Sorry if this is long and not golf, but a different perspective on handicap from another sport (billiards). My brother wrote the letter. Last year his son played at the 32 person World Jr. 9-Ball Championship. Not suggesting it is even relevant to this post but some of the members might enjoy the read. BTW, this letter got published in one of the Cdn. Pool magazines. Thanks HarryS
HANDICAP SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE C Copyright March 2000 - all rights reserved - by Larry P. Schiestel St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, N5R 2G7 - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Good or Bad depends on what you are looking to get out of the billiard scene. I believe the aspirations of the average and serious player are limited in a handicap system by the tactics designed to level out the field. Players who seek the security of handicap tournaments often don't reach their full potential because they don't have to! When each and every player regardless of skill, experience, dedication and confidence level has been afforded an arbitrary and equal opportunity to win, the game transcends into a "game of chance", much like playing the slot machines or rolling dice. The concept of playing better than your opponent, or having to improve one's game to be the winner, has been systematically abolished. The player who is most underrated for the talent of the day often comes out on top. Room owners and tournament organizers in promoting this great sport have become the self-proclaimed handicap experts, but the interests of the players have not always been well served. The trend to expand the handicap system to fix the tournament woes isn't the answer. Some tournaments have been as obscured as a race of 2 through 10 games, some make wild 6, 7 & 8 playing 9-Ball the spot, others add alternate break to the equation or have a multi-tier entry fee with the likes of a 70 - 600% dollar range or some combination. If the Olympics had these sliding scales in place, I would be running against the World Champion in the 100-meter dash with a 6-second head start and/or be granted a 50-meter lead by an impartial IOC member. Sounds unfair if I'm not prepared but everyone must have an equal chance and I could proudly win gold. Sorry to anyone who lost the race, please don't complain, keep working hard and better luck next time. Seriously, handicaps drive the elite players away from a tournament where the odds are stacked against them. Why waste your money? The financial commitment in time, travel and entry expenses combined are too high with little or no return! Billiards is a game of confidence and handicaps bring frustration. Forced out, the serious player's game is not to be examined, studied, copied, enjoyed nor opponents truly challenged, and this is a travesty. For the remaining players, placing higher now gives a false sense of accomplishment. In contrast, two years ago our family went to Dallas Texas, and while there dropped into a billiard hall by the name of C J's Billiard Palace, owned by C. J. Wiley. A 9-Ball tournament was run every Thursday night at 7:30, $15 entry fee ($25 Cdn.), no handicap, 32 player cutoff, double knockout, race to 5, that simple! We arrived at approximately 6:45 that evening and to our surprise the place was bustling and by 7:05 p.m. the tournament was full. A dozen players never made the deadline, this week, and most resigned to renting tables. Imagine turning away tournament customers but the atmosphere was too strong to leave. The player skills ranged from B, A and several semi-pro's, male and female alike. The competition was great where friends met and all abilities were respected amongst the field, playing straight up. There were no handicap systems to dislike, no tournaments and/or pool halls to stop supporting. You won or lost on your own merit (how original) and the game couldn't have been played with more enjoyment, entertainment or be fairer, in a full house.$$$ Finally, regular tournaments can unfortunately do as they please but the O.B.S.A. 9-Ball Tour, for instance (Junior and Adult), is running provincial tournaments that are mostly/all handicapped. This is fundamentally wrong as sport is about competition, to see who is best. Governing bodies have a responsibility to uphold the principles of sport and ensure that all citizens have the absolute right to compete without being disadvantaged by the organization itself. With trips to be won to the Canadian Championships, these games should be represented by the strongest field, after all this is not house league or a recreational level. Currently, there is a personal injustice to those who will miss out on their opportunity of a lifetime (Canadians leading to the Worlds). Also, if the intent is to truly build for the Olympics (like claimed), then don't embrace a system that manipulates the outcome of the game. Hurting the most talented players invariably weakens the National (C.B.S.A.) level as well. Eliminate all forms of handicap, at all provincials, and keep the sport pure. The future of the game deserves nothing less, at all venues, and only then can the games begin. Let's start celebrating excellence and restore player unity to promote cue sports, building a product with market appeal. Then everyone wins. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Mark A. Patton Sent: August 27, 2002 10:20 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Sandbagger's Open, DuPont Agreed, but you wouldn't have those ripping their handicaps in shreds for bucks. I agree, it could also could penalize someone who is improving very quickly and shoots the round of their life. I have no recourse for this. The only comment I could make is I hope you feel like I do and that it doesn't matter how it relates to anything else other than your previous efforts. When I was 1st starting and broke 100 playing with a + 12 partner, it didn't matter, I was happy. When I broke 90 and playing with a +4, partner I was happy. When I broke 80, I was playing w/ a scratch partner, and ecstatic. Then again my thinking is flawed, as people who "work" the handicaps doesn't enjoy these simple pleasures. I play the game because I enjoy the game. This enjoyment is increased ten-fold when I play it with others that share these ideals. Case in point. I enjoy winning as much as anyone else, but 4 weeks ago I lost a match to a friend as he shot the best game of his life (he has a handicap 5 more than me). He was on and was smoking. Most of the game I found myself trying to help him along noticing this possible achievement. You know I was happy to pay up at the end of that round. That's the great thing about golf. Then again there are those who abuse this. OK, now that I'm done being all weepy, don't anyone of you think I giving you any strokes at the ST Open. Mark David Rees wrote: > On Tue, Aug 27, 2002 at 08:48:43PM -0400, Mark A. Patton wrote: > > I was reading this thread and remembered TFlan had some methods to address. Then > > I started thinking of other sports that have "handicaps" and how they deal with > > this. After a while, I remembers my teens and drag racing. For those not > > familiar with non-bracket drag racing: > > > > You list your perceived best possible time, say 12.3 seconds. Lets say your > > competitor lists 13.3 seconds. In this game, your competitor gets a 1 second > > head start. If you go faster than you figured and get a lower time than your > > 12.3, you are DQed. YOU LOSE! > > > > Hmmm, maybe it might work for golf? Lord knows you will NEED to know what you > > will REALLY play to. Someone running an amateur tourney soon that could present > > it as an idea? > > Not a bad idea, but I see that it'd be too easy to shank a couple balls or > 3-putt on the 17th-18th holes if you see yourself getting to close to the > edge. It would also could penalize someone who is improving very quickly > and shoots the round of their life. > > -Dave
