What do I post if I didn't finish a hole?
Did not finish a hole? What do I post?
If a player does not finish a hole or is conceded a stroke, what should the player record for handicap posting purposes?
The player should record his “most likely score.”
The “most likely score” is a judgment that each player must make based on the player’s own game. It consists of the number of strokes already taken plus, in the player’s best judgment, the number of strokes needed to complete the hole from that position more than half the time. The player must evaluate each situation based on what the player can reasonably expect to score.
Finally, the player compares the “most likely score” to the maximum permitted under Equitable Stroke Control and enters the lower of the two.
For example, if “most likely score” is 8 but the applicable ESC maximum is 7, the player enters a score for handicap purposes of X-7. The “most likely score” should be preceded by an X when posting for handicap posting purposes. In addition, there is no limit to the number of unfinished holes a player may have in a round, provided that failure to finish is not for the purpose of handicap manipulation.
USGA
Which Tees Are You Playing?
Which Tees Are You Playing?
A common misconception around the links is that tees have a gender. Actually it is the USGA Course Rating™ and Slope Rating® that is gender specific, not the tees. Any set of tees can have a rating for men and for women. If posting scores to the wrong Ratings your Handicap Index® is not valid and you may be receiving more or fewer strokes than that which you are entitled. Juniors should also follow the same procedure.
Often there is not a rating for women for a tee other than the forward tees, for example. In such cases you would need to refer to “Section 5-2g” of “The USGA Handicap System” manual to calculate a temporary rating for posting purposes and have the club representative contact the GCGA to have this tee formally rated for that gender.
“Section 5-2g” of the manual is available online via, http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-05/.
So remember, the next time you post make sure to use the correct rating based on your gender!
Converting your 18-hole Handicap Index
Player With an 18-hole Handicap Index Competing in a Nine-hole Competition
Q: My friend has a nine-hole Handicap Index (N) while I have a Handicap Index (based on 18-hole scores). When we compete against one another, how do I convert my Handicap Index to be used for nine holes? Also, if we’re playing different tees must we still apply the additional adjustment?
A: A player with a Handicap Index competing in a nine-hole competition must halve their Handicap Index and convert it to a nine-hole Course Handicap using the nine-hole Slope Rating from the Course Handicap Table for the tees being played (see “Section 10-5” of the Handicap System manual). For example, Player A, with a Handicap Index of 10.0 competing on a course with a nine-hole Slope Rating of 125, will convert to a nine-hole Course Handicap of 6.
Step 1: 10.0 / 2 = 5.0
Step 2: 5.0 x 125 / 113 = 5.5 = 6 (N) Nine-hole Course Handicap (rounded to nearest whole number)
When players compete against one another from different sets of tees, or men and women from the same set of tees, an additional adjustment must be applied to compensate for the difference in difficulty between the two sets of tees. Let’s use an example: Player A from above is a man competing at a USGA Course Rating of 35.8 against Player B, who is a woman with a nine-hole Course Handicap of 8 from the forward tees (37.8/127). After each player calculates their Course Handicap from their respective set of tees, the woman adds two strokes (37.8 – 35.8 = 2) to her Course Handicap (8 + 2 = 10) for the difference in Course Ratings.
“The USGA Handicap System” manual is available to view online at http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/manual.html.
