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See below in this column for another story. This article discusses "The Truth About Gambling and Handicapping," a story by Gary Benson which first appeared in Chicagoland Golf Magazine..
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The Truth about Gambling
and Handicapping
Golf’s time-honored equalizing system
is not always what it seems
By Gary S. Benson --Traveling Chicago Golfer
What do golfers love more—the game or the gambling? Probably the game itself. But no less an authority than “Slammin’” Sammy Snead once said, in essence, “A golf game without a bet is nothing more than a walk in the park.”
And, of course, there is the old golf gambler’s adage, “Most bets are won on the first tee.”
But what does that old adage really mean? The reference is, of course, to handicap strokes, one of golf’s many arcane and murky underlying components.
When a 4-handicap player sets up a match with a 10-handicap player on the first tee, they might agree to the better player “giving” six shots during the round, or “three a side.” Alternatively, there may be some negotiating. The better player may have recently shot some very low rounds not yet reflected in his or her handicap. This phenomenon is called a “handicap trend.”
The higher-handicap player might argue, “You shot 73 last week. You are playing more like a 2-handicap right now, so in all fairness you should ‘give me’ eight shots this round.”
That player may be seeking a fairer match, or he may be looking “to win the bet on the first tee.” What a surprise—he may be looking to get an edge toward winning. Shooting a 73 last week is no sure indication of shooting a 73 this week, as all golfers know.
But that example is only the tip of the iceberg. Structuring a fair bet can involve many additional factors, such as:
•The game being played (a stroke play match; a match play match; a two-person best ball; a “skins” game; a Scotch game; etc.)
•The number of players involved
•The range of handicaps of the players involved •The recent play, or “trend,” of the player
•Recent bets between the players, where perhaps one player has dominated, notwithstanding handicap adjustments
In golf groups with which I have been involved over the years, I’ve often heard the argument (particularly from the higher-handicap players) that regardless of the game, regardless of the number of players involved, “the handicap system is designed to make things fair.”
While that idea is no doubt true as a broad statement about the handicap system, I believe it is not always the case. And this concern goes in both directions. Sometimes handicaps need to be adjusted, whether up or down.
This is supported by no less of an authority than the United States Golf Association (USGA), which recommends in its tournament guidelines that two-person best ball events “be played at 80% of full handicap.” This is rooted in the notion that the basic handicap is designed to equalize players squaring off in direct competition, one on one. And further, that in team games sometimes handicaps need additional adjustments to be fair.
How does the 80 percent rule work? Let’s say there is a club tournament involving 100 golfers---50 two-person teams playing a traditional two-man best ball. Let’s take two sample teams from the event, a 5-handicapper teamed with a 30-handicapper, and a 17-handicapper paired with a 18-handicapper.
Typically in this format, the 30-handicapper would receive two handicap shots on the 12 most difficult holes, and one handicap shot on the other six holes. Many experienced observers believe a match like this favors the team with the low-handicap/high-handicap combo.
In a typical best ball tournament, the teams are striving to make “net” scores on individual holes that are under par while seeking not to ever have a net score that is higher than par. Typical best ball tournament winning scores over two days (36 holes) might range from a few under par to 18, 20, 22 or more under par.
The perceived advantage of the 30-handicapper is based, surprisingly, on his erratic play. If the 30-handicapper makes a gross score of par on a hole where he is receiving two strokes, he earns a “net eagle” on the scorecard. Even if he makes a bogey on such a hole, his team still scores a “net birdie.”
On the other hand, if the 30-handicapper suffers a “blow-up hole,” taking, for example, a nine on a hole, his 5-handicap partner will often make a good score and protect the team’s overall "best-ball" score in the tournament.
When I have discussed such a matchup (the 5- and 30-handicap team vs. the 17- and 18-handicap team) with experienced competitive golfers, they have expressed a belief that the 5 and 30 combo will win far more than 50 percent of the time. Even with all players playing at 80 percent of handicap, most competitors give the nod to the 5 and 30 as having the odds in their favor.
A similar controversy arises in a game that the members of one of my golf groups play frequently. This is a “net” skins game with “carryovers.” Sometimes our group plays this in a threesome or foursome, but (and even worse from my perspective as a 4- or 5-handicap) my friends sometimes ask to play this game on a golf trip where there are up to 12 golfers with handicaps ranging from 4 to 30. The more golfers involved, the more likelihood there will be carryovers and that a hole will only be won with a very low score –like an eagle or net-eagle.
An unscientific sampling of scorecards in larger groups (such as 12 people) shows that when a hole is won (a “skin”), it almost always happens with a birdie or eagle (or a “net birdie” or “net eagle”). A low handicapper often needs to make those birdies or eagles “scratch”—without handicap strokes. Intuitively, and supported by the informal sampling, net birdies, net eagles or even net double eagles are much easier to come by.
As an example, let’s say 12 players agree to a skins game—one dollar per hole per person, with carryovers, so each skin is worth $12. Let’s say the low-digit handicapper makes par on the first nine holes of the day, and someone from the remaining 11 players makes a par or a net par on those same holes, but nothing better. All those holes are thus tied. No skins so far. The wager on those first nine holes is “carried over," to the next hole that someone wins outright.
Next, on the tough par-3 10th hole, a 28-handicapper makes a par while getting two handicap shots. That is a “net 1,” essentially a hole-in-one.
That’s probably a winner! The high handicapper now wins that hole plus the nine carryovers. That win is worth $120 out of a total pot of $216. Again, while this needs more scientific analysis, I’ve seen a lot more high handicappers make a net 1 on a par-3 hole than I’ve seen actual holes-in-one.
On the other side of the coin, a recent article in Golf Digest noted that in a straight-up match between a 5-handicapper and a 17-handicapper, the 5-handicapper will win more often due to a quirk in the USGA handicapping system that gives a “bonus for excellence” advantage to better players. According to Dean Knuth, former senior director of the USGA Handicap Department, who is quoted in the article, such a bonus is built into the handicap system. He calculates that because of this, a 5-handicapper will beat a 17-handicapper 53 percent of the time in a straight-up match. It is worth noting that the Golf Digest article did not specify if the match in question was match play, stroke play, or something else.
One of my buddies, sports psychologist Jim Graves from Nashua, N.H., notes that his biggest beef with the handicap system is its failure to consider “variations” in how golfers play. His example is a series of matches between a 10 handicapper who is very consistent and a 10 handicapper who has wild fluctuations in the scores he shoots.
To simplify, let’s say the first of those two guys achieved his 10 handicap by shooting his last 20 scores all between 85 and 88. The second 10 handicapper has 10 scores between 85 and 88 but also has posted the following scores in his last 20 rounds: 89, 91, 94, 95, 95, 97, 97, 98, 99 and 100.
As Dr. Graves said, “If these guys play twenty, separate, five-dollar Nassaus over the summer, the second player is going to lose a lot of money. The handicap system can disguise variances in players’ games.”
The point of all this is --- the handicap system is not foolproof --- and it doesn’t always make things fair.
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Silverado Story
– Really.... How come your life isn’t like this??? ********************************************************************************************** By Gary S. Benson Travel Editor
The man has been “living the dream” for most of his 66 years. A PGA Hall of Fame career highlighted by a record-setting U.S. Open win in 1973; eight PGA tour wins the following year. Finally, after winning a total of 25 times on tour, he then becomes one of the most famous TV golf analysts ever.
And now, after recently becoming the owner and “re-designer” of his own iconic golf course in Napa, California, (actually 36 holes), he has snagged the 2014 version of the PGA tour’s Frys.com Championship, to be hosted by him on the North Course of his Silverado CountryClub on October 6-12, 2014. The tournament will be the opening event of the 2014-2015 FedEx Cup season.
The man is, of course, John Laurence Miller, known to most of us golf fans as “Johnny.” And, if you’re going to San Francisco (song lyrics!), make note that his Silverado courses are open to public play. Keep in mind, however, you are required to stay at the resort as a resort guest for at least one night. Depending on the season, a one-night package can be had for as little as $244, and you can get a free second round of golf on your day of arrival after 2 PM.
The story of Miller becoming the owner of Silverado has many back stories and sub-plots: -- He played Silverado as a kid, coming over from his hometown of San Francisco. -- A couple of his earliest PGA tour wins came on the Silverado North Course in what was then called the “Kaiser Invitational”;
-- He raised his six children at Silverado, in a home located just off the 11th tee of the North Course.
-- The original owner of the property where Silverado now stands was a U.S. Civil War general also named John Miller (no relation), but that’s a whole nother story, for another time.
And now, Johnny Miller has brought his legacy at Silverado full circle, buying the place with a couple of partners in 2010 and spearheading a substantial redesign of the tournament North Course over the past few years.
“I can’t say I dreamed of owning it because the thought never entered my mind,” said the two-time major winner, who once lived in a home on the 11th hole. “But I sure thought about redesigning these courses about 4,000 times, probably as far back as the early 1970s. I said we could do one course and show the world and the membership what the potential of these courses are, and breathe a little life into this iconic property.”
“My goal was to give the course a more clean and open look, to make it more pristine and frame things with the gorgeous old oaks, pines, and redwoods,” Miller explained. “We did this by adding some new strategic bunkers, eliminating 15-20 bunkers that I disliked, re-grassing the fairways with Kentucky bluegrass, and re-aligning some fairways. We also removed and trimmed up a lot of trees.”
“I’m a big believer in not having too many bunkers,” he said. “At Silverado at least, my bunkers are there for a real good reason. They change the hole and make you think. They are not decorative bunkers. They’re strategic.”
One of the big differences at the course when I played it earlier this year, compared to a few years ago, is the phenomenal condition and speed of the greens. With a lot of contour and slope, they are some of the nicest, fastest, and challenging this golf writer has ever encountered. They are really fun -- and sometimes maddening!
The course reminds me a bit of the midwest’s Point O’Woods CC in Benton Harbor, Michigan, if you’ve seen that. Silverado was originally built at about the same time, in 1966, and was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Point O’Woods was designed by his father, Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Miller has been involved in designing over 40 courses over the last 30-plus years. When he is hired to do the job, he typically makes course visits totaling 10 or 12 days during design and build-out. But for the Silverado North Course, he was on the site approximately 40 days total.
“When you own the place, and you’ve spent a good portion of your life thinking of how you could make it better, and you know it like the back of your hand, that makes it a whole different ball game,” Miller says. “I made every decision. If you hate it, you can blame me. If you love it, you can blame me. I may not be the world’s greatest course designer, but I do know this property, and with the budget we had, I knew I could do a better job than anybody because I knew every inch of this place.”
Tim Geesey, who Johnny hired as his original Director of Golf Operations in 2010, tells the story of how Johnny stood out on the 18th hole of the North Course for most of an entire day during his re-design phase, trying to figure out how to best route and bunker that finishing hole. Finally, Geesey went out to join Miller. To try to give him some stimulating advice, Geesey suggested a fairway bunker down the left side of the fairway. Miller instantly retorted, --“Noooo, that wouldn’t be good.”
With new back tees designed and installed by Miller, Silverado now measures out at 7,226 yards from the tips and will be more than ready to challenge the PGA stars. The Frys.com Championship will open the 2014-2015 tour season with a full field of 144 players with a $5 Million purse and a $900,000 first prize.
Miller has opined that the renovated North Course is “as hard as Pebble Beach,” and all golf fans know what Miller thinks of Pebble. It is a tough test.
“When the Tour pros play here from the back tees and no rough, with the greens running fast, I’d be surprised if anyone shot 12 or 13 under par for an event, which is strong for no rough,” says Miller. “This is a tough golf course. These greens are as tough as just about any at high speeds. I would probably have five three-putts a round.”
It seems a large part of Miller’s thinking about Silverado is leaving a legacy for his family. Greg Norman has his businesses, Arnold Palmer has Bay Hill, and Jack Nicklaus has Muirfield.
“One thing I learned from Greg Norman is that I wanted to create something that was family legacy, create a brand or have an iconic property like this where people in the family could work, or something that just goes on. That’s what a family business does, goes on for generations,” Miller said.
As the writer of this stor y for Golf Chicago Magazine,, I wanted to bring it to Chicago area readers because I feel Silverado is one of the best places to visit in the U.S, particularly for a winter getaway. Now, part of the attraction for me is that it is in Napa, California, and I love my fine wines, as well. But the whole package is tough to beat -- two gorgeous golf courses, an iconic resort property, the Napa-Sonoma attractions and vineyards, and great year-round weather. There is also a 16,000 square-foot spa on property and ten swimming pools, for those looking for those amenities.
To be hanging out in Napa playing the North Course at Silverado is sublime. The rumors are that the tour wives are very excited about the Frys.com tourney and the opportunity to hang out in Napa.
Rates at the resort vary by season and demand, so it is best to check the website or to call the club, but I have seen two-day, two night packages for as little as $400 a person, which includes two-rounds of golf for two people -- one round on each of the resort courses. Plus, free replays are included, so you could get in 72 holes each for that price.
If you really love the place, as I do, you can think about joining for $40,000 to $60,000 in initiation fees (depending on if you buy property) plus fairly typical country club fees for dues, food minimums, golf carts, and the like. I may do it one of these days! The place is a dream.
# # # //C//-Copyright 2014 by Gary S. Benson This copy may not be modified in any way without the permission of the author.
As featured in:
Traveling Chicago Golfer.com
See Below for another great article:
See text of story below
By Gary S. Benson
The man has been “living the dream” for most of his 66 years. A PGA Hall of Fame career highlighted by a record-setting U.S. Open win in 1973; eight PGA tour wins the following year. Finally, after winning a total of 25 times on tour, he then becomes one of the most famous TV golf analysts ever. And now, after recently becoming the owner and “re-designer” of his own iconic golf course in Napa, California, (actually 36 holes), he has snagged the 2014 version of the PGA tour’s Frys.com Championship, to be hosted by him on the North Course of his Silverado Country Club on October 6-12, 2014. The tournament will be the opening event of the 2014-2015 FedEx Cup season. The man is John Laurence Miller, known to most of us golf fans as “Johnny.” And, if you’re going to San Francisco (song lyrics!), make note that his Silverado courses are open to public play. Keep in mind, however, you are required to stay at the resort as a resort guest for at least one night. Depending on the season, a one-night package can be had for as little as $244, and you can get a free second round of golf on your day of arrival after 2 PM. The story of Miller becoming the owner of Silverado has many back stories and sub-plots: -- He played Silverado as a kid, coming over from his hometown of San Francisco. -- A couple of his earliest PGA tour wins came on the Silverado North Course in what was then called the “Kaiser Invitational”; -- He raised his six children at Silverado, in a home located just off the 11th tee of the North Course. -- The original owner of the property where Silverado now stands was a U.S. Civil War general also named John Miller (no relation), but that’s a whole nother story, for another time. And now, Johnny Miller has brought his legacy at Silverado full circle, buying the place with a couple of partners in 2010 and spearheading a substantial redesign of the tournament North Course over the past few years. “I can’t say I dreamed of owning it because the thought never entered my mind,” said the two-time major winner, who once lived in a home on the 11th hole. “But I sure thought about redesigning these courses about 4,000 times, probably as far back as the early 1970s. I said we could do one course and show the world and the membership what the potential of these courses are, and breathe a little life into this iconic property.” “My goal was to give the course a more clean and open look, to make it more pristine and frame things with the gorgeous old oaks, pines, and redwoods,” Miller explained. “We did this by adding some new strategic bunkers, eliminating 15-20 bunkers that Idisliked, re-grassing with Kentucky bluegrass, and re-aligning some fairways. We also removed and trimmed up a lot of trees.” “I’m a big believer in not having too many bunkers,” he pointed out. “At Silverado at least, my bunkers are there for a real good reason. They change the hole and make you think. They are not decorative bunkers. A lot are not even in play for most players, but they are in play for the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroys of the world.” One of the big differences at the course when I played it earlier this year, is the phenomenal condition and speed of the greens. With a lot of contour and slope, they are some of the nicest, fastest, and most challenging this golf writer has ever encountered. They are really fun -- and sometimes maddening! The course reminds me a bit of the midwest’s Point O’Woods CC in Benton Harbor, Michigan, if you’ve seen that. Silverado was originally built at about the same time, in 1966, and was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Point O’Woods was designed by his father, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Miller has been involved in designing over 40 courses over the last 30-plus years. When he is hired to do the job, he typically makes course visits totalling 10 or 12 days during design and build-out. But for the Silverado North Course, he was on the site approximately 40 days total. “When you own the place, and you’ve spent a good portion of your life thinking of how you could make it better, and you know it like the back of your hand, that makes it a whole different ball game,” Miller says. “I made every decision. If you hate it, you can blame me. If you love it, you can blame me. I may not be the world’s greatest course designer, but I do know this property, and with the budget we had, I knew I could do a better job than anybody because I knew every inch of this place.” Tim Geesey, who Johnny hired as his original Director of Golf Operations in 2010, confirms Miller’s “I know every inch of this place’ comment when he tells the story of how he received a phone call from Miller one day while Johnny was in his pickup truck driving from Utah to California. “Mr. Miller calls me on the phone and says ‘Tim, I’ve been thinking. You know that little spot short of the green on 15-North? It burns out, there must be some sort of rock subsurface that need to be brokenup.…...you gotta work on that. We just aren’t growing grass on that spot.’” Geesey and a member of the ground crew went right out there with a pick and a shovel, and sure enough, there was a rock subsurface. Geesey had been on the job two weeks at that point. He became a believer. Geesey also tells the story of how Johnny stood out on the 18th hole of the North Course for most of an entire day during his re-design phase, trying to figure out how to best route and bunker that hole. Finally, Geesey went out to join Miller. To try to give him some stimulating advice, Geesey suggested a fairway bunker down the left side of the fairway. Miller instantly retorted, “Noooo, that wouldn't be good!" I can assure you there is no bunker there now, but the hole as redesigned is classic. Hit your ball in the bunker that is about 15 yards short of the left side of the green, as I did, and you will see what I mean. Geesey, despite being rebuffed on that issue, says about working for Miller: “He is more kind than you could ever imagine.” With new back tees designed and installed by Miller, Silverado now measures out at 7,226 yards from the tips and will be more than ready to challenge the PGA stars. The Frys.com Championship will open the 2014-2015 tour season with a full field of 144 players with a $5 Million purse and a $900,000 first prize. Miller has opined that the renovated North Course is “as hard as Pebble Beach,” and all golf fans know what Miller thinks of Pebble. It is a tough test. “When the Tour pros play here from the back tees and no rough, with the greens running fast, I’d be surprised if anyone shot 12 or 13 under par for an event, which is strong for no rough,” says Miller. “This is a tough golf course. These greens are as tough as Augusta at high speeds. I would probably have five three putts a round.” It seems a large part of Miller’s thinking about Silverado is leaving a legacy for his family. Greg Norman has his businesses, Arnold Palmer has Bay Hill, and Jack Nicklaus has Muirfield. “One thing I learned from Greg Norman is that I wanted to create something that was family legacy, create a brand or have an iconic property like this where people in the family could work, or something that just goes on. That’s what a family business does, goes on for generations,” Miller said. “That’s what we can do with this property. It’s sort of sacred for me. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. There’s just something about Napa Valley and Silverado. At my stage in life, maybe my announcing doesn’t bring that much joy to the players, but I’m hoping people get a kick out of coming here. That’s our goal.” As the writer of this story, I wanted to bring it to Chicago area readers because I feel Silverado is one of the best places to visit in the U.S. Beautiful year-round, it is a great place for a winter getaway. Now, part of the attraction for me is that it is in Napa, California, and I love my fine wines, as well. But the whole package is tough to beat -- two gorgeous golf courses, an iconic resort property, the Napa-Sonoma attractions and vineyards, and great year-round weather. There is also a 16,000 square-foot spa on property and ten swimming pools, for those looking for those amenities.
To be hanging out in Napa playing the North Course at Silverado is sublime. The rumors are that the tour wives are very excited about the Frys.com tourney and the opportunity to hang out in Napa. Rates at the resort vary by season and demand, so it is best to check the website or to call the club, but I have seen two-day, two night packages for as little as $400 a person, which includes two-rounds of golf for two people -- one round on each of the resort courses. Plus, free replays are included, so you could get in 72 holes each for that price. The housing at the resort is quite unique. It is not a hotel. There are approximately 390 units and suites of varying configurations, surrounding the golf course. They are all privately owned, but managed by the resort. They are not the fanciest lodgings in Napa, but they are quite nice and Miller’s investment group is actively coordinating the renovation of many of the units presently.
If you really love the place, as I do, you can think about joining for $40,000 to $60,000 in initiation fees (depending on if you buy property) plus fairly typical country club fees for dues, food minimums, golf carts and the like. I may do it one of these days! The place is a dream. # # # //C//-Copyright 2014 by Gary S. Benson This copy may not be modified in any way without the permission of the author.