My exact handicap used to define me as a golfer. Under the old CONGU system, I was obsessed with trying to knock 0.1 off and to avoid 0.1 going on. In clubhouse bantering, it was a badge of honour to keep as low a handicap as possible and a good season was defined by whether you ended it with a lower number beside your name than when you started.
Getting your handicap down was a serious challenge, particularly in Category 1 (0-5) – One shot under the “Standard Scratch Score” for the day, you got 0.1 off. Even superb rounds might see just a few tenths shaved off your handicap. Those who managed to get down to low single figures had truly grafted to achieve it and had delivered consistency over a long period of time to maintain it.
