GAO Growing the Game!

February 27, 2016February 27, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Walking around the Toronto Golf Show I was happy to see a variety of booths and kiosks. As we meandered down ‘demo alley’, I spied the area for the Golf Association of Ontario. As a current member, I was drawn to their location like a moth to light. I talked to many of the hosts and hostesses about the GAO and was impressed by what they had to offer. There were two ‘Grow the Game’ initiatives presented at the Toronto Golf Show I had never heard of and after some research realized there were more worth mentioning!

The first was a pledge to play golf in 2016! The GAO provided a unique way to challenge golfers to hit the links this summer. Like all goals when written down, most people become motivated and accountable to achieve them. In the 2016 golf season, I have committed to play 80 rounds of golf. Given I have 28 weeks to achieve my goal, I think it is achievable. I will let you know when the season is over. Continue reading →

Finding Lost Golf Clubs!

October 31, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Another tradition to the end of my golf season is to rummage through all my golfing magazines, articles, mail, and, well, printed stuff I collected through the season. Losing myself in my thoughts of golf, I stumbled across identification stickers from Golf Canada. I remember receiving them at the beginning of the season and filed them for further use.

Of course, my filing system was to place these valuable stickers on my pile of golf stuff that I would get to in due time. Well, at the end of the golf season was due time.

Free Club Identification and Return Service from Golf Canada!

As a card-carrying member of Golf Canada, I am entitled to a free service where if I left my club on a hole, someone could find it and email me and let me know how to where to pick up my club. It is a great idea and so I decided to give it a whirl.

My first step was to place the stickers on my clubs. I actually gave it some thought and decided that just above the club head out of my field of view was the perfect place to place these little gems. I put them on all my clubs and my head covers.

Next, I emailed the service with my identification number and an auto-generated email was sent to my inbox in less than 15 seconds. (Yes, I timed it! Stop laughing)

This is what it said:

Now, I rarely lose my clubs. Actually, I cannot remember the last time that I did. However, after investing a sizeable sum on a full set of new Titleist AP2 irons, Titleist Driver, 3-wood, and 3-hybrid, I figured it was worth a try.

I think this is an excellent service provided by Golf Canada just for being a member of the Golf Association of Ontario. Hopefully I will never have to use this service, but if I do, the cost of a yearly membership will be paid for the first time!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

What’s Your Handicap?

June 16, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

Before you say your driver or 60 degree wedge, this is a valid question that most golfers overlook. This question popped up at work today and I thought it would make for an interesting topic.

Here is what Golf Canada has to say:

The purpose of the Golf Canada Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable for golfers by providing a means of measuring one’s performance and progress and to enable golfers of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis.

Through this system, each golfer establishes an “Golf Canada Handicap Factor” which is a numerical measurement of a player’s potential (not actual) scoring ability on a course of standard difficulty.

The Handicap Factor is calculated using the best 10 of the player’s last 20 rounds and updated with each new round played. The Handicap Factor travels with the golfer from course to course and is adjusted up or down depending on the length and difficulty of the course played, resulting in a “Course Handicap”. The Course Handicap is the number of strokes a golfer receives from a specific set of tees at the course played and represents the number of strokes he would require to play equitably against a “scratch” golfer (a golfer with a Handicap Factor of “0.0′). The more difficult the golf course, the more strokes the golfer receives and vice versa.

The real question dealt with what we considered to be a low, medium and high handicap. My friend suggested anyone with a 20+ score and I said 10+. Immediately we looked at each other and realized that something was amiss.

At SandTrap.com they suggest:

Low: Handicaps 8 and under (typically shooting in 70’s)
Mid: Handicaps 9-24 (low 80’s to mid 90’s)
High: Handicaps 25+ (high-90’s and up)

At Golfsmith.com, they suggest:

Low: Handicaps 9 and under (typically shooting in 70’s)
Mid: Handicaps 10-18 (low 80’s to mid 90’s)
High: Handicaps 19+ (high-90’s and up)

The last bit of information that is important is the average handicap for men and women. After checking many sites, the consensus is that the average male golfer has a handicap of 16.1 and the average female has a handicap of 28.9. So using this information, most golfers would be considered medium handicap players. Additionally, the definition of low, medium, and high handicap does vary, but the reasons for establishing a handicap do not.

To enter in some tournaments, handicaps are used to place players in flights against others of their own caliber. It is also used to calculate foursome handicaps for “Scramble” tournaments. And lastly, it determines how many strokes a higher handicap player will receive in a match-play event. Most players do not have an official handicap and for the most part it really does not matter.

Personally, I am a member of the Golf Association of Ontario. My handicap index is 5.4 or a 5 handicap with a scoring average of 79.2 over 20 games. For the golfer who plays many rounds a year, establishing a handicap is a good thing. It is part of the game and helps promote an often overlooked aspect of golf – fair play.

Do you have an official handicap?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!