The biggest issue IMO is having accurate caps for member-guest or just member tournaments where there is a calcutta or other betting for $$$. We had a situation a few years ago at my club where a member shot an extremely unlikely score in a tournament and won first place in a member-member tournament where the pot is over $10,000. Other guys screamed and the club withheld the pot and contacted Golf Canada. They decided to DQ this team for cheating and the offender was kicked out of the club.
The cheating was by purposely taking additional strokes in regular posted rounds and inflating the cap.
So in other words, not only was the problem with a dishonest member and NOT with the handicap system methodology itself, but it was dealt with summarily at the club level, which is an absolutely critical piece of the methodology.
AG,
I would disagree with your assessment. You can't disassociate the data integrity component and claim its separate from the Handicap system.
Its a bit like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry shows up to get his car rental, but they are out of stock despite him having a reservation. They have a hilarious back and forth where he basically says "I don't think you understand how this works"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-brgkkjnHc
In Wayne’s story, there is no “data integrity component”; just a guy that cheated and got caught and dealt with. That a human integrity component.
I’m confident I understand the handicap system about as well as anyone here, yourself included, Seinfeld episode or not. On my current GHIN page, my last 15 scores have been net comps, and I’ve been involved in running net comps at my clubs for nearly two decades now, so I think I’m reasonably familiar with all aspects of the handicap system.
Cheaters cheat; always have, always will. People exceed speed limits, cheat on their taxes, cheat at golf, and even (gasp!) on their handicaps.
The Rules of Golf aren’t somehow defective when people take mulligans, or rake putts, or don’t take stroke and distance, or whatever. Likewise, when cheaters cheat on their handicap, the system isn’t somehow defective, no matter how much the grumpy old men that dominate this site want that to be true.
The solutions aren’t complicated, either, and they are getting better all the time with software like Cap Patrol. And I’ll say it again; the majority of alleged sandbagging complaints I’ve fielded over the years have been from vanity caps who rarely play fully under The Rules and then lose to a higher index who does. The instances of true sandbagging that I’ve come across aren’t as rare as unicorns, but they ARE rare. And if they aren’t dealt with, that’s a management issue, not a flaw in the system.
Archie’s original rant, of course, is something entirely different. He’s playing poorly, but not fast enough and/or often enough to get his index to where he thinks it SHOULD be. He wants an index that is more reflective of his average than his demonstrated playing ability, and you are welcome to think whatever you want of THAT idea.