Survey conclusions
The ideas of reaching a set standard to play in a grade and doing so with fairness are of paramount importance and are the underlying concepts in the Jamberoo Golf Club competition structure.
As mentioned in the previous article it seems clear that the recommendation “keep the same format but make prizes of the same value for each grade” is the most popular choice gaining 80% of the vote (or 28 votes). The Match Committee has therefore altered the prize schedule to reflect this. Grades and Prizes structure 2911-15 v3
Note first prize is now $35 in each grade. The number of entrants in each grade is also being carefully monitored as the match committee would like 4 grades for every individual competition. At the moment you need 10+ players to make a unique grade and if one grade has insufficient entries then it joins with the next grade. For instance in this situation A grade would join with B grade, or D grade would join with C Grade. The actual cut-off number for a grade may possibly fall to ensure there are 4 separate grades. Competition playing numbers are being monitored to see the effect of such a change.
The minority opinion (6 votes) that we change the grades cut-off points to even up the grades is significant and has also been given serious consideration. This would mean the grades would remain the same but competition divisions with larger numbers in the smaller grades would be re-introduced.
Another suggestion that was not reflected in the poll but suggested to the Match Committee by several members of ‘only one competition grade with larger prizes’ will also be trialled in the near future and may become a monthly feature.
Any changes are designed to enhance player enjoyment of our competitions and to promote improved golf by our members in these competitions.
Remember, try and play one more round a week if you can.
I am sorry that I did not contribute to the earlier discussion on this important issue. From my perspective, I have never really understood why we have grades at all for ball competitions, isn’t the handicapping system suppose to put everyone on a ‘level playing field’ at tee-off so there is only a need for one grade, possibly with more prizes in that one grade. For example, $50 for first, $40 for second, $30 for third and so on until the prize money runs out….
Thanks Peter for your opinion. It is one shared by quite a few in the club and deserves quite a deal of contemplation and on first look seems reasonable. Firstly, of course, the ball comp is already run in one grade with all players competing as you say. A check of the ball winners tells us, however, that you are more likely at Jamberoo to win a ball if your handicap is 20 or more rather than 12 or less. Perhaps this is just a statistical thing and to be expected as a majority of players have handicaps in the 20’s rather than less than 12. It would be interesting to find out if the ball winning percentages are representative of player numbers from each grade. The Match Committee will investigate this in the next couple of weeks.
All of us would say that we play in order to improve our game so that our handicaps lower. Winning a prize or indeed a ball are just added bonuses. However there is a danger if you make the prizes too big for handicap events some players will partake in sharp practices and deliberately manipulate their handicaps in order to give themselves a better chance of winning the prize. Surely we don’t want this to happen? I have heard rumours of players in our club already doing this. If I find definite evidence of this then those involved will face suspension. I have even come across Pennant players from other clubs who clearly seem to be seeking an advantage by doing this already.
One must also consider why has the system of handicap grades for club competitions used by the vast majority of golf clubs throughout Australia, and used for several decades, the one that is preferred? Is it because it is considered fairest to have players of similar handicaps compete against each other? If you have played off single figures you will know that scoring 40+ points at Jamberoo is quite an achievement whereas somedays it is commonplace for larger handicap players to easily score this number of points at Jamberoo. There are no easy ‘5 a 3’ holes for the low marker.
The system of one grade may also in fact reward mediocrity, rather than promote excellence and growth, where players deliberately ‘play dead’ to enhance the size of their handicap to give themselves a better chance of winning a prize at a later event. Having set grades may also have this undesirable effect as well, especially for players on the cusp, but it has proven to be less of an issue in the past and hopefully having equal prizes in each grade will stop this. Having a lower handicap is a reward in itself giving players a confirmation that the years of hard work and dedication are paying off and worth it.
I agree that if everybody played fair and the AGU handicap system rewarded exceptional rounds by losing shots off your handicap, rather than just averaging those out, then 1 Grade would be the way to go for handicap events.
To reward excellence a lowest gross score could be added to the prize list and enhanced prizes and a larger ball comp would also result. ‘Nearest the pin’ and ‘drive and pitch’ would also be contested in one grade similar to our ‘supershot’.
For monthly and gold medals and championships the grades would still apply. Some have even suggested that there be only one grade for these as well although I am personally against this radical step as it denigrates historical club practices and records. That is my personal opinion, however, and not club policy.
Dave, as you know I am of the opinion that we should have a designated “A” grade But I would much rather have a single grade with more prizes rather than forever changing the levels of each grade. Thanks for your time and effort to get things done.
Thanks Bruce. At the moment there are no plans to change the levels of each grade. It is just a consideration and one I don’t support. The standard to be reached is the standard to be reached. I can’t see a reason to change this.One thing I can suggest is that there be 1 or 2 gross prizes in each comp to encourage our A graders to play more comps. What do you think? As for the one grade idea (with a gross prize) you can see that there are problems (mainly due to the AGU handicapping system) but I still think we should trial it next year, maybe in a single stableford to see how members respond.
Cheers.
Hi Dave,
the winning score in A grade at Jamberoo is nearly always lower (stableford points) than the best score in the other grades. It is often quiet an achievement for a low marker to play to their handicap and a good round often doesn’t produce as many points as a good round does for a high marker. If you were to have a single grade than you would very rarely have a low marker winning the comp. You only have to scroll through the results archive to find that the A grade winner would never/rarely have won the comp if there was a single grade. I think that a single grade would be a disincentive for A graders to play at Jamberoo.
Thanks Adrian,
What do you think of the Gross prize idea for all comps?
Dave,
I don’t believe that a single grade with a gross prize in each grade would lead to a fair system. For example, a “standout” player off a very low handicap would win the ‘A’ grade gross time after time. This would leave the rest of the ‘A’ graders with little chance of beating the high markers for the overall prize and even less chance of winning the gross. The lower markers in all grades would statistically have a much better chance of winning the gross prize than the higher markers in the same grade. I think the fairest system is to have golfers competing against each other off handicap in grades (present system). If enough members are determined that they want more prize money for a competition win than an extra dollar added to the comp fee could provide an extra $25 to each grade for prize money. Winning your grade could be worth $60 instead of the present $35 (assuming 100 starters). If members are operating on tight budgets and can’t afford the extra dollar than I think that it would be fairer overall to stick with the present system.
Cheers…
I take Adroan’s point about the A-graders not doing so well if we had a single combined competition, but surely they do better than all the other grades (as they should!) in the nearest the pin and drive and pitch competitions? A compromise plan might be to have a single combined competition for all grades with a bonus win of say $20 for the top scorer in each grade.
Sorry, I meant Adrian, of course….