Golfer Pacific NZ- Coming to grips with the playing conditions calculator

By Paul Gueorgieff. Editor Golfer Pacific NZ

Playing conditions calculator.

That three-word phrase has become a constant query for me.

The playing conditions calculator came with introduction of the world handicapping system earlier this year and while I understand it's intention I wonder about it's operation.

The playing conditions calculator is supposed to make adjustments to scores because of course conditions, weather conditions or course set up.

In other words on a tough day your score should be improved because the conditions on the day were tough.

Conversely, if conditions were easy your score should be raised because the conditions on the day were easy.

At my golf club it was nearly two months before the playing conditions calculator was first enforced since it's introduction.

But oddly enough the course conditions were excellent, the weather conditions were excellent and the course set up was no more difficult than usual.

That made me fire off an email to Phil Aickin at New Zealand Golf. Phil knows everything golf.

Phil replied that my golf course must be well rated because the playing conditions calculator had been activated more than 600 times in the first several weeks.

Phil added at some courses the calculator was being activated almost every second day.

I understand that the playing conditions calculator cannot assess the course conditions, it cannot assess the weather conditions and it cannot assess the course set up.

It simply assesses the scores submitted for the day and makes a calculation as programmed to do so.

In other words it is not about the course conditions, it's not about the weather conditions and it's not about the course set up. Instead it's about how badly most of us played that day (or how well most of us played that day).

I also understand that the reason why most of us played badly that day will probably be because of course conditions, weather conditions or course set up.

In a round about way, maybe the playing conditions calculator should be renamed the how badly most of us played that day calculator.