USGA Alters Handicap System: Moronic CEO's Rejoice

Looks like the USGA has made it tougher for intrepid reporters to catch stupid CEO's who play golf when their company stock price is headed down the drain:

The most significant revision clarifies the definition of “peer review” to specify the information that must be provided in connection with a scoring record. As a result of these changes, peer review will become more sensitive to privacy-related concerns.

The new definition of “peer review” mandates two types of scoring records – a general scoring record that provides basic information to those involved in peer review; and a complete scoring record that provides more detailed information to a club’s handicap committee, fellow club members and officials in charge of any outside competition where a golfer plans to compete.

General scoring records will not show the date (day) and course on which a round of golf was played. The name of the course where a round was played is only recommended as part of the complete scoring record. For both types of records, however, the six most recent revisions to a player’s Handicap Index® are required.

“Certain portions of the scoring record are essential for peer review to flourish, and we have painstakingly worked to determine what is necessary in various situations,” said USGA President-elect Jim Vernon, who brought this topic to the attention of the Handicap Committee for review in 2005 in his role as committee chair.

Comments

[Mike B]

It really wouldn't be a problem if the CEOs would be playing their golf at local muni's ... but you read where they play, especially out on the left coast and you would think that some of them had a corner office on 17 mile drive.

[johnny knoxville]

A few dumb CEOs move the USGA to action !

I understand that many CEO are now driving the ball too far, forcing many member courses to constantly spend money moving tees, bunkers, and greens.

[Eric Stratton]

This is like an outgoing President granting pardons...

...on his way out Walter Driver is cutting his fellow moronic CEO buddies some slack.

ES

[MJN]

Mike B
Why should a ceo play the local muni?
I do from time to time, but not all munis are like mine. :)

Why didn't the USGA just say - if you want privacy - don't post a score.

both parties are pussies.... the CEO's who lobbied the change and the ones who made the change.

I'm sure the number of CEO's that care is tiny - probably the same sub-set as the very neurotic ones anyway.

[Smolmania]

But the bottom line is that a tool at our disposal to ferret out sandbaggers is apparently disappearing. 4 putt related his story about the double digit handicapper who was, acc. to his pro, a 2. . . now I can no longer check up on the guys who play in the CDGA better ball events that I'm paired with.

[Mike B.]

MJN -

One of golf's problems, and a systemic cause for the decline of golfers is the country club mentality supported by the USGA and every state or local golf association.

It's a rich man's sport and CEO's making millions of dollars playing at Winged Foot and Cypress will get hammered by the press. If they had muni's on their GHIN, it might read different (well, probably not with the liberal media ...)

[Ronald Montesano]

You are apostrophe-challenged! Twice now you have apostrophed a plural, instead of a possessive. I'm alerting CNN and BBC.

[iacas]

I doubt the USGA was "lobbied" by CEOs. If anything, the things that happened this summer were simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

Privacy concerns aren't just for CEOs. They can affect all of us, and I think the USGA has made a move they feel will help the privacy of golfers regardless of their job title. It will take some time to see if it's an effective change, or one that simply leads to more sandbagging or something, but unlike some, I don't immediately assume the USGA is acting _solely_ in favor of the CEOs of the world or that they're once again screwing something up.

[Eric Stratton]

iacas,

Other than Stan O'Neal, Jimmy Cayne, Dave Daberko, Jim Rohr, and a few other CEO's that have been spotlighted in the WSJ, USA Today and NY Post...

...can you cite any specific examples that the USGA would have been privy to that would be a catalyst for this change?

This change is a direct result of a series of news stories over the last 18 months covering a number of high profile CEO's of publicly traded companies.

All the CEO's in question (except possibly Cayne) count themselves as members of places like Augusta National, Seminole, Pine Valley, National, etc...

These are guys with direct and frequent access to the USGA board/directors/officers and it's foolish to think that anything other than a specific response to the plight of these CEO's is responsible for the changes in GHIN.

On Friday someone asked me to rank the majors in order of preference if in some fantasy I had a chance to win one/them...I picked (1) Augusta, (2) The Open, (3) The PGA and (4) US Open - as bad as the PGA has been over the years the USGA is so atrocious now that their championship is last on my list.

ES