What is "Fair?"

Huge response from everyone last week (My blog on Significance) – seems like a lot of people may have been through the same sort of journey (or are still going through it).

So thank you for all the support!

Tuesday Turns is up over 400 subscribers, which I know is small in the grand scheme of things, but the consistent growth week over week and personal notes people have left me have encouraged me to keep sharing my weekly thoughts/themes.

It really is hard to write a piece every week. And even harder to make myself seem half-literate.

So thanks for sticking with me!

Week 2 softball update, the good guys are 2-0 on the year after a late game ejection/forfeit by the opposition.?

Absolute blowup by the other team's third basemen last week. Full lunacy.

I mean cmon buddy - we're all just here to have a few beers, have a laugh, and throw a few protein missiles & patties on the grill postgame.

Berating the ump for 15 minutes halfway through the 6th doesn't exactly fit into that agenda.

Maybe I would have been better at sports if I had that "fire in my belly" as they say, who knows. There's a time and a place.

And in my humble opinion, the Rec Park City softball league isn't it.

You're lighting some poor guy up who is literally umpiring a bunch of grown men for what can't be a ton of money (maybe even volunteering) - give em a break.

You know exactly who I’m talking about too.?That guy/girl who just LIVES for it. Full baseball pants, spikes, headbands, drawing his initials in the box like he's Giambi.

Shoulda known this guy was trouble based on the full dynamic warmup in left pregame. We’re talking a full lather of sweat 30 minutes before first pitch.

High Knees, Carioca, a few steal jumps, the whole 9.

Fast forward to a snap tag late in the 6th, and he absolutely blew up. Just lost his lid. You woulda thought it was a blown call in game 7 of the World Series.

Not only that, once he was escorted off the field he attempted to make a swift U-turn and yelled, “I’m already tossed I wanna talk to this guy!!”

GHIN

With summer always comes a swift transition to golf. I’ve become a 6 n 6 guy.?

6 months of Golf

6 months of Snowboarding?

There's very little overlap. (but the few weeks that do are SWEET)

I’ve been playing a lot lately, and my friends and I love a good money match. We don't play for any big money (usually we keep it under $5,000), but it’s always more fun to have a little skin in the game.?

Golf is one of the few sports that truly anyone can play. Any age, any body type, and any skill level really.?

Not only can everyone play, but everyone has the ability to compete.?

Why?

Well for starters golf is easy on the body, and isn't really you against anyone else, it’s you against the course.?

Yes, you are playing with/against other people, but really you’re playing against the course. And the better players shoot better scores - against the course.?

Anyone who watched the carnage at Pinehurst No. 2 this weekend saw what a real course looks like.

Anyway-

The true equalizing factor in (amateur) golf is the GHIN (Golf Handicap and Information Network) system.?

For nongolfers, it's basically a system that makes golf "fair." "Fair" really depends on the lens you look at it through here.

When you enter your scores into the app, the GHIN system factors in course slope (difficulty) and the tees (distance) you played from, and then spits out a number.AKA how good you are at golf.

The lower your handicap, the better player you are.?

There’s quite literally a numerical measurement of how good you are as a player.?

The cool thing about GHIN too, is that the number (your handicap) the app spits out is not your scoring average, but your scoring POTENTIAL.?

Aka - how well can you play if I have a really good round (play to your full scoring potential).

Technically, using the GHIN system, the average player (around a -13 handicap), could play a PGA tour player (around a +7) and have a fair match, both trying their hardest to win.?

The PGA Tour player would just have to give ol' average Joe around 20 handicap strokes.

I don’t think this type of equalizer exists in any other sport.?

But here's the rub.

I'll leave it open because I myself haven't picked a side yet.

• On one hand, the GHIN system creates a level playing field for anyone/everyone.
• On the other, well, it kind of .. rewards mediocrity and people who game the system.

If you’ve ever been sandbagged by a "14 handicap" you understand the latter bullet. You know... Mr. “I never play this good”?or "It must be my lucky day"

Maybe I'm just salty because I got taken to the cleaners on Sunday.

To the example above, imagine shooting 20 strokes better than your opponent (as the pro), and you.. tie or lose? Who's that fair to?

Yes, handicapping lets me play against all my friends, my brother, my old man, and it's always a fair match. No matter who's the best, who's the worst, or who's right in the middle.

I could technically play Tiger Woods in a handicapped match and have it be "fair."

He's dedicated his whole life to golf, and I'm just a weekend warrior with wooden hands and a baseball swing. But because of GHIN - we could play against each other fairly.

What other sport/place does this exist?

Are we handing out basketball shoes with a few extra inches on the tread for short people, or a wider bat for worse baseball players, or a smaller court for slower tennis players?

I don't think so?

What I keep being drawn to is Equity vs Equality.

(disclaimer here, I'm not smart or qualified enough to talk to any of this.)

Obviously, the goal of today is to talk to the microcosm of what the GHIN/golf handicapping is. As golf can be extrapolated into so many different things.

It's funny to write about this because all of us suck compared to the actual pros (who don't use GHIN) but is it the right thing to handicap the suck? Level out the amateurs?

I get it - everyone is born different.?Different god-given talents, different availability of resources, etc.

If you grew up in a suburban country club, chances are you're probably better at golf than if you grew up in a city.

Regardless, it's really really hard to get good (scratch) at golf.

Does the GHIN take away the will to work hard toward that goal? To try to get better?

Does it reward the people who have artificially positioned their handicap to maximize their skill?

Is it solely about honesty and integrity?

After all the GHIN system relies on self-regulation. The app only knows the scores you put in.

And like anything, people game the system (both ways).

Yes, people shave strokes to have a "lower handicap." (These are the same folks that'll give you their cap down to the decimal if you ask) "I'm a 3.76 handicap" okkkk buddy.

And yes, on the other side, we have the sharks. Those sandbagggin son of a b*tches who have artificially inflated their cap to win money/tournaments. Regardless of what they actually shoot, an 85 is going into the GHIN.

On paper they're a 12 cap, but in practice, they're really like an 8. (don't wager against these folks)

Which is worse?

Dropping your cap for the ego trip?

Or boosting it to take advantage of the honest people?

It begs the question. In a competitive landscape, which makes more sense, equality or equity?

In the equality model - the little man in purple would have a hard time beating the guy in blue, as he doesn't even have the resources to compete.

On the other hand in the equity model, if the little man in purple were to beat the guy in blue, how would that feel? Knowing he had a 2 crate boost?

Obviously, golf aside we can apply this to schooling, employment, and more. It makes me wonder what the definition of "fair" actually is.

Food for thought everyone. Have a great week!

Also, no we don't play for $5,000, its more like 5...dollars.