First you should know a couple of things that I believe to be true.
1. People don’t like change and the British are off the scale in that regard.
2. We (Brits) think we’ve got it right and anyone who doesn’t do it our way has got it wrong (because we’re British and we invented the game).
3. We (Brits) are exactly as the world portrays us - we’re reserved, insular, exclusive, arrogant and pompous.
So what and what’s that got to do with the 3 ball / 4 ball format?
The reason we play 3 balls is because we (as opposed to the rest of the world) have the CONGU handicap system which requires that only ‘qualifying’ competitions are used o calculate the handicap. And for some reason I don’t quite understand medal and ‘qualifying’ are synonymous to HC committees. We consequently have formed a culture where golf is all about a ‘test’ and true golfers are those who want to grit their teeth and continually test themselves in a solitary quest of discovery – man, club and ball against the course. Well one third of us do as two thirds of the members never play in a qualifying competition (according to our HC secretary)!!
OK I’m coming to it – so what’s that got to do with 3 ball / 4 ball format?
The two thirds that don’t play in ‘qualifying’ comps are playing their regular social 4 ball better ball game with their mates who they play with every other day of every week and have been for the past zillion years.
I’m a new member and I tip up on the first tee asking people if I can join them and I’ve had some funny looks and I’ve played with lots of guys who have never played with anybody else. I played with a guy the other week who was by himself and I told him this story and he said, “actually I’m one of them, I played with 3 other guys for years until they died off one by one and now I’m by myself.†I played today and I counted 5 single guys trudging around the course by themselves!!
Now I get to the point, what’s that got to do with 3 ball / 4 ball format? If we had a culture which played 4 balls (as is the case in every other country not under British influence) there is always three guys looking for someone to make up a four. So those guys trudging around by themselves (which often includes me) put their name in the pro shop and get regular calls to make up a 4.
So the significant ramification of the CONGU handicap system is the culture of the 3 ball game which in turn results in factions/cliques and exclusivity (as opposed to inclusivity). And why will nothing change – because we’re British and all of 1-3 above.
The CONGU handicaps system is an abomination and for the sake of the life of golf in the UK, should be scrapped.
