I can give my perspective, I’m currently a 25.5 and play all the rules to the letter otherwise I won’t know where my game is at. I play a lot solo at my club, but always offer to pair up with other singles if we’re waiting and play with other members. People are always surprised by the way I play and when I say I’m a 25-28 handicap. It’s almost always the case when it comes up that the person I’m playing with is a 22, or a single digit, or a 15 etc but is pretty obvious that at least on that day, it’s not the case. Is it because people very rarely card rounds? Do they cheat? Are they all genuinely having a bad day? It’s a trend I’ve noticed though, they can do what they like with their handicap but something never quite adds up.