In hopes of helping individual golfers understand his/her handicap, the MGA developed the following feature story, which appeared in a recent issue of MassGolfer magazine.
Click here to download a copy of the magazine article which includes photos and graphics. You can view the contents of the article by clicking the quick links below.
“If I only break 90 once a summer... how can I have an 18.0 handicap index?”
"Two basic premises underlie the USGA Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player’s Handicap Committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises. [Excerpt from the USGA Handicap System Manual, 2006-2007.]
Does it seem to you that you play a few strokes over your Course Handicap most of the time? Well, that’s normal under the USGA Handicap System.Why?
The USGA Handicap System is based upon the potential ability of a player rather than the average of all of a player’s scores. The USGA tells us that the average player is expected to play to his Course Handicap or better only about 25 percent of the time, average three strokes higher than his Course Handicap, and have a best score in 20, which is only two strokes better than his Course Handicap.
A Little Arithmetic
A few words and a little
arithmetic explains. A player’s
Handicap Index reflects
potential because it is based upon
best scores posted for a given
number of rounds, ideally the
best 10 of the last 20 rounds. Since
the USGA tosses out the worst
10 scores, the Handicap Index
reflects a player’s best days.
The arithmetic comes in when the
golf club calculates a player’s Differential for each score posted. The Differential is
the difference between a player’s adjusted gross score
and the USGA Course Rating of the course on which
the score was made, multiplied by 113, and then the
total is divided by the USGA Slope Rating from the
tees played rounded off to one decimal place.
If you have a USGA Handicap Index of 11.6, for instance, it translates into a Course Handicap of 14 when you play from the middle tees one day at a course with a Course Rating of 72.1, with a Slope Rating of 135. So a little addition (72.1 + 14) leads you to think that you will consistently shoot around 86. In reality, your score average is normally three more strokes than that, or an 89. The USGA has determined that your best score in 20 is normally only two strokes better than your Course Handicap, or an 84; the probability of your recording an 83 twice in 20 rounds is only one in 50.
A good way to think of the range of scores upon which your USGA Handicap Index is based is the old bell curve that school teachers refer to when discussing the range of scores on an exam. The scores of most players, when plotted out, are distributed on a bell curve from the high to low end of the scale. Thus, when you drop out the worst half of your scores, the average of the remaining 10 scores on the upper part of the bell curve reflect your potential ability.
What Are The Odds?
Once in a while you will hear about someone
shooting an incredible tournament score, such as
a net score of 59.What are the odds of shooting
a score like that? The USGA has figured the
odds of one exceptional tournament score up to
10 strokes better than the Course Handicap.
For example, the odds of a player with a Course Handicap of 14 beating it by eight strokes (-8 net) once is 1,138 to one. Put another way, the average player posts 21 scores a year. That means that to score this well, assuming the Handicap Index is correct, would take 54 years of golf to do it once.
The odds of a player beating his Course Handicap by eight strokes twice is only 14,912 to one. That’s 710 years of golf for the average player — odds far beyond the realm of reasonableness.
The Automatic Reduction
Since the USGA Handicap System is designed
to promote fairness during competitions, what
happens if a player’s scores contradict the odds
and the player consistently plays better than the
stated Handicap Index when some crystal or trophies
are at stake?
The USGA has created a formula that is outlined in the USGA Handicap System Manual under Section 10-3, Reduction of a Handicap Index Based on Exceptional Tournament Scores. In short, a player’s USGA Handicap Index is automatically reduced when the player records two tournament scores in a calendar year or in the latest 20 rounds that are a minimum of three strokes better than the stated USGA Handicap Index. The better the scores, the greater the reduction.
You can do your part to make the USGA Handicap System work best by making sure all ‘great’ tournament scores by all players get posted with a ‘T’ so that they are reviewed and used under Section 10-3.
The end result of all the mathematics is your USGA Handicap Index, for better or for worse. Don’t worry if you never seem to play to it on a given day. Remember that all golfers are in the same boat as you, because USGA Handicap Indexes are based on a player’s potential ability rather than the average of all scores.
Handicapping FAQs Below — as well as on page 17 and 19 — are the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding the USGA Handicapping System. For more information on handicapping issues, visit the USGA Handicap Section at www.usga.org/handicap.
Q. Why should I have an established MGA/USGA
Handicap and post my scores?
A. Golf is popular, in large part, because of its unique
and equitable system of handicapping. The purpose
of the Handicap System is to make the game more
enjoyable by allowing everyone from the scratch golfer
to the novice compete on an equitable basis. When
you participate in any kind of competition, an established,
up-to-date handicap is essential and will make
the game more enjoyable for all participating. With an
MGA/USGA Handicap you will also receive a complimentary
subscription to MassGolfer magazine.
Q. How can I get an MGA/USGA Handicap?
A. It’s quite simple. You can obtain an MGA/USGA
Handicap through the golf course or club where you
play most of your golf. This may be a municipal, public,
semi-private, private or a club without real estate.
For an annual fee (usually $30-$50 charged through
the club of your choice) you can establish a handicap.
Visit www.mgalinks.org/member_clubs/ for a complete
listing of MGA Member Clubs.
Q: Can a golf club’s Handicap Committee modify or
change my USGA Handicap Index?
A: Yes, Rule 8-4/b of the USGA Handicap System
states the following: The handicap committee has
the responsibility of making certain that a player’s
USGA Handicap Index reflects his/her potential
scoring ability. There are five areas in which a
handicap committee may modify a player’s USGA
Handicap Index:
1) Improving faster than the system
can react;
2) Numerous away scores change Handicap
Index;
3) Temporary disability;
4) Failure to post scores;
and,
5) If the player manipulates his/her round.
“Often times I play fewer than 18 holes.. do I really need to post all those scores?”
A golfer is required to post scores whenever he/she plays at least 7 holes. If 7 to 12 holes are played, then that score is posted as a 9-hole round. If 13 or more holes are played, it is posted as an 18-hole round.
Unacceptable Score Exceptions
A score is unacceptable when:
Recording Holes Not Played
The hole score a player would
record on a hole that is not played
or is not played under the principles
of the Rules of Golf is par plus
any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive on the hole. For example, a player
with a Course Handicap of 10 on a given course
receives handicap strokes on the first 10 handicap
stroke holes. Let’s suppose the player quits after playing
13 holes. For any of the holes 14-18 that are handicap
stroke holes for this player, the player records a
score of par plus one. For any hole on which
the player receives no handicap strokes, the
hole score is recorded as par.
Determining Your Most Likely Score
If a player does not finish a hole or is conceded
a stroke, the player records his “most
likely score,” consisting of the number of
strokes already taken plus, in one’s best judgment,
the number of strokes needed to
complete the hole from that position
more than half the time.
For example, a player lies five when he/she picks up on the green. The score of five is recorded plus the number of putts that the player thinks it would have taken to finish out the hole. This most likely score is subject to reduction under the Equitable Stroke Control procedure (see page 17).
For example, a player may record a most likely score of eight, but if the player’s Equitable Stroke Control maximum is seven, then seven is the score that is turned in for handicap purposes.
Equitable Stroke Control
Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the system
put in place by the USGA to eliminate the effect
of ‘disaster holes’ — that one commonplace hole
per round where you put three balls in the water
and then five-putt. ESC is also a way to combat
those pernicious sandbaggers who intentionally
blow up their score on a hole in order to raise
their handicaps.
ESC puts a limit on the number of strokes you can write down on the scorecard for any one hole, based on your course handicap. For example, on that one disaster hole you might have taken 14 strokes to get the ball in the cup. But based on your course handicap, ESC might require you to post only a seven on the scorecard you turn in. Taking the 14 might throw your Handicap Index out of whack.
Remember, the Handicap Index is not meant to reflect your average score — it is meant to reflect your best potential. To determine the ESC limits for your round, you must first know your course handicap (to review course handicap, see How We Rate in MassGolfer’s Winter 2006- 07 issue). Once determined, you can check the ESC chart.
Q. What do the letters mean next to my Handicap/ Handicap Index on my Handicap Card? A. The following is a list of possible handicap index designations:
Q. What do the letter(s) mean next to my scores?
A. The letter(s) immediately following each adjusted
score indicate(s) specific aspects of a score within
a player’s scoring record. The following is a list of
possible score types:
Q. How do I correct an erroneous score?
A. To correct or delete incorrect scores in your record,
contact the handicap chairperson at your club. He/she
can make the corrections (this also applies to scores
posted via the Internet). After your club has made the
correction, it must transmit (send) it to the GHIN server.
Once this has been done, your handicap score history
will be corrected. The scoring record which
appears online at www.ghin.com will not be updated
until the next Handicap Revision. However, if you click
on “View 20 Most Recent Scores” on www.ghin.com,
the change will be reflected immediately.
Q. What is Equitable Stroke Control?
A. Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is a downward
adjustment of an individual hole score based on
handicap to ensure that one bad hole does not have
a disproportionate effect on a golfer’s handicap.
This procedure is used for handicap score posting
only and is not to be used in any type of competition
“OK, I’m posting my scores from now on... ...remind me, what’s the best way to do it?”
Posting scores in person immediately following the round at the course where your round is played is the preferred way to expose scores to peer review. Peer review is the process of providing a reasonable and regular opportunity for members of a golf club to play golf with each other and of providing access to scoring records and a Handicap Index list for inspection by others, including, but not limited to, fellow members and the club’s Handicap Committee.
The Handicap Committee is an essential element of the USGA Handicap System. Each golf club utilizing the USGA Handicap System must have a handicap committee to ensure the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. The Handicap Committee sees that scores are posted, all elements of the USGA Handicap System are followed and the integrity of each Handicap Index issued is maintained.
Online Posting
Online posting can be
activated only by an
MGA Member Club.
Currently more than
275 MGA Member
Clubs — comprising
nearly 70,000 MGA/
GHIN Member Golfers
— allow online posting.
Those who are allowed
to post their scores online can
visit www.ghin.com and click on
the Post Online icon at the top
of the home page.
eRevision Updates
In addition to the Web sites www.MGALinks.org and
www.ghin.com, the MGA offers two unique
Internet services to MGA Member Clubs. The
eRevision is a feature that enables golfers to receive
their revised Handicap Index and score histories via
e-mail on the day of each revision. The eRevision
also contains a convenient printable copy of the
player’s Handicap Index card.
Some 43,000 MGA Members are enrolled
in eRevision Updates. If you would like to
receive the eRevision, register your e-mail at
www.ghin.com and clicking the “E-mail
Addresses” link at the top of the home page.
Your e-mail address will be kept private,
is not publicly accessible and
can only be used by your
golf association.
The MGA’s Role
The MGA provides an
accurate and timely
Handicap Index for
more than 95,000
MGA Member Golfers
through GHIN. With
more than 1.9 million
golfers, GHIN is the
world’s largest handicapping
service. The
MGA also provides
the GHIN software
which includes a
c ompre h e n s i v e
tournament pairings program,
installation of the
software and training for
400 MGA Member Clubs.
All Systems Go... A Brief Review
Here are the main items covered in MassGolfer’s
two-part series on the USGA’s Course Rating
and Handicap Systems.
It all makes for a fair and equitable system... post those scores and enjoy your golf more!
Q. Can I post my scores on the Internet?
A. Yes, but only if your club has specified that it wants
to offer this feature to their membership. Ask your club
professional or handicap chairman for more details.
Scores posted on the Internet will be noted on your
handicap card by the letter ‘I.’ For a complete listing of
MGA Member Clubs which currently allow Internet
score posting, please visit www.MGAlinks.org.
Q. Why can’t I find myself on www.GHIN.com?
A. There could be several reasons, such as: 1) if you
have registered for a handicap recently, you will not
appear online until the web site is updated with the
next revision; or, 2) your GHIN number has been inactivated
or deleted. Please check with your handicap
chairperson or golf professional to verify your status.
Q. Why aren’t my scores appearing on www.GHIN.com?
A. The www.GHIN.com site is updated every two weeks,
13 times during the golf season. A club’s handicap
chairperson and/or golf professional is able to submit
individual scoring records on the "transmit by dates”. The information takes
effect and appears on GHIN.com on "revision effective
dates” (the Fridays following each of the dates listed in the GHIN Revision Calendar).
Your updated scores should appear with each revision.
Q. Can I post scores during the winter?
A. Not locally. No rounds played in Massachusetts
during the off season may be counted towards your
Handicap Index. Any rounds played in an area that is in
season (e.g. Florida) may be posted as a guest score at
a GHIN club in that region or saved until the season
opens in Massachusetts.
Q. Can I post scores when I play out-of-state courses?
A. Yes. Most states use the GHIN system so you can
post a score the same way you would at an away club
in Massachusetts. The MGA is also a participant in the
International Golf Network (IGN) program. The IGN
allows golf associations all over the world to share
handicap information no matter what system they use.
