Linda–
There is a season long Match Play event with the local men’s club. The bracket is a random draw and gets about 24 of the club members.
It’s played with 100% handicaps and usually the matches are pretty good. We have players of all skill levels participate from the 20+ to single digit players. It's a fun event that let's you play other guys than your regular foursome.
So this year there is a "senior" entrant and there has been some discussion about how his matches should be played. He's 70+ and plays the GOLD forward tees regularly and carries a 24 handicap. In other events he has done very well and often wins.
He wants to play the forward tees for the match play event. Should this be allowed? I understand the handicaps will be adjusted, but isn't it against the spirit of the event?
If he insists on playing the forward tees, would it be acceptable to play the GOLD alongside him?
My biggest gripe is that he is playing a different course. On some holes there is a significant advantage to the point that the handicap holes should actually be different. Isn't there also a mental aspect of match play that you lose when you and your opponent aren't playing from the same tees?
Thanks,
Lou
Dear Lou,
The Committee is permitted to set as a Condition of the Competition that all play will be from the standard men’s tees. It may also decide to permit men over a certain age to move up to the senior tees. There are additional adjustments that the Committee can make to ensure the fairest match play or stroke competition in this situation.
You are running a handicap event. Handicapping systems are designed to ensure fair competition among players of different skill levels. I am in favor of allowing men over the age of 70 to play from the senior tees in competitions. However, the competition cannot be fair if there is a significant yardage or difficulty difference on one or several holes and the handicap number assigned does not reflect those differences.
In order to help make your competition fair, the Committee will need to rank the handicap holes from the senior tees in their order of difficulty. Seniors are, indeed, playing a “different” course, and the ranking of the holes must reflect that difference.
I directed a golf tournament at Cape May National in southern New Jersey several years ago. The fourth hole is a challenging Par 5 that is 521 yards and is ranked the #1 handicap hole for men. The same hole, played from the senior tees, is only 348 yards and eliminates a long carry over a water hazard. Because of obvious differences in difficulty on this particular hole and several others, the course scorecard should have shown a separate handicap hole ranking for senior men, but it does not. Therefore, when I set up the course for the tournament, I re-ranked the holes from the senior tees. This is recommended for your course if you have holes that become significantly easier when men move up to the senior tees.
My personal feeling is that the 70-year old gentleman should be permitted to play from the senior tees. Competitions from different sets of tees can be fair. If the course has been rated correctly, the handicap holes properly designated for the different tees, and the handicaps calculated to reflect the course and slope ratings for each set of tees, then players should feel comfortable competing against opponents using the senior tees.
Linda
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