Handicap (golf) - Wikipedia

A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's potential that is used to enable players of varying abilities to compete against one another. Handicap(golf) FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch Measureofagolfer'splayingability Agolfhandicapisanumericalmeasureofagolfer'spotentialthatisusedtoenableplayersofvaryingabilitiestocompeteagainstoneanother.Betterplayersarethosewiththelowesthandicaps.[1][2][3] Historically,rulesrelatingtohandicapshavevariedfromcountrytocountrywithmanydifferentsystemsinforcearoundtheworld.Becauseofincompatibilitiesanddifficultiesintranslatingbetweensystems,thesport'sgoverningbodies,theUSGAandTheR&A,workingwiththevariousexistinghandicappingauthorities,devisedanewWorldHandicapSystem(WHS)whichbegantobeintroducedgloballyin2020.[4][5] Contents 1History 2Overview 3Featuresofhandicappingsystems 3.1Scoring 3.2CourseRating 3.3SlopeRating 3.4Playingorcoursehandicap 3.5StrokeIndex 3.6Maximumholescore 3.7Handicapdifferential 3.8Peerreview 4Handicappingsystems 4.1WorldHandicapSystem 4.1.1WorldHandicapSystemoverview 4.2USGAHandicapSystem 4.2.1USGAHandicapSystemoverview 4.3CONGUUnifiedHandicappingSystem 4.3.1UnifiedHandicappingSystemoverview 4.4EGAHandicapSystem 4.4.1EGAHandicapSystemoverview 4.5GolfAustraliaHandicapSystem 4.5.1GAHandicapSystemoverview 4.6SouthAfricanHandicapSystem 4.7ArgentinianHandicapSystem 4.8Othersystems 4.8.1PeoriaSystem 4.8.2CallawaySystem 4.8.3ScheidSystem 4.8.4System36 5References 6Externallinks History[edit] Theearliestrecordofgolfhandicappingisthoughttobefromthelate17thcentury,inadiarykeptbyThomasKincaid,whowasastudentinEdinburgh,Scotland,althoughthewordhandicapwouldnotcomeintouseingolfuntilthelate19thcentury.Thenumberofstrokestobegivenandtheholesonwhichtheywouldbeineffectwasnegotiatedbetweencompetinggolferspriortothestartofplay.AccordingtoTheGolfer’sManualbyHenryBroughamFarnie,examplesofagreedtermsincluded“third-one”(onestrokeeverythreeholes),“half-one”(onestrokeeverytwoholes),“onemore”(astrokeahole)and“twomore”(twostrokesahole).[6][7] Duringthelate19thcentury,takingthedifferencebetweentheaverageofagolfer'sbestthreescoresduringtheyearandparbecamethemostwidelyusedmethodofhandicappinginEnglandandScotland.Asthesportgrew,sodiddiscontentwiththefairnessofhandicapping,withlessproficientplayersbeingparticularlyunhappyasitwasmuchlesslikelyforthemtoplaytothestandardoftheirthreescoreaverage.Anotherissuewasthelackofconsiderationinthesystemforthevaryingdifficultiesofdifferentcourseswhichmeantthehandicapwasnotveryportable.[8] Inanattempttoremedytheproblemswithafairlybasichandicapsystem,alongwithmanyvariationsofthatsystemandothersystemsalsobeingused,theauthoritiesinGreatBritainandIrelandsoughttostandardize.OneofthefirststandardandequitablehandicapsystemswasintroducedbytheLadiesGolfUnion(LGU)inthe1890s.Thiswaslargelyachievedbymeansofunionassignedcourseratings,insteadofclubsusingtheirown.ItwasnotuntiltheformationoftheBritishGolfUnionsJointAdvisoryCommitteein1924thatthemen'sgamefullycoordinatedtocreateanequitablehandicapsystem,thatincludedauniformcourserating,throughoutGreatBritainandIreland;theStandardScratchScoreandHandicappingSchemewasintroducedin1926.[9][10] IntheUnitedStatestherewasasingleauthoritygoverningthesport,theUSGA,whichmademovingtoasinglestandardhandicappingschemesomewhateasier.Introducedin1911,thefirstnationalhandicapsystemwasbasedontheBritishthreescoreaveragesystem.Thebiggestdevelopmentwasa"parrating"systemthatassessedtheaveragegoodscoreofascratchgolferoneverycourse,whichmadethehandicapmoreportable.Italsomadeclearthataplayer'shandicapwasintendedtoreflecttheirpotentialratherthanaverageplay.Havinginitiallyallowedclubstodeterminetheirownparratings,theUSGAquicklychangedtheirmindsandbeganassigningratings.TheUSGAHandicapSystemhasfurtherdevelopedthroughtheyears,withanincreasetothenumberofscoresusedforhandicapcalculations,theintroductionofEquitableStrokeControl,[11]andimprovementstothecourseratingsystem.Howeverthemostsignificantchangewasthecreationofthesloperatingsystem,whichenableshandicapstoallowfordifferencesindifficultybetweenscratchandbogeygolfers.USGACourseandSlopeRatingsnowformthebasisofmanyotherhandicapsystems.[12] Asthesportgrewglobally,associationsaroundtheworldeachcreatedoradaptedtheirownrulesrelatingtohandicaps.Bytheearly21stcentury,thereweresixmajorrecognizedhandicappingsystemsinoperationaroundtheworld:USGAHandicapSystem,EGAHandicapSystem,CONGUUnifiedHandicapSystem,GolfAustraliaHandicapSystem,SouthAfricanHandicapSystem,andArgentinianHandicapSystem.Whilethesesystemssharesomecommonfeatures,e.g.mostuseacommoncourseratingsystem,theyarenoteasilyportablebecausetheirdifferencescreatedifficultiesinconvertinghandicapsbetweensystems.InordertoeliminatetheseproblemstheUSGAandTheR&A,workingwiththevariousexistinghandicappingauthorities,devisedanewWorldHandicapSystemwhichwasphasedingloballyin2020.[4][5] Overview[edit] Amateurgolferswhoaremembersofgolfclubsaregenerallyeligibleforofficialhandicapsonpaymentoftheprevailingregionalandnationalassociationannualfees.Officialhandicapsareadministeredbygolfclubswiththeassociationsoftenprovidingadditionalpeerreviewingforlowhandicaps.Othersystems,oftenfreeofcharge,areavailabletogolferswhoareineligibleforofficialhandicaps.Handicapsystemsarenotgenerallyusedinprofessionalgolf.Agolferwhosehandicapiszeroisreferredtoasascratchgolfer,andonewhosehandicapisapproximately18asabogeygolfer.[13] WhiletheUSGAadministersitsownhandicappingsystem,theadministrationofhandicappingsystemsincountriesaffiliatedtoTheR&Aistheresponsibilityofthenationalgolfassociationsofthosecountries.Thesebodieshavedifferentmethodsofproducinghandicapsbuttheyareallgenerallybasedoncalculatinganindividualplayer'splayingabilityfromtheirrecenthistoryofrounds.Therefore,ahandicapisnotfixedbutisregularlyadjustedtoincreasesordecreasesinaplayer'sscoring.Somesystems(e.g.WorldHandicapSystem,USGA,EuropeanGolfAssociation)involvecalculationofaplayinghandicapwhichisdependentonthecoursebeingplayedandsetofteesthatarebeingused,whereasothers(e.g.CONGU'sUnifiedHandicapSystem)justusetheallocatedhandicaproundedtothenearestwholenumber. Contrarytopopularopinion,aplayer'shandicapisintendedtoreflectaplayer'spotentialor"averagebest",notaplayer'soverallaveragescore.Statistically,lowhandicapperswillplaytotheirhandicapmoreoftenbecausetheyarelikelytobemoreconsistentthanhigherhandicappers. Featuresofhandicappingsystems[edit] Scoring[edit] Thetotalnumberofstrokestakenforahole(orround)beforeaccountingforagolfer'shandicapiscalledthegrossscoreforthathole(orround),andthenumberofstrokestakenaftersubtractinganyhandicapallowanceiscalledthenetscore.[14] Notethatthegrossscorein'worldhandicapsystem'iscalculatedasthenumberofstrokestakenforahole+thehandicapallowanceforthathole.Theadjustedgrossscorein'worldhandicapsystem'isthegrossscoreadjustedsuchthatthemaximumonanyparticularholeisthenumberofstrokestakenforahole+thehandicapallowanceforthathole+2strokes(i.e.netdoublebogey). Inhandicapstrokeplaycompetitions,agolfer'splayinghandicapissubtractedfromthetotalnumberofstrokestakentoproduceanetscore,whichisthenusedtodeterminethefinalresults.InhandicapStablefordcompetitions,aplayer'shandicapisdistributedaccordingtopredeterminedholeratings(strokeindex)andstrokesdeductedaccordinglyfromeachholescorebeforecalculatingthepointsforthathole.Inmatchplay,thehandicapdifferencebetweenplayers(orteams)isusedtodeterminethenumberofstrokesthehighhandicapplayershouldreceivefromthelowhandicapperduringtheplayingoftheirround;eachofthesestrokesarereceivedonthelowestnumberedstrokeindexholes.[14]Strokeallowancesmaysometimesbereducedbyasetpercentageinordertomaintainthelevelplayingfield;thisisespeciallycommoninpairsandteamcompetitions. CourseRating[edit] CourseRating,(Standard)ScratchScore,ScratchRating,andStandardRatingarelargelyequivalentratingsthatareusedtoindicatetheaverage"goodscore"byascratchgolferforasetofteesonagolfcourse.Forapar72course,thecourseratingisgenerallybetween67and77.TherearedifferentmethodsofcalculatingtheCourseRating,withthelengthofthecourseanditsobstaclesbeingthebiggestfactors.Somesystemsuseonlythesetwo,orevenlengthalone,butmostmodernhandicappingsystemsnowusetheUSGACourseRatingsystemwhichassessesthedifficultyofallaspectsofthecourse,e.g.altitude,wideornarrowfairways,lengthofanyrough,thesizeandcontoursofthegreens,etc.[15][16] Somehandicappingsystemsprovideforanadjustmenttothecourseratingtoaccountforvariationsinplayingconditionsonanygivenday,e.g.coursesetupandweather,anditisagainstthisadjustedratingthathandicapsareassessedandmaintained.ExamplesofadjustedratingsarePlayingConditionsCalculation(WorldHandicapSystem),CompetitionScratchScore(CONGUUnifiedHandicappingSystem),DailyScratchRating(GolfAustraliaHandicapSystem),andCalculatedRating(SouthAfricanHandicapSystem). Analogoustocourseratingisthebogeyrating,whichisameasureoftheplayingdifficultyofacourseforabogeygolfer. SlopeRating[edit] Mainarticle:Sloperating DevisedbytheUSGA,theSlopeRatingofagolfcoursedescribestherelativedifficultyofacourseforabogeygolfercomparedtoascratchgolfer.SlopeRatingsareintherange55to155,withacourseofstandardrelativedifficultyhavingaratingof113;thehigherthenumber,themorerelativelydifficultthecourseis. Playingorcoursehandicap[edit] Inmostmajorhandicappingsystems,agolferdoesnotusetheirexacthandicap(orhandicapindex)directly,butuseittoproducetheirplayingorcoursehandicap.Forsomesystems,thismeanssimplyroundingtheexacthandicaptothenearestwholenumber;however,systemsthatusesloperatingsrequireamorecomplexcalculationtoproduceacoursehandicapwithsomealsofactoringinthecourserating: Coursehandicap = ( handicapindex × sloperating ) 113 {\displaystyle{\mbox{Coursehandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{handicapindex}}\times{\mbox{sloperating}})}{\mbox{113}}}} or Coursehandicap = ( handicapindex × sloperating ) 113 + ( courserating − par ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{Coursehandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{handicapindex}}\times{\mbox{sloperating}})}{\mbox{113}}}+({\mbox{courserating}}-{\mbox{par}})} TheUSGAandGolfAustraliasystemsusethefirstcalculation;theWHS,EGA,andGolfRSAsystemsusethesecond.UnderCONGU'sUnifiedHandicappingSystemtheexacthandicapisroundedtothenearestwholenumbertoproducetheplayinghandicap,andintheArgentiniansystemtheexacthandicapisuseddirectly. Aplayinghandicapmayalsorefertothestrokeallowanceforagivencompetitiondependentonplayingformat,andisgenerallycalculatedasapercentageofthecoursehandicap. StrokeIndex[edit] Mainarticle:StrokeIndex TheStrokeIndexisanumberthathasbeenassignedtoeachholeonagolfcourse,andusuallyprintedonthescorecard,toindicateonwhichholeshandicapstrokesshouldbeapplied.Onan18-holecourse,eachholeisassignedadifferentnumberfrom1to18(1to9ona9-holecourse).Thelowestnumbersareusuallygiventotheholeswhereahigherhandicapperismostlikelytobenefit,andthehighestnumberstotheholestheyareleastlikelytobenefit.Oddnumberswillbeallocatedtoeitherthefirstorsecond9-holes(andevennumberstotheother)toensureabalanceddistributionofhandicapstrokes,andguidelinesgenerallyrecommendavoidinghavingthelowestnumbersatthestartorendofeachnineinordertopreventearlystrokeallowancesinplayoffsbetweengolferswithsimilarhandicapsorstrokesgoingunusediftheyareattheend.[17] Maximumholescore[edit] Mainarticle:EquitableStrokeControl Mostofthecommonlyusedhandicapsystemsseektoreducetheimpactofveryhighscoresononeormoreindividualholesonthecalculationandupdatingofhandicaps.Thisisachievedbysettingamaximumscoreoneachhole,whichisonlyusedforhandicappingpurposes;i.e.itisnotusedfordeterminingresultsofcompetitionsormatches.Thismaximumholescoreiseitherafixednumberoranetscorerelativetopar.EquitableStrokeControl(ESC)andnetdoublebogey(alsocalledStablefordPointsAdjustments)arethetwomostcommonmechanismsfordefiningamaximumholescore. Handicapdifferential[edit] Handicap(orscore)differentialsareafeatureofmanyhandicappingsystems.Theyareastandardizedmeasureofagolfersperformance,adjustedtotakeaccountofthecoursebeingplayed.Normallytheoverallscorewillbeadjustedpriortothecalculation,e.g.bymeansofESCornetdoublebogey.Thecourseratingmayalsobeadjustedtotakeaccountofconditionsontheday. Forhandicappingsystemsthatusecourseandsloperatings,atypicalcalculationusingthescore(seeabove)isasfollows: Handicapdifferential = ( adjustedscore − courserating ) × 113 sloperating {\displaystyle{\mbox{Handicapdifferential}}={\frac{({\mbox{adjustedscore}}-{\mbox{courserating}})\times{\mbox{113}}}{\mbox{sloperating}}}} Thedifferentialsareusedbothtocalculateinitialhandicapsandmaintainexistingones,bytakingameanaverageofasetnumberofthebestrecentdifferentials(e.g.theUSGAsystemusesthebest10differentialsfromthelast20scores). Forotherhandicappingsystems,thedifferentialsaresimplythedifferencebetweenthe(adjusted)grossornetscoresandaspecifiedstandardrating(e.g.courserating,standardscratchscore,etc.),andtheyareusedindifferentwaystomaintainhandicaps. Peerreview[edit] Ingolfclubs,peerreviewisusuallymanagedbyanelectedHandicapSecretarywho,supportedbyasmallcommittee,conductsanAnnualReviewofthehandicapsofallmembersandassessesadhocrequestsfromindividualmembers(usuallywhenageormediumtolong-terminfirmityaffectstheirplayingability).Thisgivesuniformitytohandicappingacrosstheirclubforthesettingandmaintenanceofhandicapswiththeobjectiveofestablishingfaircompetitionbetweengolfersofallabilities. Attheregionallevel,peerreviewisextendedtoincluderigorousvalidationofthehandicapreturnsoflowhandicapgolfers.Thisensuresthatonlygolfersofanappropriatestandardgainentrytotheirelitetournaments.Occasionally,golfersareexcludedfromtheelitegameasaconsequenceofbeingfoundtoabusethesystem.Toadegree,theseregionalbodiesalsomonitortheperformanceofandprovidetrainingforHandicapSecretariesattheclublevel. Nationally,thepeerreviewisextendedfurthertoassessinggolfersfromexternaljurisdictionsfortheirsuitabilityforentryintotheireliteinternationalevents.Theyalsoplayalargepartinperiodicreviewsofthehandicappingsystemitselftoimproveitforthefuture. Handicappingsystems[edit] WorldHandicapSystem[edit] Duetothemanydifferenthandicappingsystemsinusearoundtheworld,andthemanyinconsistencieswithinthem,whichmakesitdifficulttocompeteonanequalfootingwhereanotherhandicapsystemisinuse,thesportsmajorgoverningbodies,in2011TheR&AandtheUSGAbeganworkoncreationofasingleuniformhandicappingsystemtobeusedeverywhere.[18]InFebruary2018,theyannouncedthattheWorldHandicapSystem(WHS)wouldbelaunchedin2020.[19]Onceintroduced,theWorldHandicapSystemwillcontinuetobegovernedbyTheR&AandtheUSGAwiththesixexistingmajorhandicappingauthorities(theUSGA,theCouncilofNationalGolfUnions(CONGU)inGreatBritainandIreland,theEuropeanGolfAssociation(EGA),GolfAustralia,theSouthAfricanGolfAssociation(SAGA),andtheArgentineGolfAssociation(AAG))administeringthesystematalocallevel.[20][18] TheWHSisbasedontheUSGACourseandSlopeRatingsystem,andlargelyfollowstheUSGAHandicapSystemwhilealsoincorporatingfeaturesfromthesixmajorexistinghandicapsystems.Forexample,8differentials(liketheGolfAustraliasystem)areusedafternetdoublebogeyadjustments(liketheCONGUandEGAsystems)forhandicapcalculations,andtheWHScourse/playinghandicapincludesacourseratingadjustment(liketheEGAsystem).[20]Forplayerswithcurrenthandicaps,theirhandicaprecordsintheoldsystemswillbeusedtoproduceWHShandicaps;theexpectationisthatmostplayerswillatmostseeadifferenceofoneortwostrokes,ifany. AnewWHShandicaprequiresseveralscorestobesubmitted;therecommendationisaminimumof54holesmadeupofanynumberof9or18-holeroundsinordertoachieveareasonablefairandaccurateresult,althoughhandicapsmaybeissuedfromasmallersample.Handicapadjustmentswillbemadeuponsubmissionofany9or18-holescoreswithupdatespublisheddaily;unlikesomeothersystemsbothcompetitiveandrecreationalroundsmaybesubmittedbyallplayers(e.g.CONGU'sUnifiedHandicappingSystemonlyallowssubmissionofnon-qualifyingscoresbygolfersinCategory2orabove).Ongoinghandicapsarebasedontheaverageofthebest8differentials,butwithan"anchor"topreventrapidincreasesthatwouldnotnecessarilyreflecttheplayerstruepotential.Thereisalsoaholelimitof"netdoublebogey"forhandicappingpurposesinordertopreventoneortwobadholesfromhavingadisproportionateeffect.[18] WorldHandicapSystemoverview[edit] AWHShandicapiscalculatedwithaspecificarithmeticformulathatapproximateshowmanystrokesaboveorbelowparaplayermightbeabletoplay,basedontheeightbestscoresoftheirlasttwentyrounds.[21]Thecalculationhasseveralvariables,including:theplayer'sscoresfromtheirmostrecentrounds,thecourserating,andthesloperating. Ascoredifferentialiscalculatedfromeachofthescoresafteranynetdoublebogeyadjustments(anadjustmentwhichallowsforamaximumnumberofstrokesperholebasedontheplayer'scoursehandicap)havebeenapplied,usingthefollowingformula: 18-holescoredifferential = 113 sloperating × ( adjustedgrossscore − courserating − PCCadjustment ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{18-holescoredifferential}}={\frac{\mbox{113}}{\mbox{sloperating}}}\times({\mbox{adjustedgrossscore}}-{\mbox{courserating}}-{\mbox{PCCadjustment}})} 9-holescoredifferential = 113 sloperating × ( adjustedgrossscore − courserating − ( 0.5 × PCCadjustment ) ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{9-holescoredifferential}}={\frac{\mbox{113}}{\mbox{sloperating}}}\times({\mbox{adjustedgrossscore}}-{\mbox{courserating}}-({\mbox{0.5}}\times{\mbox{PCCadjustment}}))} Only18-holedifferentialsareusedforthecalculationofahandicapindex.Assuch,9-holedifferentialsneedtobecombinedbeforebeingused,subjecttoremainingoneofthe20mostrecentdifferentials.Thesystemalsoallowsforsituationswherelessthan18(or9)holehavebeenplayed,subjecttoaminimumof14(or7)holeshavingbeencompleted,by"scalingup"withnetparsforanymissingholes. Thescoredifferentialsareroundedtoonedecimalplace,andthebest8fromthelast20submittedscoresarethenaveragedandroundedtoonedecimalplacetoproducethehandicapindex.Initialhandicapsarecalculatedfromaminimumoffivescoresusingadjustmentsthatlimiteachholescoretoamaximumof ( par + 5 ) {\displaystyle({\mbox{par}}+{\mbox{5}})} .Ifthereareatleast5butfewerthan20qualifyingscoresavailable,thehandicapindexiscalculatedusingasetnumberordifferentialsaccordingtohowmanyscoresareavailable,withanadditionaladjustmentmadetothataverageinsomecircumstances. Numberofrounds Differentialstouse Adjustmenttoaverage 3 lowest1 -2.0 4 lowest1 -1.0 5 lowest1 0 6 lowest2 -1.0 7or8 lowest2 0 9to11 lowest3 0 12to14 lowest4 0 15or16 lowest5 0 17or18 lowest6 0 19 lowest7 0 Thebasicformulaforcalculatingthehandicapindexisasfollows(where n {\displaystylen} isthenumberofdifferentialstouse),withtheresultroundedtoonedecimalplace: Handicapindex = 1 n ∑ x = 1 n Differential x + adjustment {\displaystyle{\mbox{Handicapindex}}={\frac{1}{n}}\sum_{x=1}^{n}{\mbox{Differential}}_{x}+{\mbox{adjustment}}} Thehandicapindexisnotuseddirectlyforplayingpurposes,butusedtocalculateacoursehandicapaccordingtothesloperatingofthesetofteesbeingusedwithanadjustmentbasedonthedifferencebetweenthecourseratingandpar.Theresultisroundedtothenearestwholenumber.Forcompetitions,theunroundedcoursehandicapisconvertedtoaplayinghandicapbyapplyingahandicapallowance,dependentontheformatofplay. CourseHandicap = ( Handicapindex × SlopeRating ) 113 + ( courserating − par ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{CourseHandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{Handicapindex}}\times{\mbox{SlopeRating}})}{113}}+({\mbox{courserating}}-{\mbox{par}})} TheWHScontainsmeasuresreduceahandicapindexmorequicklyinthecaseofexceptionalscoring,andalsotopreventahandicapindexfromrisingtooquickly.Thisisdonebymeansof"soft"and"hard"capsbasedonthelowestindexduringtheprevious365days;thesoftcapreducesincreasesabove3.0to50%,andthehardcaplimitsincreasesto5.0.Updatestoagolfer'shandicapindexareissueddaily. ManyelementsofWHShaveflexibilitywhichallowsforlocalauthoritiestodeterminetheirownsettings,butthebasichandicapindexcalculationremainsthesame.Examplesinclude:9-holescoresmaybescaled-upratherthancombined; ( courserating − par ) {\displaystyle({\mbox{courserating}}-{\mbox{par}})} maybeomittedfromthecoursehandicapcalculation;andtheroundedcoursehandicapmaybeusedintheplayinghandicapcalculation.[22] USGAHandicapSystem[edit] ThefirsthandicapsystemtobeintroducedbytheUSGAwaslargelytheworkofLeightonCalkins,whobaseditontheBritish"threescoreaverage"systemwherethehandicapwascalculatedastheaverageofthebestthreescorestoparinthelastyear.Thekeydifferencewastheintroductionofaparrating(laterknownascourserating),whichwasbasedontheabilityofleadingamateurJeromeTravers,toaccountforvariancesintheplayingdifficultyofdifferentcourses.Afterinitiallyallowingclubstodeterminetheirownratings,atthebehestofCalkinstheUSGAquicklybeganassigningratingscentrally.Courseratingswereroundedtothenearestwholenumberuntil1967,whentheystartedbeinggiventoonedecimalplace.[11] In1947,thenumberofscoresusedtocalculatehandicapswasincreasedtothebest10fromallscoreseverrecordedsubjecttoaminimumof50.Howeverthiswasnotuniformlyimplemented,withregionalassociationsdisagreeingonthetotalnumberofroundstobeconsidered.In1958,theUSGAspecifiedthatthebest10from25scoreswouldbeused.Thiswasreducedto10from20in1967,whichremainstothisdayalthoughafurtheradjustmentwasmadewiththeintroductionofa"BonusofExcellence"multipliertoequalizehandicapsandgivebetterplayersamarginaladvantage.Originally85%,themultiplierwaschangedto96%afterbeingseentofavorbetterplayerstooheavily.In1974,EquitableStrokeControlwasadoptedinordertoeliminatetheeffectofveryhighindividualholescoresonhandicapcalculations.[11] Withthesystemstillnotaccountingforvariancesinplayingdifficultyforgolfersofdifferentabilities,in1979theUSGAsettoworkonhowtoaddresstheissuewiththecreationoftheHandicapResearchTeam.TheresultoftheirworkwasthecreationofwhatisnowtheSlopesystem.Slopewasgraduallyintroduced,firstlyinColoradoin1982,beforebeingimplementednationallyfrom1987.TheUSGAthensetaboutmakingfurtherrefinementstothecourseratingsystem,whichatthetimewasstilllargelydependentonlength,totakeaccountofmanyotherfactorsaffectingscoringabilityforascratchgolfer.[12]TheUSGACourseandSlopeRatingsystemisnowusedbymostoftheworld'smajorhandicappingsystems.[20] TheUSGAHandicapSystemisusedthroughoutthejurisdictionoftheUSGA(i.e.theUnitedStatesandMexico),andisalsolicensedforuseinmanyothercountriesaroundtheworld,e.g.Canada.[23]TheUSGAhasoftenresortedtothecourtstoprotecttheintegrityofitshandicapsystem.Inonesuchcase,theCaliforniaCourtofAppeal(FirstDistrict)summarizedthesystem'shistory: TheUSGAwasfoundedin1894.OneofitschiefcontributionstothegameofgolfintheUnitedStateshasbeenitsdevelopmentandmaintenancesince1911oftheUSGAhandicapsystem ...designedtoenableindividualgolfplayersofdifferentabilitiestocompetefairlywithoneanother.Becausepermittingindividualgolferstoissuetheirhandicapstothemselveswouldinevitablyleadtoinequitiesandabuse,thepeerreviewprovidedbyauthorizedgolfclubsandassociationshasalwaysbeenanessentialpartofthe[system].Therefore,toprotecttheintegrityandcredibilityofits[handicapsystem],theUSGAhasconsistentlyfollowedapolicyofonlypermittingauthorizedgolfassociationsandclubstoissueUSGAhandicaps ...In1979,USGAassembledahandicapresearchteamtoinvestigatewidespreadcriticismsofUSGA'sthen-existinghandicapformula.Theresearchteaminvestedapproximatelyadecadeandupto$2millionconductingintensiveanalysisandevaluationofthevariousfactorsinvolvedindevelopingamoreaccurateandsatisfactory[system].Asaresult,theresearchteamdevelopednewhandicapformulas ...designedtomeasuretheoveralldifficultyofgolfcourses,compareindividualgolferswithothergolfersofallabilities,takeaccountofdifferencesbetweentournamentandcasualplay,andadjustaberrantscoresonindividualholes.USGAsubsequentlyadoptedandimplementedthesenew[f]ormulasbetween1987and1993.[24] USGAHandicapSystemoverview[edit] AUSGAhandicapiscalculatedwithaspecificarithmeticformulathatapproximateshowmanystrokesaboveorbelowparaplayermightbeabletoplay,basedonthetenbestscoresoftheirlasttwentyrounds.[25]Thecalculationhasseveralvariables:theplayer'sscoresfromtheirmostrecentrounds,andthecourseandsloperatingsfromthoserounds. AhandicapdifferentialiscalculatedfromeachofthescoresafterEquitableStrokeControl(ESC),anadjustmentwhichallowsforamaximumnumberofstrokesperholebasedontheplayer'scoursehandicap,hasbeenappliedusingthefollowingformula: Handicapdifferential = ( ESCadjustedscore − courserating ) × 113 sloperating {\displaystyle{\mbox{Handicapdifferential}}={\frac{({\mbox{ESCadjustedscore}}-{\mbox{courserating}})\times{\mbox{113}}}{\mbox{sloperating}}}} Thehandicapdifferentialsareroundedtoonedecimalplace,andthebest10fromthelast20submittedscoresarethenaveraged,beforebeingmultipliedby0.96(the"bonusofexcellence")andtruncatedtoonedecimalplacetoproducethehandicapindex.InitialhandicapsarecalculatedfromaminimumoffivescoresusingESCadjustmentsbasedonthecoursehandicapcorrespondingtoahandicapindexof36.4formenor40.4forwomen.Ifthereareatleast5butfewerthan20qualifyingscoresavailable,thehandicapindexiscalculatedusingasetnumberordifferentialsaccordingtohowmanyscoresareavailable.[26] Numberofrounds Differentialstouse 5or6 lowest1 7or8 lowest2 9or10 lowest3 11or12 lowest4 13or14 lowest5 15or16 lowest6 17 lowest7 18 lowest8 19 lowest9 Thebasicformulaforcalculatingthehandicapindexisasfollows(where n {\displaystylen} isthenumberofdifferentialstouse),withtheresulttruncatedtoonedecimalplace: Handicapindex = 0.96 n ∑ x = 1 n Differential x {\displaystyle{\mbox{Handicapindex}}={\frac{0.96}{n}}\sum_{x=1}^{n}{\mbox{Differential}}_{x}} Thehandicapindexisnotuseddirectlyforplayingpurposes,butusedtocalculateacoursehandicapaccordingtothesloperatingofthesetofteesbeingused.Theresultisroundedtothenearestwholenumber.[3] CourseHandicap = ( Handicapindex × SlopeRating ) 113 {\displaystyle{\mbox{CourseHandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{Handicapindex}}\times{\mbox{SlopeRating}})}{113}}} Updatestoagolfer'shandicapindexareissuedperiodically,generallyonceortwicepermonthdependingonthelocalstateandregionalgolfassociations.[20] CONGUUnifiedHandicappingSystem[edit] Followingameetingofthefourmen'sgolfunionsofGreatBritainandIrelandinYorkarrangedbyTheRoyalandAncientGolfClubofStAndrewsin1924,theBritishGolfUnionsJointAdvisoryCommittee(laterCouncilofNationalGolfUnions)wasformed.Theorganizationwastaskedwithcreatingahandicappingsystemthatwouldbeequitabletogolfersofvaryingability,andasaresulttheStandardScratchScoreandHandicappingSchemewasdevised.Thesystemwasintroducedin1926,anduseda"scratchscore"systemtoratecourses,takingaccountthatcoursesmayplayeasierormoredifficultthanpar.[9] Anewsystemwasintroducedin1983,whichincorporatedfeaturesoftheAustraliansystem.Thiswasfurtherrevisedin1989withtheintroductionoftheCompetitionScratchScore(CSS),anadjustmenttotheStandardScratchScore(SSS),totakeaccountofvariancesincourseconditions(setup,weather,etc.)onagivenday.[2]Furthersignificantchangescamein1993(bufferzones)and1997(StablefordPointsAdjustment).In2002,theCouncilofNationalGolfUnions(CONGU)andtheLadies'GolfUnion(LGU)beganworkingtogether(theLGUhadadoptedasystemsimilartothatofCONGUin1998)andinFebruary2004theUnifiedHandicappingSystem(UHS)cameintoforce.[9] TheUnifiedHandicappingSystemisusedtomanagehandicapsforbothmenandwomenwhoaremembersofaffiliatedgolfclubsintheUnitedKingdomandtheRepublicofIreland.ThesystemispublishedbyCONGUandadministeredbyeachoftheindividualunionsonbehalfoftheirmembers,[27]withhandicapsbeingmanagedlocallybysomeoneateachclub;thispersonnormallyholdsthepositionofcompetitionsorhandicapsecretary. UnifiedHandicappingSystemoverview[edit] UndertheUnifiedHandicappingSystem,initialhandicapsareallocatedbasedonreturnedscoresfrom54holes,usuallythree18-holerounds.[27]Thenumberofstrokestakenoneachholeisadjustedtomaximumofdoubletheparoftheholebeforeaddingupthescores;adjustmentswerepreviously2overparformenand3overparforwomen.[28]Thebestofthe"adjustedgrossdifferentials"(AGD)betweentheadjustedscoreandtheStandardScratchScore(SSS)istakentocalculatetheinitialhandicapusingthefollowingformula,withtheresulttruncatedtogiveawholenumber: Initialhandicap = ( LowestAGD + ( LowestAGD × 0.13 ) ) 1.237 {\displaystyle{\mbox{Initialhandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{LowestAGD}}+({\mbox{LowestAGD}}\times{\mbox{0.13}}))}{\mbox{1.237}}}} Adjustmentsmaybemadetotheinitialhandicapshoulditbedeemednecessarytoensureitisreasonablyfair.HandicapsaregiventoonedecimalplaceanddividedintocategorieswiththelowesthandicapsbeinginCategory1.Priorto2018,thehighesthandicapswereinCategory4formen,withamaximumof28.0,andCategory5forwomen,withamaximumof36.0,withprovisionforhigher"club"or"disability"handicapsuptoalimitof54.0forthosewhocannotplaytotheselowerlimits.[28]In2018,handicaplimitswerestandardizedat54.0andaCategory5wasintroducedformen,andanewCategory6forall,replacingtheclubanddisabilitycategory(seetablebelow).Theexacthandicapisroundedtothenearestwholenumbertogivetheplayinghandicap.[29]Manyhandicapcompetitionsstillhavemaximumlimitsof28formenand36forwomen. Forallqualifyingscoresthatarereturned,adjustmentsaremadetoaplayersexacthandicapbasedontheCompetitionScratchScore(CSS).Allholescoresarefirstadjustedtoamaximumofnet2-overparwithhandicapstrokesbeingusedperthestrokeindexpublishedonthescorecard;thisiscalledStablefordornetdouble-bogeyadjustment.EverystroketheadjustednetscoreisbelowtheCSStriggersareductiondependentontheplayershandicapcategory;forCategory1thisis0.1perstroke,forCategory2itis0.2,etc.ShouldtheadjustednetscoreexceedtheCSS,thereisabufferzoneequivalenttothehandicapcategorybeforea0.1increaseisapplied,whichisthesameforallcategories;forCategory1thereis1strokebuffer,forCategory2itis2strokes,etc.[2]TheCompetitionScratchScoreisanadjustmenttotheStandardScratchScorecomputedfromallscoresreturnedandisintherange ( S S S − 1 ) {\displaystyle(SSS-1)} to ( S S S + 3 ) {\displaystyle(SSS+3)} withprovisionfor"reductiononly"whenscoringconditionshaveprovedespeciallydifficult.[29] Category Exacthandicap Playinghandicap ReductionperstrokebetterthanCSS IncreaseforscoresexceedingCSS+buffer Buffer 1 ≤5.4 ≤5 0.1 0.1 1stroke 2 5.5to12.4 6to12 0.2 0.1 2strokes 3 12.5to20.4 13to20 0.3 0.1 3strokes 4 20.5to28.4 21to28 0.4 0.1 4strokes 5 28.5to36.4 29to36 0.5 0.1 5strokes 6 36.5to54.0 37to54 0.6 0.1 6strokes Inadditiontoplayinginqualifyingcompetitions,golfersinCategory2andabovemayalsosubmitanumberofsupplementaryscoresinordertomaintaintheirhandicap;primarilyafeaturetoaccommodategolferswhoplayinfewcompetitionsandallowthemtomaintaincurrenthandicaps,itisalsousedbypeoplewhowishtotryandgettheirhandicapdownwhiletheyareplayingwell.Thereareothermechanismsinthesystemtoreduceorincreasehandicapsmorequickly.Everyyearallhandicapsarereviewedandadjustedifnecessarytoensuretheyremainfairandaccurate.Inaddition,anyverygoodscoresaremonitoredthroughouttheyearandanexceptionalscoringreductionmaybeappliedifcertaintriggersarereached. HistoricallycalculatingtheCSSandanyhandicapadjustmentswasdonemanuallybymeansofpublishedtables,butthisisnowcomputerizedwithhandicapsbeingpublishedtoaCentralisedDatabaseofHandicaps(CDH). EGAHandicapSystem[edit] TheEGAHandicapSystemistheEuropeanGolfAssociation'smethodofevaluatinggolfabilitiessothatplayersofdifferentstandardscancompeteinhandicapeventsonequalterms.ItisbasedonStablefordscoringandhassomesimilaritiestoboththeCONGUsystem,withregardstohandicapcategoriesandadjustments,andtotheUSGAsystem,withregardstotheuseofcourseandsloperatingsandcalculatingplayinghandicaps.Thefirstversionofthesystemwasintroducedin2000.[30] EGAHandicapSystemoverview[edit] UndertheEGAHandicapSystem,initialhandicapsrequirejustasingle9or18-holescorerecordedusingthemaximumhandicapof54.ThehandicapisthencalculatedfromthenumberofStablefordpointsscored. Initialhandicap = 54 − ( Stablefordpoints − 36 ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{Initialhandicap}}={\mbox{54}}-({\mbox{Stablefordpoints}}-{\mbox{36}})} EGAhandicapsaregiventoonedecimalplaceanddividedintocategories,withthelowesthandicapsbeinginCategory1andthehighestinCategory6(seetablebelow).Thehandicapisnotuseddirectlyforplayingpurposesandacalculationmustbedonetodeterminea"playinghandicap"specifictothecoursebeingplayedandsetofteesbeingused.Forhandicapsincategories1to5,theformulaisasfollowswiththeresultroundedtothenearestwholenumber: Playinghandicap = ( handicapindex − sloperating ) 113 + ( courserating − par ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{Playinghandicap}}={\frac{({\mbox{handicapindex}}-{\mbox{sloperating}})}{\mbox{113}}}+({\mbox{courserating}}-{\mbox{par}})} Andforcategory6a"playinghandicapdifferential"isused,whichisequaltotheplayinghandicapforahandicapindexof36.0: Playinghandicap = ( handicapindex + playinghandicapdifferential ) {\displaystyle{\mbox{Playinghandicap}}=({\mbox{handicapindex}}+{\mbox{playinghandicapdifferential}})} Forallqualifyingscoresthatarereturned,adjustmentsaremadetoaplayershandicapindex.AllscoresarefirstconvertedintoStablefordpointsifnecessary(i.e.roundsplayedusinganotherscoringmethod,e.g.strokeplay),effectivelyapplyinganetdoublebogeyadjustment,andthenforeverypointscoredabovethebufferzonethereisareductionappliedtotheplayershandicapindexaccordingtotheirhandicapcategory;forCategory1thisis0.1perpoint,forCategory2itis0.2,etc.Shouldthenumberofpointsscoredbebelowthebufferzone,afixedincreaseof0.1isappliedtothehandicapindexregardlessofcategory.TheEGAsystemalsotakesaccountofvariationsinplayingdifficultyonanygivencompetitiondaybymeansofaComputedBufferAdjustment(CBA)whichadjuststhebufferzonesbybetween−1and+2withprovisionfor"reductionsonly"whenscoringisespeciallydifficult.[31]TheCBAreplacedthepreviousCompetitionStablefordAdjustmentmethod,whichadjustedplayer'sStablefordscoresdirectly,in2013.[32] Category Handicapindex Bufferzone(Stablefordpoints) Reductionperpointscoredinexcessofthebufferzone Increaseforscoresbelowthebufferzone 1 ≤4.4 35–36 0.1 0.1 2 4.5to11.4 34–36 0.2 0.1 3 11.5to18.4 33–36 0.3 0.1 4 18.5to26.4 32–36 0.4 0.1 5 26.5to36.0 31–36 0.5 0.1 6 ≥37 - 1.0 - Inadditiontoplayinginqualifyingcompetitions,golfersinCategory2andabovemayalsosubmitanumberofextradayscoresinordertomaintaintheirhandicap.Handicapsarealsoreviewedannuallyandanynecessaryadjustmentsmade.[31] GolfAustraliaHandicapSystem[edit] TheGolfAustraliaHandicapSystemismaintainedonGOLFLink,whichwasaworld-firstcomputerizedhandicappingsystemdevelopedbyGolfAustralia'spredecessor,theAustralianGolfUnion(AGU)inthe1990s.WhenGOLFLinkwasfirstintroduceditcontainedtwokeycharacteristicsthatsetitapartfromotherworldhandicappingsystemsatthetime: ItusedaCalculatedCourseRating(CCR)todeterminehowdifficultthecoursewasontheday,anduponwhichhandicapadjustmentwasmade. Itutilizeda'swipe'cardthatenabledaplayertoaccesshishandicapfromanyGOLFLinkterminalinAustralia. InApril2010GAadoptedtheUSGAcalculationmethodusingtheaverageofthebest10differentialsoftheplayer'spast20totalrounds,multipliedby0.96.InSeptember2011thiswasalteredtothebest8outof20rounds,multipliedby0.93.Thereasonsforthesechangeswerecitedtorestoreequitybetweenhighandlowhandicaps.An‘anchor’sothathandicapscouldnotincreasebymorethan5inarolling12-monthperiod,sloperatings,andamoresophisticatedversionofCCRcalledtheDailyScratchRating(DSR)wereimplementedonJanuary23,2014.[33][34][35] GAHandicapSystemoverview[edit] TheGAHandicapSystemisbasedontheStablefordscoringsystem,andusesslopeandcourserating(called"ScratchRating").Forhandicappingpurposes,thescratchratingisadjustedtoreflectscoringconditions("DailyScratchRating"),andallscoresareconvertedintoStablefordpoints,calledtheStablefordHandicapAdjustment(SHA)andinherentlyapplyingnetdoublebogeyadjustments,regardlessofthescoringsystembeingusedwhileplaying.[33] Handicapsarecalculatedfromthebest8adjusteddifferentials,called"slopedplayedto"results,fromthemostrecent20scores.Shouldtherebe3ormorebutfewerthan20scoresavailable,aspecifiednumberof"slopedplayedto"resultsareused,perthetablebelow.[36] Numberofscores "Slopedplayedto"resultstouse 3to6 lowest1 7or8 lowest2 9or10 lowest3 11or12 lowest4 13or14 lowest5 15or16 lowest6 17or18 lowest7 19or20 lowest8 Newhandicapsrequire318-holescorestobesubmitted(oranycombinationof9and18-holescorestotaling54holesplayed)usinga"TemporaryDailyHandicap"of36formenor45forwomeninordertocalculatethenecessary"slopedplayedto"results."Slopedplayedto"resultsarecalculatedusingthefollowingformulaandroundedtoonedecimalplace:[36] Slopedplayedto = ( Par + Dailyhandicap − ( Stablefordpoints − 36 ) − Dailyscratchrating ) × 113 SlopeRating {\displaystyle{\mbox{Slopedplayedto}}=({\mbox{Par}}+{\mbox{Dailyhandicap}}-({\mbox{Stablefordpoints}}-{\mbox{36}})-{\mbox{Dailyscratchrating}})\times{\frac{\mbox{113}}{\mbox{SlopeRating}}}} TocalculatetheGAhandicap,the"slopedplayedto"resultsareaveragedandmultipliedbyafactorof0.93,whichisintendedtoequalizethehandicapinfavorofbetterplayers.TheformulaforcalculatingaGAhandicapisasfollows(where n {\displaystylen} isthenumberofdifferentialstouse),withtheresulttruncatedtoonedecimalplace:[36] GAhandicap = 0.93 n ∑ x = 1 n Slopedplayedto x {\displaystyle{\mbox{GAhandicap}}={\frac{0.93}{n}}\sum_{x=1}^{n}{\mbox{Slopedplayedto}}_{x}} TheGAhandicapisusedtocreatea"dailyhandicap",specifictothecourseandsetofteesbeingused,usingthefollowingformulawiththeresultroundedtothenearestwholenumber:[36] Dailyhandicap = GAhandicap × SlopeRating 113 {\displaystyle{\mbox{Dailyhandicap}}={\frac{{\mbox{GAhandicap}}\times{\mbox{SlopeRating}}}{\mbox{113}}}} SouthAfricanHandicapSystem[edit] Before2018,theSouthAfricanHandicapSystemusedaproprietycourseratingsystemwithoutslope,calledStandardRating,whichincludedspecificcalculationsforlengthandaltitude.Handicapswerecalculatedusingthebest10fromthelast20differentials,withdifferentialsderivedbymeansofasimple(StandardRating−AdjustedGross)formula.ThesystempreviouslycalculatedhandicapsagainstanadjustedStandardRating(calledCalculatedRating)butthiswassuspendedin2012.[37]Playinghandicapsweresimplytheexacthandicap,roundedtothenearestwholenumber.[38] InSeptember2018,therenamedGolfRSAHandicapSystemadoptedtheUSGACourseandSlopeRatingsystem.Thisnecessitatedafewadditionalchanges(e.g.playinghandicapanddifferentialcalculations),butthesystemretainedallotherfeatures(e.g.AdjustedGrossandnodailycourseratingadjustment).TheplayinghandicapundertheGolfRSAsystemincludesthedifferencebetweentheCourseRatingandPar.[39] InOctober2019,furtherchangesweremadewhichbroughttheGolfRSAHandicapSystemfurtherintolinewiththeupcomingWorldHandicapSystem.Thechangesintroducedincludedreducingthenumberofdifferentialsusedinhandicapcalculationsfrom10downto8,netdoublebogeyasthemaximumscoreperhole,reducingtheminimumnumberofvalid18-holescoresrequiredforhandicappingtothree,andexceptionalscoringreductions.[40] ArgentinianHandicapSystem[edit] TheArgentineGolfAssociation(AAG)handicappingsystemisarelativelysimpleone,usingonlyacourserating,withoutslope.Newhandicapsrequirethesubmissionofscorecardsfromfive18-holerounds(orten9-holerounds).Aninitialhandicapof25isnormallyusedasastartingpoint,whichisthenadjustedbasedonthesubmittedscores.Handicapsareupdatedonceeverymonth,withcurrenthandicapsgeneratedfromalookuptableusingtheaverageofthebesteightdifferentialsfromthelast16rounds.Golferssimplyusetheirexacthandicapforplayingpurposes.[20][41] Othersystems[edit] Forthehandicappingofgolferswhoareineligibleforanofficialhandicap,somesystemoptionsareavailable: PeoriaSystem[edit] ThePeoriaSystem[42]wasdesignedforthehandicappingofallplayerscompetinginaneventsuchasacharityorcorporategolfday.Beforeplaycommences,theorganiserssecretlyselect6holes(inreadinessforhandicappingpurposeslater)fromthecoursetobeplayed.Whenplayershavecompletedtheirrounds,theyapplythePeoriaalgorithmtotheirscoresontheselectedholestodeterminetheirhandicapforthatround.Theythensubtractthathandicapfromtheirgrossscoretogivetheirnetscore-andthewinnerisdeterminedintheusualway.[43] CallawaySystem[edit] TheCallawaySystem[44]wasdesignedwiththesameobjectiveasPeoria.TheCallawayhandicappingalgorithmworksbytotalingavariablenumberof"worst"scoresachieved(subjecttoadouble-parlimit)accordingtoasimpletable.Acoupleofadjustmentsarethenmadetothistotaltogivetheplayer'shandicap,whichisthenappliedtotheirgrossscoreasnormal.[43] ScheidSystem[edit] TheScheidSystem[45]issimilartotheCallawaySystem,exceptadifferentversionofthetableisused.[43] System36[edit] System36[46]isasame-dayhandicappingsystemsimilarinfunctiontoCallawaySystemandPeoriaSystem.Throughouttheround,thegolferaccruespointsbasedonthefollowingformula: Doublebogeyorworse:0points Bogey:1point Parorbetter:2points Attheendoftheround,pointsearnedaretallied.Thetotalissubtractedfrom36,andtheresultingnumberisthegolfer'shandicapallowance.HisnetscorecanthenbecomputedusinghisSystem36handicapallowance. 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