Changes to Handicaps and the Handicap System

Steve Butler, Wayne Martin and Jon Shapland have conducted a two-pronged review of all players’ handicaps and of the handicapping “system” itself.

On the player front, they have looked at the results from the Singles League, Home League, VAR Tournaments and Team Leagues.

Ellis Abbott, Paul Bean, Alan Caulton, Ben Cooper, Mark Hayman, Kevin Robson, James Sloan, Lee Cuomo and Richard Sutton have all had their handicaps lowered. Having their handicaps raised are Keith Holgate, Dave Jobling, Scott McIntyre and Jon Shapland.

In terms of the handicapping system itself, they have noticed that some people were incorrectly applying the head starts – particularly in the Team Leagues where a pair’s mean-average handicap is not a whole number (e.g. a -7 player partnering a +14 player gives an average handicap for that pairing of +3½) or where “half handicaps” are applied in the six-red format used for the Cup. They have made two changes to try to make things clearer…

Firstly: where previously all handicaps were multiples of seven, they’ll now be multiples of eight. Seven probably originally arose because it’s one black, two blacks, three blacks, etc – but there is no reason why one red and a black, two reds and blacks, three reds and blacks, etc is any less valid. This change in itself will get rid of the “half points” and all the confusion that came with them.

Secondly: the handicaps have been realigned so that the best players are now playing off scratch (0) and everyone else has a positive handicap. This change in itself will not actually have any effect on the head starts in frames, but not having to deal with negative numbers hopefully makes the calculations easier for everyone.

You can view all of the updated handicaps HERE.