, neither here nor there but only affects the person playing. Unless of course someone is going to get all upset about pace of play because you went down range only to find your ball did in fact go OB and you make the trip back to the tee box. (Sorry, couldnt resist that jab at the "fast" players). (Me I play a provisional if in doubt :))
I live on a course and watch golfers daily. The vast majority of rules violations I see are #1 improving your lie by diddling the ball around with your club and #2 taking a free drop when your ball went through the housing fences and you can see it, so it must not be OB (rules card says anything inside fences of personal property is OB). #3 Taking a drop when the fence line (which is in fact an OB line/rope) because the fence interferes with your swing.

It all depends on the attitude of the person.

I played with a guy who kept meticulous track of everyone's scores. Yet he shoots a 10+ on a hole and says, "Put me down for an 8." This is a loser.

The next day I play with another guy who took many long foot wedges but admitted, "Hey I'm just here to have fun." In contrast to the first guy, he never asked about my score, never seemed to write his down. This is someone I enjoy.

Point being: It's the serious people who need to play by the rules and keep an honest score. Otherwise, shut the hell up about scores.

NICE READ! i,think that was VinylJunkie,idea,about being honest with your score.VinylJunkie,said.oh yeah! and all you high cappers,don't forget,you used to hit 100+ too! Some of you still do.But aren't honest with your score.i,like playing by the rules.now if you decide to break the rules,that's on you.but on the other hand .we playing for money$$$.all rules are on,and i'm watching you like a Hawk!

What's wrong with that? Under Equitable Stroke Control, you are limited to the number of strokes per hole you may record for handicap purposes. If he was a 25 handicap, the most he can record on a hole is 8.

I stand by my statement. Golf is afflicted with some rules and handicap "allowances" that I fundamentally oppose and find silly. A stroke is a stroke is a stroke. Count 'em all. End of story.

That is correct.

What's wrong with that? Under Equitable Stroke Control, you are limited to the number of strokes per hole you may record for handicap purposes. If he was a 25 handicap, the most he can record on a hole is 8.

What's wrong with this is when someone claims to shoot an 82 or 92 or 102 or whatever, when that person's actual score is several strokes higher. If you don't keep scores and never talk about your scores, then write down whatever you want. Just don't ever tell me you shot a number that is several strokes lower than the score you actually shot. I understand your thinking about ESC, but the handicap calculations will take care of correcting that high number on a given hole. That doesn't mean the player made an 8. The player made a 10, and to declare otherwise (which is just what that player is doing when he claims to shoot a lower score than he actually shot) is simply a freakin' lie. I'm so sick of hearing people tell me about the good score they played to when I know that several strokes weren't counted. I find it insulting, and, frankly I lose some respect for and trust in that person. If a person can't be honest about your score in a game that relies on honor, what exactly does that say about that person? I could go on and on...guess I already have. Still a little pissed even now.

The majority of golfers in the USA don't use the Stracka system. At my club, as is the case in many/most clubs, public or private, you enter your own scores. So for example, I'm an 8 handicap. If I shoot 81 with a triple bogey on the par 4 6th hole, I write a 6 on the card. When I record the score into the GHIN system, it is for 80, not 81.

How does Stracka work? Given my example round above, would the system show you shot 80 or 81? It seems like you would have to enter scores for each hole for the system to adjust your scores for handicap purposes.

See my post above and explain to me how the handicap calculations will take care of that.

So you ignore the rules that you fundamentally oppose and find silly?

It will show your actual score and your "ESC" score. The "ESC" score isn't a real score - it is simply used to calculate your handicap. Your actual score is your real score.

Thanks for the explanation. I understand what you are saying. When we who don't belong to a stracka system keep score, we mark our card at the highest score per hole ESC allows. Obviously, if we are playing in some sort of competition, the actual score is recorded. In a casual round of golf, marking a 6 instead of a 7 to comply with ESC is not cheating. Cheating would be if you knowingly took the 7 to artificially inflate your handicap. If I shot an actual 82, but per ESC I shot 80, I must enter the 80 into the GHIN system. The system doesn't know if I had holes over what ESC allows, so it can't make an adjustment.

Got it. Thanks. The GHIN system shows only one score; the one you record, which must comply with ESC.

I agree.

Your logic is flawed. Put down what you shot.
Part of the reason for ESC is to prevent sandbagging.

I'm curious, if you are in a tourney and playing for low net, do you put down the 6 or the 7?