Palm Course Hole 3

Just picked up golf? No handicap index? We know it can be frustrating not having anywhere to play. Especially if you are located in Singapore where beginners are often frowned upon at golf courses on weekends (if you are permitted to play in the first place). But you can’t really blame the golf courses or the seasoned golfers for breathing down your neck. The situation is a victim of demand and supply. As much as beginners don’t like to be rushed, golfers don’t like to wait at every hole and have their momentum disrupted.

So what options do beginners have? Try playing on weekdays. Most clubs in Singapore are tolerant if you have a decent swing and know basic golf etiquette. Of course, you can also pay the only public course in Singapore a lousy 10 bucks for a ‘30-day license’ to play (excluding green fees & buggy). And another 10 bucks to have the ‘privilege’ of making reservations.

There is a 3rd option if you don’t have a flexi work hours like me. Consider getting up early on weekends and head to the courses in Johor. Half the price, twice the fun. Palm Villa is one such club that welcomes beginners.

Talk to any golfer and most would trace their ‘virgin’ 18-hole round at the make-shift container hut in Palm Villa. I myself spent numerous weekends waking up at 4.30am when me and my buddy took up the game 10 years ago. Then, the drive there was an adventure by itself – elusive road-signs, huge pot holes and gigantic humps that the F1 cars would crash into.

Well, Palm Villa Golf Club has since gone a long way (and you don’t have to wake up at 4.30am nor do you need to have a 4-wheel drive). It now boasts a 27-hole course layout – Palm, Putra and IOI, with the latter being the more challenging nine. The make shift hut is now replaced by a contemporary clubhouse with good shower facilities. It is a friendly course with relatively flat terrain and reasonable distances for beginners – none of the par 3’s and par 5’s exceed 170m and 500m respectively. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a mickey mouse course either. Water is in play on 3 holes in Palm course and 5 holes in IOI course. In particular, the Index 1 hole 5 on IOI course requires a precision drive down the middle of a narrow fairway and a gutsy iron shot to get across the canal. You will need to carry your drive at least 140m to clear the big pond on hole 7 at Palm course.

I met with their new Club Manager, Ivan Teo last week. Mr Teo concurred that the club is popular among Singaporeans as it welcomes golfers with varying standards. Because it is a public course, most golfers come with the expectation that the rounds may take longer to complete. So long as beginners observe basic golf etiquette, keep pace with the group in front and let better players overtake, the marshals rarely rush them.

Currently, the course does not take bookings but that could change soon. We are working out the details with the club to participate in our clickateeonline portal. By facilitating advance online bookings, not only would it allow better resource planning for the club, it would provide better customer service. There will not be a need for golfers to wait for an hour or two to get a tee-time or drive all the way there only to know the course is closed. And those who used our portal would know – we don’t collect a dime from you for online bookings – our service is FREE! We even help you maintain your scores and track your performance in cool charts. FREE.

Now, you no longer have to fuss over not having a place to tee-off. It’s funny how my best golf memory in the past decade isn’t teeing off at Pebble beach in Monterey or Kapalua in Hawaii. It is standing at the tee-box of Hole 1, Palm course at dawn, watching how the sun slowly brightens the day and unveils the tranquility of the surroundings. No buildings, no traffic, no construction noise. Just me, my buddy … and a whole bunch of crap about how I hadn’t slept well the night before and why I should get that extra stroke from him. Priceless.

Enjoy your game. Everyone can golf.

David

Well, this next piece of information from the USGA Handicap System might come in handy:

Under the USGA Handicap System,

“All scores for handicap purposes, including tournament scores, are subject to the application of Equitable Stroke Control (”ESC”). This mandatory procedure reduces high hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicap more representative of a player’s potential ability.”

ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap* as follows:

Course Handicap                  Maximum score

9 or less                               Double bogey

10 through 19                      7

20 through 29                      8

30 through 39                      9

40 or more                           10

*A Course Handicap is determined by applying the player’s Handicap Index to a Course Handicap Table or you can calculate it by multiplying your Handicap Index by the Slope Rating of the course played and divide it by 113, round up to nearest whole number)

Example

A player with a Handicap Index of 10.4 has a Course Index of 13 at a course with a slope rating of 140. The maximum score he can post on any hole during the round is 7.

The next time you meet the seemingly decent bloke, show your ‘generosity’ by telling him to write down a 7 instead of 10 on his scorecard for the par-5 hole 17. =)

Better still, the next time your buddy does a ‘Phil M’, be gracious enough to tell him about ESC and make his day.

David

(reference: USGA Handicap System 2008-2011)

First, the definition:

A “Handicap Index” is the USGA’s service mark used to indicate a measurement of a player’s potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty.  It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place.

Now that you know the definition, let’s go through the USGA handicap formula:

Step 1:  Determine the number of handicap differentials to use (see “Ever wonder what the Course Rating and Slope Rating represent” on “handicap differentials”).  Under USGA handicap system, you need to submit at least five scores before the handicap index may be calculated.  Some local clubs/association may demand more scores to be submitted because the accuracy of the handicap index is directly proportional to the number of acceptable scores submitted.  For illustration purpose, let’s use 20 scores.

Step 2:  Calculate your handicap differentials ((adjusted gross score – course rating) x 113 / slope rating)

Step 3:  Average the number of handicap differentials being used.  You do not average ALL the handicap differentials submitted.  If you submitted 20 scores, you will only average the 10 lowest handicap differentials.

Step 4:  Multiply the average by 0.96 (this factor is known as the Bonus for Excellence. It is the incentive for players to improve their golf games)

Step 5: Delete all number after the tenths’ digit.  Do not round to the nearest tenth.

Example:

Total of 10 lowest handicap differentials (from the most recent 20 scores submitted) = 154.8

Average = 15.48

Multiply by 0.96 = 14.861

Delete all digits after tenths = 14.8

This is your handicap index … 14.8

Noticed how the formula only picks your 10 lowest handicap differentials from 20 scores submitted?  So the next time you play a terrible game, don’t forget to submit your score.  Submission of scores is mandatory and if it is an anomaly, rest assured that it will not be taken into account in calculating your handicap index.

In addition to the above, there is a provision under USGA Handicap System to reduce the Handicap Index calculated by the above method if the player posted exceptional tournament scores.  We’ll save that for later.

Enjoy your game!

David

(reference: USGA Handicap System 2008-2011)