Handicap odds  12:00, 11/03/2017

Okay, this column will undoubtedly piss some people off big time. I also don’t like to blow my own horn in columns, but this time I must.

People who have played golf in Vietnam in 1998 will tell you the handicaps issued by Vietnam Golf & Country Club (VGCC) were the most accurate in the country. There’s a reason for this. It’s the same reason why most clubs later switched to “Northern Systems” handicap software - now used by the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA).

And that reason is me. If anyone doubts it, simply ask VGCC or even Northern Systems and they’ll tell you. I’m getting highly irritated with people trying to take credit for what I have done for golf in Vietnam over the last 25 years.

Bottom line, I brought Northern Systems (handicap software and tournament scoring software – which includes the wildly popular System 36) to Vietnam in 1998 and distributed copies (with Northern Systems’ blessings) to other clubs, including Kings Island, Bo Chang Dong Nai and Song Be. When the general managers and directors of these clubs moved to new ones, they simply brought the software with them.

I even gave them their original Slope Ratings which, after being officially rated later, were found to be pretty darn accurate.

So, why were the handicaps at VGCC so accurate? Why are some handicaps, even using Northern Systems software, not as accurate?

The answer is very simple - knowledge and enforcement. Before launching the system, I read and reread the USGA handicap manual until I could recite it in my sleep. I had numerous conversations with Dean Knuth (the mathematical wizard who invented the “Slope” system. And then I passed this knowledge on to my assistant, Nguyen Van Thong and together we applied it as strictly as possible. Thong and my staff became handicap pit bulls and attacked without mercy when they discovered a sandbagger.

Yes, this caused some anger among the members, but they began to see winning tournament scores drop to realistic numbers. There were no more Net 53s and everyone became more understanding.

As per the system, we rolled over the handicaps monthly and it was fun to see members rushing in to check the new handicaps on the first day of the month. Some would cackle with delight, others would scream in anguish - but it was FAIR and they knew it.

We even had caddies keeping secret shadow scorecards on players during rounds and we checked these against scorecards submitted by players. We caught a lot of cheaters in the early days and hit them with penalties. The cheating stopped. Period.

One player, who shall remain nameless, once shot a 70. It was the best round of his life and begged his caddie not to tell me, otherwise his handicap would get cut. Of course, the caddie sang like a canary and the score entered. I walked upstairs to congratulate the player on such a great round and the blood drained from his face. Fair is fair.

We even kept scores in the system of non-members who played in club tournaments. As we had monthly Johnnie Walker events, we compiled an accurate database. When they applied to play in the event, if their home club handicap was greatly different than tournament rounds at VGCC, we gave players the option of either accepting a tournament handicap from us or playing Callaway. In almost every situation, they agreed to the tournament handicap from the club. When looking at their scores later, the handicap was dead on FAIR.

We even offered “Non-Member Handicaps” for players of other clubs who wanted a real handicap. The price was cheap, but it guaranteed them an honest handicap and that benefitted everyone FAIR.

What most people in Vietnam do not understand about the USGA Handicap system is that it is not an average of your past scores, but rather what your “potential” is. In theory, you should almost never be able to play below your USGA Handicap. If you do that on a regular basis, it means either the player is sandbagging by not reporting all of their scores, or the Handicap Department of that club is not diligent.

The second problem in Vietnam is that clubs don’t apply the “Slope System.”

In a nutshell, not all clubs are created equal. If a 10 handicap at VGCC plays against a 10 handicap from Pebble Beach, the latter player will win almost every time because that course is much more difficult. Thus, the handicaps are calculated under different playing conditions.

But when you factor in the “Slope” of the course, handicaps become equal because the Pebble Beach player would receive FEWER strokes at VGCC. If the VGCC player went to Pebble Beach, the VGCC player would receive MORE strokes than at VGCC.

Okay, here’s how it works as an example.

If you have a Handicap Index of 8.9, your handicap at VGCC’s West Course Gold Tees would be 10. If you have a Handicap Index of 8.9, your handicap at Pebble Beach back tees would be 11. The reason for this is VGCC’s Slope off the West Course gold tees is 130, but the Slope rating of Pebble Beach back tees is 143 FAIR.

The VGA has been urging clubs in Vietnam to receive an official Slope Rating from certified teams and apply those ratings. Unfortunately, not all clubs do this and that needs to change.

In the future, clubs who do not have an official Slope Rating will be ineligible to hold VGA Sanctioned tournaments FAIR.

However, regardless of Slope Ratings, the weakest link in the system is still the Club Handicap Department itself. If it does not enforce Handicap rules strictly, it cannot protect honest players from the sandbaggers (cheaters).

Sandbaggers are the scum of the earth and should be shunned by honest players. Anyone who cheats at golf probably cheats at everything else too.

I urge all players in Vietnam to submit ALL scorecards for handicap purposes. This includes the good as well as the bad and let the computers give you a fair and accurate handicap. This is the only way to ensure everyone has a chance to compete fairly on a level playing field.