Nothing BUT NET
We all want to play golf like the icons of the sport , hitting 300-yard drives , shooting under par , and winning tournaments . While the first of those may not be within many of our abilities — it isn ’ t within mine — the others most certainly are . That is where the Handicap Index comes in . The beauty of a Handicap Index is that we can shoot those under-par scores , albeit relative to our own demonstrated ability .
WHAT ARE NET TOURNAMENTS ? One of the primary benefits afforded to the 60,000 members of the Virginia State Golf Association is the ability to maintain a Handicap Index . A Handicap Index is a great way to track your progress , see how you compare to your buddies , and best of all play and compete against others on a level playing field .
Maybe your traditional weekend group consists of four golfers of varying abilities , one that shoots in the low 80s , a couple that shoot in the 90s and one that just can ’ t break 100 yet . Playing with accurate handicaps evens that out to make it so any of you can win if you have a good day . That is exactly how net golf tournaments are structured . In fact , Patrick Normyle won last year ’ s inaugural VSGA Net Amateur Championship as a 19 handicap . He played two great rounds to win and will now forever be a VSGA champion .
KEEPING A HANDICAP The World Handicap System , governed by the USGA and The R & A , launched in January 2020 and though many elements are new , a Handicap Index is still a reflection of a golfer ’ s potential ability . The calculation of a Handicap Index is now based on the average of a golfer ’ s eight lowest score differentials from their last 20 rounds and is updated every day after a round is posted .
I know that I have personally heard confusion about handicaps in golf , with many people assuming that it is the average of how well a player plays , but it is much better to think of it as how well a player is likely to play when they play well . A golfer with a Handicap Index should only occasionally shoot a score lower than their handicap , which can be seen when reviewing previous One-Day and other net amateur event results . That gives us average Joes and Janes more hope to win any net event since we can have one great round at the right time and get it done .
I started keeping a handicap a little more than 10 years ago as a way to help track my golf improvement and to motivate me to get better . Several options exist for returning scores , including the MyVSGA app , and by inputting scores hole-by-hole and we can now view stats to track our progress , helping us all know where we can improve the most .
WHAT DOES THE VSGA OFFER ? The VSGA has offered competitive net tournaments since at least the early 1990s when it created its One-Day event schedule , where members of the VSGA can compete on some of the nicest courses in the Commonwealth . Anyone with a handicap can sign up to play for prizes in competitions against those in their age group , gender , or for an overall title .
The VSGA ’ s One-Day events provide an opportunity to meet golfers from all over the state and play courses you otherwise might not be able to .
PAUL PIERCE JR . ( 4 )
26 V IRGINIA G OLFER