| The handicap basically allows people of very | | | | must be made for the balancing and other |
| different golfing ability to compete with | | | | factors, when wondering why a hole played |
| each other. Other sports do have a handicap | | | | much easier (or harder!) than its stroke |
| system, but nowhere does it work as | | | | index would indicate. One thing you can |
| effectively as in the game of golf. | | | | guarantee the stroke index 1 hole has been |
| | | | given that status for a very good reason! |
| Lets take an example of a 9 handicap player | | | | |
| meeting a 16 handicapper in a Matchplay | | | | Qualifying competitions |
| singles match. They would take the difference | | | | |
| between their handicaps 7 and apply the (a | | | | These are normally club competitions which |
| three quarter) of difference principle if | | | | qualify for handicap adjustment purposes. |
| their club uses this rather than the full | | | | These is a complex area and not for these |
| difference (equals 5.25) rounded to the | | | | pages! Purely as an example, a competition |
| nearest full number (Equals 5). The 16 | | | | may be declared non qualifying if it is |
| handicap player would get an extra stroke | | | | played when many temporary greens are in use, |
| over his opponent at the first 5 stroke index | | | | affecting the overall length of the course. |
| numbered holes on the course. | | | | |
| | | | Standard Scratch Score (SSS) |
| Handicaps are administered by the Golf Clubs | | | | |
| themselves, according to rules laid down by | | | | This is a fixed number agreed by the Club |
| their responsible national union. | | | | with the ruling bodies. This is the score it |
| | | | would be expected a scratch golfer would go |
| Officially, there is no other way, despite | | | | round in. This can differ from the course par |
| the claims of a number of bodies to being | | | | by anything up to plus3 to minus 3 of the |
| able to award official handicaps (except | | | | course par. It is this number which is used |
| where low handicaps are administered by a | | | | for handicap adjustment, rather than the par |
| regional body rather than a club) | | | | of the course. |
| | | | |
| Most golf clubs have a committee (council) | | | | Competition Scratch Score |
| member responsible for this. A players | | | | |
| handicap can be varied upwards or downwards | | | | This is arrived at as a result of |
| as a result of his/her performance in | | | | calculations on the day of a competition, |
| qualifying competition. The committee also | | | | taking into account the degree of difficulty |
| has the right under the rules of golf (rule | | | | (climactic conditions) size of field and |
| 19b) to make merit adjustments to a members | | | | generally how the different handicap |
| handicap. | | | | categories performed. If this is different to |
| | | | the SSS, it replaces it for that day |
| Handicaps fall into 4 categories for men and | | | | |
| 6 for ladies, as follows: | | | | Qualifying score |
| | | | |
| Category Handicap range | | | | Any score, including a no return returned in |
| | | | a qualifying competition |
| 1 0 5 | | | | |
| | | | Net differential |
| 2 6 12 | | | | |
| | | | Is the difference plus or minus between the |
| 3 13 20 | | | | nett score returned by a player in a |
| | | | qualifying competition and the competition |
| 4 21 28 | | | | scratch score |
| | | | |
| 5 29 40 | | | | Buffer Zone |
| | | | |
| 6 41 45 | | | | Adjustments. Changes to handicaps are made in |
| | | | accordance with a set of rules administered |
| Clubs often have names rather than category | | | | by the national regional authority. For |
| numbers for the different levels, ranging | | | | simplicitys sake, a players handicap may |
| from the Gold/silver etc to the Tigers and | | | | increase or decrease by a tenth of a point |
| Rabbits and the like. | | | | for every full shot that player is above or |
| | | | below the CSS multiplied by the number of |
| Stroke Index | | | | their category. So a 10 handicap player |
| | | | (category 2) coming in 3 below the CSS would |
| All golf clubs are required to publish a | | | | expect to see his handicap reduced by 3 |
| HANDICAP STROKE TABLE, indicating the order | | | | multiplied by 0.2 shots equals 0.6. |
| of holes at which handicap strokes are to be | | | | |
| given or received. This always appears on the | | | | There is a so called buffer zone which |
| course scorecard under the heading stroke | | | | prevents handicaps increasing quite so |
| index. This is a list of numbers from 1 to 18 | | | | directly. Again, the category number is used, |
| where handicap strokes are taken. The lower | | | | but this time as a whole number, and this is |
| numbers indicate a higher degree of | | | | applied before any adjustments are made. So a |
| difficulty, hence a person receiving, for | | | | score of 3 over CSS for our 10 handicapper |
| example, 9 strokes, either in a handicap | | | | (category 2) would result in an increase in |
| competition or from a playing opponent, would | | | | handicap of just 0.1. |
| receive an extra stroke at each of the holes | | | | |
| with a Stroke Index from 1 to 9 inclusive. | | | | Exact v Playing handicap |
| | | | |
| The degree of difficulty is a relative term, | | | | It will be immediately apparent that there is |
| as the Club Committee is requested to observe | | | | no point moving handicaps up and down by the |
| a number of recommendations when setting the | | | | odd decimal place if there is no record kept |
| stroke index such as balancing the numbers | | | | of other than round numbers. Every player has |
| between the two nines of an 18 hole course. | | | | an exact handicap as well as a playing one. |
| This is especially noticeable if you visit a | | | | The playing one is simply the rounded whole |
| course which has 3 or more nines which can be | | | | number of the exact one. Thus 8.4 equals 8, |
| played in different combinations allowance | | | | 8. |