Why are women crap at golf? Nancy's 3rd theory.

Nancy Berkley, the expert in women's golf, has been showing us why women's handicaps are so much higher on average than mens' (see previous posts 1 and 2). It's been a fascinating journey of discovery, so let's briefly visit our final stop chez Nancy.

Her third theory to explain the lower average handicap of women against men is that "one-quarter of women golfers play less than two times a year. That segment is probably a drag on the female averages and handicaps."

Unless she can demonstrate that there's not a similar segment of male golfers, then this latest statement of Nancy's still doesn't explain the difference. I know quite a lot of men who golf infrequently. Is the infrequent male golfer not a similar drag on the male averages and handicaps? Again, we have an unsatisfactory result here, as we go round in circles trying to distinguish results from causes.

It is indisputable that there is a big difference in handicaps between the 'average' woman golfer and the average male golfer, and there must be reasons for it. I plan to come back to this subject with other explanations later, and for what it's worth I have my own theory which I will elucidate on some other time.

I'm sorry to disagree with all three of Nancy's theories, because I genuinely think that she's a positive force in the world of golf, so let's finish on a positive note. Nancy says "But who cares about the handicap differential? Most women use their handicaps in compeition [sic] against other women, and then it's a level playing field."

I'd go even further, and say that even in mixed competition it doesn't really matter. The handicap reflects how many shots I can get round in, and to that extent it's the same for men and women. I can play a man with the same handicap as me and have as much chance of winning as he does; but I can also play a scratch golfer man and have an entirely fair game, and that's the brilliant thing about handicapping - that's the brilliant thing about golf: anyone of any level can play against any other person of any other level and have a fair chance of winning.

Handicapping? Love it.

Photo from CaymanGirl's photostream on Flickr

Slow play - the gender divide

Because of the torrential rain during the night there were only a few of us playing in this week's Ladies Day, and we decided to play only as long as the rain held off, which turned out to be 12 holes.

The fairways were soaking and the bunkers were GUR, but that pleased me no end, as I'm going through bunker trouble at the moment. It certainly helped me put the ball on the green from a drop from a fairway bunker - I wouldn't have been able to reach from inside the bunker - which in turn helped me to a respectable 18 points over 9 holes, which is by far the best I've played in ages (what's the opposite of a purple patch? That's what I've been having. For like a year).

When we came in there was a conversation about slow play which really made me chuckle. Everyone was complaining about being held up by the men in front. And predicting being held up by the men in front of us in Saturday's mixed medal. And moaning about always being held up by any men in front, ever. One of the reasons that they came up with is that men are always losing their balls. *snigger*

They have something of a point - there is often slow play by the men in front of the women on Saturdays at my club. Although I don't think it's that much of an issue - on Saturday almost every tee time is full from dawn until lunchtime, so a slower round is inevitable, and usually the men who are holding up the women are being held up by other men. And I happen to know (from a source who will remain anonymous) that the men who are usually in front of the women on a Saturday hate having the women playing up behind them because they know they'll get the evil eye.

It amuses me that women are the ones who are so vocal about slow play, at my club anyway. How is it that it's women who have a reputation for slow play?

The obvious truth of course, is that there is no gender divide when it comes to slow play. There are men in the groups who play on Saturday morning who are guilty of it, and there are women among yesterday's complainers who are also guilty of it, and of an even worse crime, not letting people through when they've lost a hole.

There is a gender divide when it comes to golfing ability - women tend to have higher handicaps (in other words, aren't so good at golf) and so an average round involves more shots, which almost inevitably means a slightly slower round. Kind of tough really, unless you want to keep newbies and high-handicappers out (don't start me - there are plenty of clubs who take this attitude).

So the advice for newbies and high handicappers? As my boyfriend said to me when I was starting out: be as shit as you like, but be shit quickly.

(Photo by FABIOLA MEDEIROS on Flickr)

Hideous golf shoe of the week

Golf shoes are tricky. The shoe that on the one hand qualifies as a good-looking shoe to wear on the course, on the other hand wouldn't qualify off the course as a shoe to take the rubbish out in after it gets dark in case you get spotted by a complete stranger and they were to think you would actually wear something like that in public.

Manufacturers seem therefore to have dismissed the whole 'good-looking golf shoe' problem as too difficult, and appear to have decided to compete to produce shoes so ugly they should be licenced.

The Myjoy previously posted has a special place in the annals of hideous golf shoes, but I believe it has met its match. Don't look if you've just eaten:

Love it? Want it for your golfing granny? Contact Aerogreen here, although sadly it doesn't look like they retail in Europe. Shame.