Slope Rating are we getting in Scotland

[Tomba]

Heard a rumour last week that Scotland (SGU) will be using Slope instead of SSS/CSS in the near future, anyone know if this is true?

I know all Scottish courses got rated a few years back and then the EGU decided it'd be too big a task to rate all of their courses so the scheme was binned.

[BigJim]

I hadn't heard anything, the other big Jim is the most likely to have heard.

FWIW I don't think that the use of CSS gives enough variability from SSS. I don't think that the variation of SSS from par is enough or appropriate on some courses. My only concern with slope is that it doesn't take into account conditions on the day of a competition, so ideally we'd have some sort of CSS type adjustment to the slope for a comp.

It would mean that courses with "travelling" handicaps would start to feel some pain though.

I don't think Eastwood has been slope rated since the course changed.

[Tomba]

I read a wee bit from the Pope of Slope site and they said that the adverse conditions on the day wouldnt affect the lower h/caps as much as the higher and would kind of negate the theory a bit as lower h/caps affect CSS more than high.

Or I could be talking pish and read it wrong.

Found it;

On competition days, the SSS for the day becomes the CSS, or Competitive Scratch Score that is based on how the field played that particular day. It is a way to deal with the inclement weather, such as high winds that can affect golfers's scores in the UK. On a bad weather day, scores naturally go up and the CSS goes up accordingly........
It has always been my contention that in high winds that the Slope Rating rises more dramatically than the Course Rating because better players can deal with the winds better than the higher handicap players can.

[theoracle66]

Pope of Slope is a wonderful site for golf geeks. The article on Sandbagging should be compulsory reading for ALL golfers!

1 or 2 hairy (windy) days shouldn't affect Slope (much) - as the calculation uses 'best 10 of last 20.

I believe that English courses are gradually - and quietly -  having slope ratings calculated. Not sure whether that is for a conversion of handicap systems - which would be a massive job - or merely to provide the info/comparison.

As Congu is pushing the Central Handicap Database, my view is that it's a 'fact-finding' exercise.

As far as Scotland is concerned, I reckon that there has been so much demand from tourists that the SGU could well have decided to take that task on. Given their recent record, perhaps another waste of your levies? 

[golf_bhoy]

Pope of Slope is a wonderful site for golf geeks. The article on Sandbagging should be compulsory reading for ALL golfers!

1 or 2 hairy (windy) days shouldn't affect Slope (much) - as the calculation uses 'best 10 of last 20.

I believe that English courses are gradually - and quietly -  having slope ratings calculated. Not sure whether that is for a conversion of handicap systems - which would be a massive job - or merely to provide the info/comparison.

As Congu is pushing the Central Handicap Database, my view is that it's a 'fact-finding' exercise.

As far as Scotland is concerned, I reckon that there has been so much demand from tourists that the SGU could well have decided to take that task on. Given their recent record, perhaps another waste of your levies? 

The SGU rated its courses years ago, as did the Irish and Welsh.  It was the EGU who shit out on the basis it was too much like work for them.  The very same EGU who refused for years to lapse handicaps for players not playing in club comps (allowing the cheats to roll up at open fourball and foursome events with a 10 year old handicap).

Courses will be rated.  The CHD will use it but that's the main purpose of the CHD.  It's to make it easier for players to enter open comps at other clubs without the handicap secretary having to spend 5 or 6 nights a week at the club printing off a handicap certificate here and a handicap certificate there.

[BigJim]

I read a wee bit from the Pope of Slope site and they said that the adverse conditions on the day wouldnt affect the lower h/caps as much as the higher and would kind of negate the theory a bit as lower h/caps affect CSS more than high.

Or I could be talking pish and read it wrong.

Found it;

I think that's probably saying the same as me. The slope rating on a given day should be different from the course rating if it's weather affected, especially since bad weather favours low handicap golfers (hence my failure to win a penny the other night)

[theoracle66]

The SGU rated its courses years ago, as did the Irish and Welsh.  It was the EGU who shit out on the basis it was too much like work for them.  The very same EGU who refused for years to lapse handicaps for players not playing in club comps (allowing the cheats to roll up at open fourball and foursome events with a 10 year old handicap).

Courses will be rated.  The CHD will use it but that's the main purpose of the CHD.  It's to make it easier for players to enter open comps at other clubs without the handicap secretary having to spend 5 or 6 nights a week at the club printing off a handicap certificate here and a handicap certificate there.

Thanks for the patriotic reply  

Perhaps the fact that there are over 3 times as many clubs might have swayed EGU's thinking (which wasn't particularly progressive imo, but I think we agree there).

Biggest case of banditry I've ever seen was in Scotland. A supposed 18 handicaper went round Gullane 3 in 3 over; then repeated the feat in the afternoon on Gullane 2! Perhaps the English don't get up to those nasty tricks?   Lapsed 'caps are now (from 'this year') UK wide. 

BTW. All the systems I've seen allow individual players to create there own handicap certs.

 

[ask3l]

Thanks for the patriotic reply  

Perhaps the fact that there are over 3 times as many clubs might have swayed EGU's thinking (which wasn't particularly progressive imo, but I think we agree there).

Biggest case of banditry I've ever seen was in Scotland. A supposed 18 handicaper went round Gullane 3 in 3 over; then repeated the feat in the afternoon on Gullane 2! Perhaps the English don't get up to those nasty tricks?   Lapsed 'caps are now (from 'this year') UK wide. 

BTW. All the systems I've seen allow individual players to create there own handicap certs.

 

I'm sure the EGU will have more than 3 times the recourses that the SGU has.
I'm also sure Gullane is full of English visitors so i'm not shocked by the scoring 

[golf_bhoy]

Thanks for the patriotic reply  :sarcastic

Facts are there on Pope of Slope.  http://www.popeofslope.com/scotland/politicsinbritish%20.html

Perhaps the fact that there are over 3 times as many clubs might have swayed EGU's thinking (which wasn't particularly progressive imo, but I think we agree there).

Three times as many clubs and ten times the population makes it even worse.

Biggest case of banditry I've ever seen was in Scotland. A supposed 18 handicaper went round Gullane 3 in 3 over; then repeated the feat in the afternoon on Gullane 2! Perhaps the English don't get up to those nasty tricks?   Lapsed 'caps are now (from 'this year') UK wide. 

And the bandit's nationality was ..?  Or are we just to guess from the tone of the rest of your post?  Was it an official HC or a society estimated one?

BTW. All the systems I've seen allow individual players to create there own handicap certs.

BTW Club200 doesn't, unless it was part of the 2010 release (in which case it probably wouldn't work because f**k all else does very well).