Tiger Woods 10 viral video challenge

EA Sports issued a challenge to make the best viral video for Tiger Woods 10 PGA Tour video game. It was worth $50,000. The video below was chosen as the winner and the rest of the finalists can be found at the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Viral video website. None better than this one though.

Thanks to Ottawa Golf Blog for a heads up on this one.

Great deeds from Australian golfers

Many of the best Australian golfers will be returning home over the next month to play in tournaments and do their bit for some very worthwhile causes. It's easy to forget what these guys do when they're not playing golf - some don't get the press they deserve. Here's just a few of them.

Robert Allenby has been supporting the Challenge Organisation for many years - a support service for kids with cancer. He's raised millions for this organisation over the years and took a whole load of kids over to the US this year to hang out and introduce them to Tiger Woods. The Robert Allenby Golf Day is being held at Woodlands in December this year - get involved.

Mathew Goggin lends his support to a foundation in his name (Mat Goggin Foundation) that aims to provide financial support for young Tasmanians who are community building. Mat will be at the Golf Swing and Supper Club in Hobart in November for the foundation's big fundraising event.

Stuart Appleby lends his support to young Victorian golfers through the Stuart Appleby Junior Golf organisation. They have a whole load of junior golf days planned and Stuart is heavily involved in events each time he's back in the country. This year is no exception.
Adam Scott helps out disadvantaged, underprivileged kids through the philanthropic Adam Scott Foundation. A whole load of fundraising events are planned during the Queensland PGA Championship held in early November.

Dunny golf

This little gimmick has been around a while and I thought it's time to bring some toilet humour to Aussie Golfer.

The Uroclub has been looked at on the site before and frankly we're just not sure if they were taking the piss or not but with Father's Day not too far away, we're suggesting the potty putter may be a good investment. Golf for when you're on the dunny. Good practise if you're not too flush, umm flash at short putts and it gives added meaning to wiping the hole doesn't it?

Sorry.

I'll leave any more comments using the words shaft, balls and numerous others over to you.

Ogilvy would rather be in Melbourne

The final round of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff's began this morning and it was obvious Geoff Ogilvy's mind was elsewhere. His beloved St.Kilda team is in the AFL Grand Final and despite a $10 million on the line, he's opened up with a 5-over 75, currently 30th in the 30-man field.

In 1997, Ogilvy (pictured in St.Kilda colours) was in the stands at the MCG to watch his Saints play Adelaide in the Grand Final. Unlike Aussie Golfer that day, he went home disappointed. St.Kilda still haven't won a premiership since 1966. According to his father he seriously considered not playing the season ending FedEx Cup tournament and returning to Australia for the game this weekend;

''Anyway, besides the incredible prize money on offer, I don't think the PGA tour people would look too kindly on him missing for some footy game back in Australia. But I can promise you he has given it some serious thought. That's how much he loves the Saints.''

Ogilvy's had his eye on the Saints all year and soon saw the scheduled date for the playoff event at East Lake in Atlanta;

"When they (St Kilda) won the first few games of the year and it was looking like a real chance they were going to be in (the grand final), I very quickly looked at the date and realised it clashed with one of the five or six tournaments you can't take off for anything," said Ogilvy.

"I've waited my whole life to see (a St Kilda premiership), so if I can find it, I'll watch it."

With his opening round blowout, is Geoff perhaps planning on a "WD" and hopping on a flight to Melbourne?

Photo: AFP

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Oglivy, the Saints and the pies

How to make a 200ft putt

Dave Pelz is a golf coach and writer who has great tips on the short game. Here, in a segment for the Golf Channel in the US, he shows how to drain a 200ft putt. The video is not of great quality but the putt is no less incredible.

Thanks to Jay at Devil Ball Golf for the heads up on this one.

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John Senden scores an albatross
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Y.E. Yang beats Tiger Woods
Million Dollar Hole-In-One

Searching for Bobby Jones

When Mike at Ruthless Golf as me if I was interested in taking part in a special day (today) where the leading golf blogs around the world write something about Bobby Jones I thought, "Yeah sure, easy - that could be fun." How hard could it be to find an Australian angle or connection to the great Bobby Jones - I soon realised there really wasn't one, but found some fun stuff along the way.

Bobby Jones competed only as an amateur during the 1920's and 30's and is most famous for his Grand Slam, winning the four major championships of his era. He was instrumental in the design and promotion of The US Masters at Augusta National and with Warner Brothers produced a series of instructional golf films. The man was a golfing god in his day - so much so, it surprised me to read he converted to Catholicism a week before his death. BBC journalist and friend Alistair Cooke wrote:

What we are left with in the end is a forever young, good-looking Southerner, who, to the great good fortune of people who saw him, happened to play the great game with more magic and more grace than anyone before or since.

Surely this man, so graceful and well-known across the world, would have some links with Australian golf?

My first search for Bobby Jones was lame to say the least. A Google search led me to a map of Kooralbyn. A small southern Queensland town, home of the Kooralbyn Golf Club. and the only Australian street named after Jones: Bobby Jones Court. I was discovering that Bobby Jones lived in an era where world travel and communication was far more difficult than it is now. It's hard enough to get Tiger Woods to have anything to do with Australian golf, why would I find anything to do with Bobby Jones Down Under?

I took a look through Australian newspaper archives and it says something about how well known Bobby Jones was by the amount of information I found. There were many articles on Jones winning his grand slam tournaments and the similarities to Tiger Woods started to become apparent. Here's how one article from the "Northern Territory Times" described his US Amateur victory in 1930:

Friday 3 October 1930 Bobby Jones American Golf robot defeated Eugene Homans New York by eight and seven thus winning the United States Amateur Golf Championship and completing an unparalleled record of four major titles.

A robot! I wondered if this was a typo but it seems not - the man was a machine and was winning everything at the time in the sort of fashion no one had seen before. Sound familiar?

"America Takes Golf Seriously" was the title of an article from The Canberra Times in 1929 which seemed to hint at the shift in world golf and the impact Bobby Jones was having:

Thursday 8 August 1929 Dr. Lee Brown, well-known amateur golfer, who returned to Sydney from a trip to America today, estimates the golf of Bobby Jones and other leading golfers to be three strokes a round better than the highest standard in Australia. "Americans make a business of golf," he added. "Strict training is carried on by leading amateurs as well as professionals."

Strict training for golf? Who would've thought?!

After Jones retired from tournament golf there was a proposal to stage a great golf carnival in Melbourne it's centenary year. An article in Brisbane's Courier-Mail suggested both Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen should be invited to Australia to play for the 5000 pounds in prize money set aside for the event:

Saturday 30 September 1933 ...The Centenary Golf would sadly lack its colour and attraction without these two champions of champions. If not playing in the competitive side they should be induced to come for exhibition games.

Bobby Jones is the world's best golfer, and one of the most modest and likeable of individuals. Most notable in its absence is the word "ego" where Bobby is concerned. He is liked by everyone wherever he goes.

He sounds like quite a guy, but "induced"? Sorry? Is this article suggesting that American golfers should be compensated somehow by traveling to play golf in Australia?

Sadly, Bobby Jones never did make it to Australia despite the inducements. It would have been nice to have seen the great golfer grace our shores at least for one trip. A trip which would have been etched into Australian golf history and provide an easy story for this Australian golf writer.

Thankfully, we have greater ways of inducing the world's best golfer to the great southern land these days. Golf writers in 80 years time will be thankful for that, let me tell you.

In memory of Bobby Jones

Since this is the week the Tour Championship makes its annual return to East Lake, the course where Bobby Jones grew up and learned to play golf, several members of the golf blogging community decided to pay tribute to the legend. Ten different blogs are featuring posts devoted to the life and legacy of Bobby Jones, each focusing on an aspect of Jones' life related to his or her blog; you'll find the complete list below.

Before you watch the tournament, learn a few new things about the man who inspires it.

I'll be posting about Searching for Bobby Jones, where a search for Bobby Jones in Australia finds remarkable similarities to modern day golf.

Gayle Moss over at Golfgal has posted My Favorite Bobby Jones Golf Tips. She writes, "His swing was a bit unorthodox, but no one can deny his amazing talent. Here are some of my favorite swing tips from the self-taught legend - Bobby Jones."

Art Murphy from LifeandGolf gives us ...We Play the Ball Where It Lies, a collection of miscellaneous quips and quotes about golf and golfers from Bobby Jones.

Mike Southern at Ruthless Golf wonders Could Bobby Jones Have ‘Cut It' Against Today's Pros?, and shows us what science and Jones's own notes have to say about the debate.

Vince Spence from The One-Eye Golfer writes about An Affair to Remember - Bobby Jones and St. Andrews, as he looks at the affection of the champion golfer for the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland which started in 1921.

Greg D'Andrea at From the Rough talks about Golf's Proper Place. "Bobby Jones played competitive golf only three months of the year, always keeping in perspective the game's original intent - 'a means of obtaining recreation and enjoyment.'"

Charles Boyer from Me and Old Man Par has chosen Bobby Jones' Competitors: Many of Them Were Good, One Was Great. "It is often thought that Bobby Jones showed up and crushed his competition on the way to another victory," Charles says. "The truth is that he had many worthy competitors and one, Walter Hagen, stood above all the others as Jones' most worthy competitor."

Jon Blackburn from The Common Golfer looks at Bobby Jones: Golf's Original Common Golfer. It's a celebration of Bobby Jones' life, and what made him unique amongst his golfing peers.

Apryl DeLancey at Women Like Sports features in her weekly Wild World of Wednesday post about how good friends Alexa Sterling and Bobby Jones continued to play golf during WWI in order to raise money for a good cause.

And Ryan Ballengee from Waggle Room sends us a vlog from East Lake about how Jones' spirit influences the club and community today.

Confused about the FedEx Cup?

If you're a little confused about the FedEx Cup, you're not the only one. In my opinion the format is still confusing but has been a lot better to previous years and it's hard to argue with a four week playoff series that features the best players from the PGATour. You rarely see Tiger Woods play two weeks in a row, let alone four.

Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishman and John Senden are the Australians in the final week of the playoff series. Here's a link from the PGATour FedEx Cup site detailing how each player in this week's final tournament can win the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.

Million Dollar Hole-In-One

Some things just have to be posted.

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Kingston Heath v NSW Golf Club

Last month I asked whether readers were more interested in seeing Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters or Greg Norman at the Australian Open.

There were some mixed opinions with some readers mentioning that the tournament courses is also a determining factor. Maybe some more information on each course in required and for international readers, bear in mind the courses are about a 900 km apart from each other.

Kingston Heath Golf Club
Always rated in Australia’s Top 5 courses, Kingston Heath is situated 20 mins from Melbourne's CBD in the famous sandbelt of Melbourne, Victoria. Geoff Ogilvy has labelled the prospect of an Australian Masters at Kingston Heath just as exciting as Tiger Woods playing in one. Apparently this was a fairly large factor for Tiger playing as well, excluding $3 million of course. If you want bunkers, this place has ‘em. Not just any old bunkers either. Possibly the best anywhere in the world. A classic golf course designed on a very small patch of land.

NSW Golf Club
Rated by US Golf Digest as the best golf course outside of the US and the UK, it sits on the cliffs just south of Sydney, about 20 minutes from the city centre and famous Bondi Beach. Holes run in all directions on this tricky links type layout so no matter what the wind direction you'll always be faced with some troubling shots. Perched on cliff tops overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the wind has a tendency to blow. The signature hole is the par-3 sixth with a tee shot over crashing waves. Depending on the wind speed and direction, it can be a 4 or 5 club difference.

Win a round with Adam Scott

There's a fair ol' competition running over at Titleist Australia where you can win a round of golf with Adam Scott in the Australian Masters Pro-Am. The Australian Masters is being held in November at Kingston Heath in Melbourne this year and it's going to be an amazing atmosphere with Tiger Woods around the place too.

Check out the link and enter the competition. If you win, and you read about the competition here first, be sure to take some to give Adam a few tips, take some photos and tell us all about it!

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Rules of Golf: Hazard Stakes

Aussie Golfer played a shot into a lateral water hazard. I realise some of you may find that hard to believe but yes occasionally my shots go wayward.

I found my ball only centimetres in the hazard with a decent lie and decided to play the ball. No more than a metre in front of my ball in a direct line to the green was the red stake defining the hazard. It was a short stake and not interefering with my swing but a very real chance of impeding the ball flight of my next shot. Could I remove it?

Remarkably, no one in my group had any idea but in this situation I could. Hazard stakes are considered movable obstructions and under rule 24.1a;

If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction. Otherwise, Rule 18-2a applies.

Basically, hazard stakes can be moved regardless of where your ball is but just so you know, do NOT remove anything defining out-of-bounds - two stroke penalty.

Related rules posts:
Putter grip rules
Rules of signing your card
Attending the flagstick
The wrong green
Embedded ball

The fall of Michael Campbell

Aussie Golfer came across an old golf magazine a few days ago and this was on the front cover.

I think we've learnt a few things from his new swing.

I realise it's an easy laugh and the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. It's sad though to be reminded of how far the once mighty Michael Campbell has fallen. A new game has started amongst friends to find out who had the better Thursday and Friday score, Michael Campbell or Adam Scott.

Michael Campbell has recently moved to Sydney. I hope that the move is good for his golf.

Does anyone think he can get back to where he once was?

New Australian Golf Show

One HD, Australia's free-to-air sports channel has announced the launch of a new locally produced golf show called "The Pro Shop", airing in October. Perfectly timed to be part of the build up to the three big tournaments in Australia later this year, the show is produced in partnership with the PGA of Australia and will be hosted by Andrew Maher.

So far we know it will contain previews and reviews of all the major domestic tournaments and will also test equipment and review golf courses. It will also air on Tuesday nights. Interesting. The same night as the only other Australian golf show on FoxSports - The Golf Show.

The Golf Show has held a monopoly on this format for a while now. I'm hoping it can show off a lot more of Australian golf- local courses, local players and local golf news - get it a little more personal to the average Australian golfer.

Time will tell if One can pull this off - stay tuned.

Weekend Golf Oddities

Two tournaments sponsored by two big luxury car makers were held on different sides of the Atlantic on the weekend and each threw up something strange.

The Euro Tour Mercedes-Benz Championship was held in Germany and James Kingston from South Africa won the event. In fact, the top 6 players from the tournament all had a name finishing with the letter "N". Of these six, three were named Hansen or Hanson! MmmBop.

The PGA Tour BMW Championship was held across the pond in Illinois, USA where Tiger Woods romped to a massive victory. It was the 3rd tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Top 30 players went through to next week's season ending tournament.

Australia's Marc Leishman has been phenomenal of late and his second place gives him a spot next week - now 16th in the rankings.

John Senden has also crept into next week's lucrative event but only because of some last hole troubles from Brandt Snedeker. No one likes to see this and Snedeker is one of the most likable players in world golf. He was apparently told he needed a par to sneak into the top-30, in truth he only needed bogey - this happened and he finished with a triple bogey. Heartbreaking.

Frisbee Golf

A mate introduced me to a game he invented on a beach around 10 years or so ago. I think he called it Folf or Foot Golf or something. Instead of a golf course - the beach. Instead of a golf ball - a tennis ball. Instead of golf clubs - your foot. Instead of a golf bag - a beer. Need a hole? Dig it.

Dig it?

As a kid I played variations of golf around the house and the golf concept has been applied to a whole range of other environments.

This frisbee or disc golf thing has been around a while now and predominantly confined to the US. More specifically, US colleges. Even as an avid golfer I find it a little odd but would love to give it a go.

Is it confined to geeks at US colleges? Perhaps that's why I'm keen.

Friday notes

Here's a few things to note as we clock off for the week:

• Has Geoff Ogilvy turned the corner? He had an awesome start to the year, slumped in the middle but has put together a few good weeks in a row and for the first time in ages, is right in the hunt after round one at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill.
• PGA Tour rookie Marc Leishman's eagled the last hole last week to propel him into this penultimate FedEx Cup tournament. He has had three top-20's out of his past four tournaments and looks hot once again this week. Australia's newest golf star.
• John Daly won't make it to Australia this summer after withdrawing from tournament commitments with a rib injury. I'm sure this isn't the first time in his career he's succumbed to a rib or two but I'm genuinely disappointed. He had a rough time last year and his golf wasn't up to scratch but he seemed to be coming back into some form.
• There's plenty of golfers Twittering now but this is a first. Michelle Wie has set up a personal blog.
• Oh and if you missed it, here's why Greg Norman chose Adam Scott to play in the Presidents Cup.
  

Hamilton Island Golf Club opens

Just when you thought this part of the world couldn't get any better, Peter Thomson and Ross Perret have designed and unveiled Hamilton Island Golf Club. It's Australia's newest and only island-based championship golf course and it opened last week in the heart of one of the greatest spots in the world, The Whitsunday Islands.

Weirdly enough, you'd expect Hamilton Island Golf Club to be on, well, Hamilton Island - but it's not. It's on the nearby Dent Island, a five minute boat ride from Hamilton Island but the journey to and from Hamilton is included in the green fees.

I took one look at the pictures of this course and realised I didn't care what island it was on, I just want to play it.

Top 10 reasons why Norman picked Adam Scott

International Team captain Greg Norman made a puzzling decision to select the terribly out of form Adam Scott as one of his captains picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup. Here's why:

1. He thought he could teach him about dating a tennis player and tell him what love really means to them.
   
   
2. Camilo needs a wing man.
   
   
3. Burberry need to show off their new winter collection.
   
   
4. Two words: Ana Ivanovic.
   
   
5. Robert Allenby threatened to quit if he didn't.
   
   
6. He thought he had to make picks for the opposition team.
   
   
7. Fred Couples told him to.
   
   
8. He's Australian. Wouldn't you?
   
   
9. He's hot.
   
   
10. Anna Rawson wasn't eligible.

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Norman chooses Adam Scott for Presidents Cup

Norman chooses Scott for Presidents Cup

The Presidents Cup captains have made their two extra picks for the teams competing in San Francisco in early October. International Team captain Greg Norman has made a controversial and possibly disastrous choice.

Norman had possibly the most difficult decision to make of the two captains and opted for Japanese teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa and out of form, out of luck (and out with Ana Ivanovic), Adam Scott.

His selection of Adam Scott is puzzling. Apart from some good rounds at the Scottish Open he's really struggled to shoot better scores than Michael Campbell this year and one would have thought Rory Sabbatini, Michael Sim, KJ Choi or even Jason Day would have been better options.

Ryo Ishikawa's selection was a good one as he has been in fine form with another win on the Japanese Tour recently and will no doubt increase interest coming from the massive Japanese golfing market.

It appears Norman is looking for youth to carry the team through with these picks. Perhaps in a similar way to the way the young guns fired for USA at the most recent Ryder Cup.

For USA Team captain Fred Couples, his decision was made slightly easier going with with Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan. Lucas Glover's US Open win made his spot a formality and Hunter Mahan has had six top ten finishes. Perhaps Scott Verplank can consider himself a little unlucky not to be picked as his season has also been strong.

Here are the full teams:

USA	International
Tiger Woods	Geoff Ogilvy (AUS)
Phil Mickelson	Vijay Singh (FIJI)
Steve Stricker	Camilo Villegas (COL)
Kenny Perry	Retief Goosen (SA)
Zach Johnson	Ernie Els (SA)
Stewart Cink	Angel Cabrera (ARG)
Sean O’Hair	Mike Weir (CAN)
Jim Furyk	Robert Allenby (AUS)
Anthony Kim	Y.E. Yang (SK)
Justin Leonard	Tim Clark (SA)
Lucas Glover	Ryo Ishikawa (Japan)
Hunter Mahan	Adam Scott (AUS)

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St.Andrews is a joke

Why is St.Andrews so easy to play on computer golf games? The home of golf and the most prestigious golf course in the world is always nothing more than a timid bilby.

I find eating a banana muffin harder than playing St.Andrews on a games console. I’ve heard of many rounds in the low 50’s. It’s been featured on Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Links Golf, Leaderboard Golf as well as a whole load of others and it’s a joke at best.

I’m sure non-golf fans would have often thought it was just some course added to the game in order to allow players to get a feel for the controls. A tutorial level.

Watching the great course slain so badly feels like a blight on the game. It’s not right and it’s no surprise that Augusta National hasn’t been featured on any golf games. I’m sure they don’t want it depicted as the hapless water buffalo that St.Andrews has been made out to be.

John Senden scores an albatross

John Senden is sitting three shots behind the leaders after three rounds at the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. In case you missed it, he nailed a four iron for an albatross on the weekend - here's the footage and his reaction to the shot in a post-round interview.

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Peter Thomson on Palmer and putting

Peter Thomson has been interviewed a lot lately as part of his 80th birthday celebrations. One quote reported by the Telegraph stuck with me when asked about changes in the game.

Putting used to mean hitting the first putt into a position where the second one could be holed. Then along came Arnold Palmer who thought you could hole every putt.

"You wondered what the hell he was trying to do. That wasn't the way golf was played. Once he broke the barrier...everyone started doing it."

Alice Cooper praises Australian golf course

Alice Cooper has been touring the country and as some of you may know he's a big golf fan. The aging rocker is possibly the world's most unexpected golfer but he plays almost everyday.

He's been playing a lot while out in Australia on his current tour and has had some kind words to say about Joondalup Golf Course in Western Australia.

“I have one or two new guys in the band every time I go back to Australia, and if they are golfers I go: ‘have you ever seen a kangaroo on a golf course?’” he said.

“They say ‘no’ and I say, ‘well, I’m going to take you to a place where there are 20 on every hole’.

“Not only is that the experience, but the golf course is a great golf course.

“I play all over the world and Joondalup is one of my favourite golf courses in the world.”

The course was rated 20th in Australian Golf Digest's Top 100 Australian golf courses this year. I've never had the pleasure of playing this course, but would love to hear from anyone that has. What'd you think?

Australian Golf Blogs

I thought I'd give a little space to some other Australian golf blogs today. There's a small but there's a growing number which give their own little Aussie perspective on golf.

• Cliff has previously guest posted on Aussie Golfer and he writes at Rub of the Green. He hasn't been blogging long but is giving some great little updates and his golfing tips are always spot on.

• Doogs maintains On Par - All about Golf In Australia. I'm always impressed with how much golf he gets out to play despite rarely missing a Hawks game! Once again it gives a nice impression of some of the great courses around the country with a healthy dose of golf news thrown in.

• From a business point of view Mike's Space at Golf Industry Central is always worth keeping an eye on. Mike has some serious golf business credentials and its always interesting to hear what he has to say about golf management in Australia.

• Cary runs Golf in Melbourne which as the title suggests, gives a nice look at playing golf around Melbourne. There's such a plethora of great courses around this great city and Cary gives a nice personal touch to them.

• Malcolm is Golf Coast Golfer and is in the enviable position of living close to some immaculate golf courses with weather to match. I like his philosophical talk about the game of golf but posts about a whole range of other golfing stuff too.

Let me know if anyone comes across any other Australian golf blogs out there and I'll let everyone know how to find it.

Golf handicapping: What's with the 0.96?

Aussie Golfer recently wrote a piece explaining how the new golf handicapping system will work when it is introduced in February, 2010. It's based on the USGA model and it appears that it will more closely reflect your true handicap.

One part of the system that does stand out like a pair of John Daly's pants is the 0.96 multiplication factor. It's known as the "bonus for excellence" factor. I mentioned it briefly but thought I'd expand a little further. Bear with me here.

Why it's 0.96 and not 0.95 or 0.94, I don't know. Apparently in the US it used to be 0.86. It's role is to balance out the small advantage a golfer with a high handicap has over a golfer with a low handicap.

A low handicapper has a smaller range of potential golf scores, agreed? Therefore the potential for a high handicapper to shoot much better than his/her handicap is greater. Multiplying a high number by 0.96 reduces the number by much more than if you would a low number. It effectively reduces a high number by more than a low number.

Let me give an example. Let's say Bob's plays off 3.4 and Fred plays off 19.1. Knowing that Fred has a distinct advantage in winning the competition they play in because his range of scores is greater - he's not as consitent as Bob. By multiplying both of these numbers by 0.96, we end up with Bob decreasing to 3.2 and 18.3. Take a look at how much each golfer's handicap has been reduced. Fred's handicap has been reduced by much more than Bob's.

It provides an incentive for all golfers to improve their handicap. The lower it is, the less it is effected by the "bonus for excellence" factor!

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