VSWGA Bulletin #3 (2/28/25) – Handbooks, Helping and Handicaps

by Pam Boyd
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VSWGA Bulletin #3 (2/28/25) – Handbooks, Helping and Handicaps

2025 HANDBOOKS
It’s an exciting time of year.  The 2025 Member Handbook is headed to the printer.  They will be mailed out to members according to your profile selections in Golf Genius (hardcopy if requested, PDF to all) at the end of March.  

Here are some VSWGA changes for 2025:

      • Lotteries: Registration for Manchester, Dorset, Woodstock and Vermont National State Day events will be in the form of a lottery.  Players may register 1, 2, or 4 players.  Registrants will be prioritized based on whether they played in the event in the previous season.  If they registered for an event in the prior year but did not get in because it was oversubscribed, then they will be given higher priority in the 2025 season.
      • Forward Tees: To play from the forward tees, players must have a handicap index equal to or greater than 25.  This is an increase from last year’s cap of 22.
      • Registration Prices: Registration for all State Day events is $15, which includes $2 for Closest To the Pin contests.

    The registration fee for State Days and Majors is going up this season.  Organization expenses are increasing, and the board is dedicated to keeping the VSWGA fiscally responsible.  Increased prices means that the organization can continue to maintain its high level of offerings and customer service.

    LAKESIDE MEMBERSHIP
    Want a GHIN handicap but you are not a member of a golf course in Vermont? Lakeside Golf Club is an online club which allows individuals to have a GHIN membership without having to be a member at a golf course. The Vermont Golf Association will open Lakeside membership on March 1st. All Lakeside members are currently active and will be deactivated on February 28th with a message to renew.  Visit the Vermont Golf Association site for Lakeside Membership information.

    VSWGA MEMBERSHIP
    Join VSWGA as a new member or renew your membership in Golf Genius by starting here: VSWGA Membership

    GOLF GENIUS APP
    Have you downloaded the Golf Genius App yet? It’s a convenient way to see the 2025 calendar of events, register for events, see tee times, enter scores for live scoring, and see event results. Scan this QR code to download the app on your phone.

    VSWGA TAGLINE AND “Can we quote you?” SURVEY
    Thank you for the great response to this survey! We loved seeing your ideas and gathered nearly 90 opinions on the best taglines as well as some wonderful quotations describing what VSWGA means to you. We’ll keep the survey open through March 15. If you would like to offer your two cents, please visit this link.

    JUNIOR COMMITTEE
    The VSWGA Junior Committee has set its sights on developing a broad reaching, fun, and educational program for girls throughout the entire state of Vermont. Through building connections with golf clubs, public schools, mentors, and Vermont Junior Golf alumni, our plans are for girls to have increased access to opportunities to learn the game of golf, develop their skills, compete in fun events and clinics, and gain access to equipment. 

    We are currently looking to expand our committee and to recruit volunteers to assist with various initiatives. Please contact Susan Rand if you have interest in any of the following:

        • Forming a core group of female “coaches” and assistants to help with several half-day clinics
        • Creating a network of mentors to assist girls with practice, play, and transportation obstacles
        • Recruiting of your course to become a member of Youth On Course (offers youth members play for only $5/round)
        • Creating a group of VSWGA members who are interested in servings as spotters and on-course “advisors” at junior events

      HANDICAPPING – DO I REALLY NEED TO ENTER EVERY SCORE
      The answer is yes, you really do need to enter every round that you play to keep an accurate handicap.  Here is a USGA Guide to 10 Things for Golfers to Know After Signing Up for a Handicap Index.  Also, some other things to keep in mind (courtesy of Nato Golf Club):

      Q: How often should I expect to play to–or beat–my handicap? 
      A: If it’s accurate, you should average about three shots above your handicap, e.g. a player with a course handicap of 16 on a course with a rating of 71 should score on average about 90. The USGA handicap system is based on 96 percent of the best 8 of a golfer’s last 20 rounds, not simply average score. Scores normally fit into the classic bell-shaped curve. More than half of your scores should be within three strokes of three over your handicap. In other words, taking our 16-handicapper, more than half of the rounds should be between 87 and 93. The player will better the handicap — shooting 87 or lower — only about 20 percent of the time, or once every five rounds. Golfers should only beat their handicap by three strokes one out of every 20 rounds. 

      Q: What are the odds of that 16-handicapper breaking 80? 
      A: The odds of someone beating their handicap — if it’s an honest handicap — by eight strokes are 1,138 to 1. For most players that represents about 54 years of golf — a lifetime for many. The odds of beating your number by eight strokes twice are 14,912 to 1, or 710 years of golf. 

      Q: Are there more sandbaggers (people who maintain artificially high handicaps so they can win net competitions) or vanity handicappers (people who think they’re a lot better than they really are and whose handicaps are lower than they should be)? 
      A: About 1 to 2 percent of golfers are sandbaggers, and about 10 percent fall into the vanity-handicap category (also called “reverse sandbaggers”). Sandbaggers typically post very few scores –only their worst rounds — or add strokes to their score or intentionally play a few bad holes near the end of a round. They usually play better than their handicaps in tournaments. Vanity handicappers, on the other hand, typically post only their best scores, or scores better than what they actually shot. Of these two, the sandbagger is the more reprehensible, because that player is manipulating the system for personal gain. Vanity handicappers are just delusional optimists, though they are terrible partners to be stuck with. 

      Q: How can you spot a vanity handicapper? 
      A: Vanity handicappers are constantly apologizing for “unusually” bad play. It starts on the first tee, how they’re just not playing well right now, or how they have some new equipment that they haven’t gotten used to, or how they’re in the middle of a swing change. For men, the reverse sandbagger typically carries a single-digit handicap but plays to a 15. 

      Q: Are handicap inaccuracies as common among women golfers as they are among men?
      A: It’s hard to generalize, but during the 16 years that Mr. Knuth (from Nato Golf Club) was at the USGA, and having met with hundreds of regional and state men’s and women’s golf associations, it’s widely accepted that the vanity handicap is more prevalent in women’s golf. The reason is that women’s teams often set a maximum handicap such as 14 or 18, which is relatively low for women. The average women’s handicap hovers at 31, compared to 16 for men. A small percentage of women are single-digit handicappers, primarily because many courses are set up to play too long from the women’s tees.

      NET DOUBLE BOGEY
      We all have off days on the course.  Luckily under the World Handicap System, the max score for handicap purposes is a NET DOUBLE BOGEY so the occasional bad hole doesn’t hurt your Handicap Index. Remember that during tournament play, you must count and record every stroke that you take until you hole out.  After your score is posted to GHIN using the hole-by-hole method, it will be adjusted to a net double bogey max. Watch this video Net Double Bogey for an explanation on how it works.