By Leon Johnson
Chairman, Handicap Committee
From time to time, the ASMC Handicap Committee
hears complaints and concerns about members who don’t post scores after matches
or who don’t fully understand how to post scores on a regular basis. To help address
those concerns, we thought it would be worthwhile to remind everyone of some of
the scoring rules that we depend on to have accurate handicaps.
That in turn will lead to fair,
competitive tournaments in addition to friendly, competitive rounds when playing
for fun.
First of all, everyone should know it is the responsibility
of the Handicap Committee to verify as much as possible that members post all
acceptable scores for handicap purposes and to ensure that recorded scores are
available for peer review. The second, of course, is what makes the first
possible.
One of the reasons that complaints of inaccurate
or non-reporting of scores is made is that some members do not know the rules
along with the understanding that posting of scores must be done for all rounds
– nine and/or 18 holes -- completed when played following the accepted rules of
golf.
As a matter of routine, golfers should:
1. Post scores in person immediately after
the round at the course if possible. The handicap computer accepts both nine
and 18 hole scores, but you do have to identify your round as a nine-hole entry
when you have played at least seven and no more than 12 holes (see #2
below). The computer is programmed to accept the 18-hole score
automatically. Individual ASMC tournament scores are posted by the
Tournament Committee only when the rules sheet says they will.
2. Understand that posting scores is required when a player plays seven
holes of golf under the accepted rules of golf. If seven to 12 holes are
played, a person must post a nine-hole score. If the player has completed 13-18
holes, he is required to post an 18-hole score. Uncompleted holes are to
be recorded using “par plus” scoring.
This is NOT the same as the maximum
allowable score. “Par plus” means adding one’s handicap strokes
to par for that hole. Let’s take an example: No. 15 at Seascape is rated on the
scorecard as the number 8 handicap hole. If a player has a 10 handicap, he gets
a handicap stroke on that hole. So if he stops playing after No. 14, he would score
No. 15 as a 5 on his card because he would take par plus his handicap stroke.
On the other hand, a player with a 6 handicap who stopped after No. 14 would have
to record a 4 on No. 15, because he would not get a handicap stroke No. 15.
If a player stops playing a hole for any reason
before par plus becomes valid, he must use his "most likely"
score that he would have made if he had completed the hole. In other words, he
cannot just pick up and take the maximum allowable score under the Equitable
Stroke Control rules (more on that later). The "par plus" rule
is especially important when playing in a match play tournament. It should be
used for all holes after a match has been won by an individual unless he scores
a par or better.
3. In posting the score for the round, Equitable Stroke Control (ESC)
rules are followed for handicap purposes. It is used when a player’s
score on a hole exceeds a pre-set maximum stroke number on a hole. ESC is
based on the following table:
Handicap 0-9
= double bogey
Handicap
10-19 = 7
Handicap
20-29 = 8
Handicap
30-39 = 9
Again, this is not the score a player may
post if he picks up. For that, a player must use “par plus” or the most likely
score he would have made. For example, if 30-handicap player is in the bunker
on No. 12, he can’t just pick up and record a 9 because that’s his maximum
allowable score using ESC. He has to honestly assess what he likely
would have made on the hole, which might include taking two shots to get out of
the bunker and two putts for a 5.
On the other hand, if a 16-handicapper knocks
two shots out of bounds on No. 3 and then takes three to get on the green and
two putts, he should record a 9 on the card but this must be adjusted to a 7
when totaling his score for posting because he is not allowed more than 7
strokes on any hole. (The computer program will do this automatically when the
Tournament Committee is posting scores for tournaments.)
There are many other things involved in
developing a handicap, but these are the basics for everyone
to understand in order to make our competitions fair and honest to
all players. The No. 1 source of complaints is the perceived failure of
players to post scores from all rounds they play. So please, post your scores
every time you play a round.
Feel free to email me with any questions or
complaints. There is, on the top of the computer at Seascape, a small booklet
which details the above information and much more. I can be reached at leonj@comcast.net or 831-662-2668.
