| Dear Fellow Golfer,
 Fair handicapping depends upon full and accurate
information regarding a player's potential scoring ability as reflected
by a complete scoring record. Every player must be responsible
for returning all acceptable scores, as defined in this section. For
handicap purposes, all Section 4 adjustments, including Equitable
Stroke Control, must be applied to all scores including tournament scores.
a. Scores To Post
If 13 or more holes are played, the player must post
an 18-hole score. If 7 to 12 holes are played, the player must post a
nine-hole score. (See Decision 5-1a/3.)
b. Scores on All Courses
Adjusted gross scores from all courses with a USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating made during an active season, both at home and away, must be posted by the
player along with the appropriate USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating. (See Decision 5-1b/1.)
c. Scores in All Forms of Competition
Scores in both match play and stroke play must be
posted for handicap purposes. This includes scores made in match play,
in multi-ball, or in team competitions in which players have not
completed one or more holes or in which players are requested to pick up
when out of contention on a hole. (See Decision 5-1c/1 and Section 4.)
d. Scores Made under The Rules of Golf
Scores must be made in accordance with the principles
of The Rules of Golf. (See Decisions 5-1d/1 and 5-1d/2.)
e. Disqualification
A player who is disqualified from a competition, but
has an acceptable score, must record an adjusted gross score for
handicap purposes. For example, a player who is disqualified from a
competition for failure to sign a scorecard has an acceptable score for
handicap purposes.
f. Unacceptable Scores
Scores made under the following conditions are not
acceptable for handicap purposes and must not be entered in the player's scoring record:
(i) When fewer than seven holes are played;
(ii) When made on a golf course in an area in
which an inactive season established by the authorized
golf association is in effect;
(iii) When a majority of the holes are not played
in accordance with the principles of The Rules of Golf (except for preferred lies);
(iv) When the length of the course is less than
3,000 yards for 18 holes (or less than 1,500 yards for 9 holes);
(v) When, as a condition of the competition, the
maximum number of clubs allowed is less than 14, or types of clubs
are limited as, for example, in a competition that allows only iron
clubs;
(vi) When scores are made on a course with no USGA Course Rating or Slope Rating;
(vii) When a player carries or uses
non-conforming clubs or uses non-conforming balls or tees;
(viii) When artificial devices (as defined under
Rule 14-3) are used during the execution of a stroke. (See Decision
5-1f/2 for an exception.)
a. General
Posting scores in person immediately following the
round at the course where the round is played is the preferred way to
expose scores to peer review. This method of posting must be used
whenever possible. The place for returning scores from all courses
should be convenient to make it as easy as possible for players to
record every round played. The form of reporting is the responsibility
of the golf club or the authorized golf association, and
will depend upon the procedure adopted by the Handicap Committee.
The posted scores for the day must be immediately available to all
members for peer review. (See Decisions 5-2a/1.)
For handicap purposes, the following information must
be returned in person immediately following the round at the course
where the round was played or, if that is not possible, as soon as
practicable prior to the next revision so that a scoring record is up-to-date (See Decision 5-2a/2):
(i.) Player's name or identification number;
(ii) Date;
(iii) Course Name*;
(iv) USGA Course Rating and Slope
Rating of the course played;
(v) Adjusted gross score;
(vi) Score type for tournament scores or scores posted via the Internet. (See score type.)
*Type 1 and Type 2 golf club recommendation.
Type 3 golf club requirement.
The Handicap Committee may adopt a policy to
accept scores returned by e-mail, facsimile, Internet, or surface mail.
Scores may not be returned verbally by the telephone.
Scores returned to the club by e-mail, facsimile,
Internet, or surface mail must be exposed to the same peer review as scores posted in person at the club. If a club adopts a policy to
accept scores via e-mail, facsimile, Internet, or surface mail, the Handicap Committee must designate an official at the club who is
authorized to receive these scores. If a golf club adopts a
policy to accept scores posted via the Internet, the club must also
provide the ability to review all scores of all members via the
Internet.
Total scores may be returned and need not be recorded
hole-by-hole. The Handicap Committee may require the returning or
attesting of scorecards periodically in order to assist in its
responsibilities, but this requirement must not be used to affect the
acceptability of a score. A score is acceptable for handicap posting
purposes regardless of whether a scorecard accompanies it. (See
Decisions 5-2a/3 and 5-2a/4.)
b. Posting a score When a Complete Round is not
Played
If 13 or more holes are played, the player must post
an 18-hole score. If 7 to 12 holes are played, the player must post a
nine-hole score. In either case, scores for unplayed holes must be
recorded as par plus any handicap strokes that the player is
entitled to receive on the unplayed holes. (See Section 4-2 and 5-1a.)
Example: A player with a Course Handicap of 30 stops playing after 16 holes because of darkness. Hole 17 is a par 3 and is the number 18 handicap-stroke hole. The player
will record 3 (par) plus 1 handicap stroke for an X-4 on hole 17.
Hole 18 is a par 4 and is the number 12 handicap-stroke hole.
The player will record 4 (par) plus 2 handicap strokes for an X-6
on hole 18.
c. Posting Nine-Hole Scores
To be acceptable for handicap purposes, nine-hole
scores must meet the following conditions:
(i) The course must have a nine-hole USGA
Course Rating and Slope Rating;
(ii) At least seven holes must be played.
There is no restriction on the number of nine-hole
scores posted to a player's scoring record. Even if a player
plays a majority of nine-hole rounds, that player can still utilize a Handicap Index (see Section 10-2) rather than a Handicap Index (N). (See Section 10-5 for computation of a Handicap Index (N).)
(See Decision 5-2c/1.)
d. Treatment of Nine-Hole Scores
Once posted, a nine-hole score will be treated as
follows:
(i) Nine-hole scores must not be designated as
T-Scores;
(ii) When two nine-hole scores are combined, the USGA Course Rating is the sum of each nine-hole USGA
Course Rating and the Slope Rating is the average of the Slope Rating of the two nines (if the average is.5, it is
rounded upward to the next whole number); An 18-hole score created
by the combination of two nine-hole scores will display the date of
the second nine hole score posted.
(iii) Two nine-hole scores combined to create an
18-hole score should be designated with the letter C (e.g. 85C). If either of the two nine-hole scores was posted via Internet
(see Section 5-2a(v)), the score should be designated CI;
(iv) Nine-hole scores posted at a club where a
player is issued a Handicap Index will be combined with other
nine-hole scores posted at that club, regardless of score type.
The combining of nine-hole scores may be any combination of nines, e.g. with a front nine middle tee score combined with a front
nine back tee score;
(v) Nine-hole scores posted at a club where a
player does not receive a Handicap Index will be combined
with other nine-hole scores posted in the same manner.
A nine-hole score will be retained within a player's scoring record until it is older than the oldest 18-hole score in
that scoring record (best T-Score file excluded).
e. Posting a Tournament Score
A tournament score is a score made in a
competition organized and conducted by a committee in charge of the
competition. The competition must identify a winner(s) based on a stipulated round(s), and must be played under the principles of The Rules of Golf.
The committee (preferably the Handicap Committee,
in consultation with the committee in charge of the competition) must
determine in advance if these conditions are met, and announce in
advance whether the score must be identified by the letter "T" when
posted. Routine events such as regular play days normally are not to be
designated as T-scores because they are not significant in the
traditions, schedules, formats, and membership of the club.
f. Committee Posting a score For a Player
If a player fails to post a score, the Handicap
Committee may post the score without the player's authorization.
(See Section 8-4b.) In a competition, the committee in charge of the
competition may post the scores of all competitors. The committee must
notify the players that it will post the scores in order to prevent
scores from being posted by both the players and the committee.
g. Posting a Score from an Unrated set of Tees
on a Rated Course
Authorized golf associations issue a USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating for the most commonly
played sets of tees. If a USGA Course Rating and Slope
Rating from a selected set of tees are not available for the
appropriate gender, the player may apply the following procedure on a
temporary basis:
. Locate the nearest set of rated tees for the
appropriate gender;
. Determine the yardage difference between the
set of tees being played and the rated set of tees;
. Using the following table, find the range that
includes the yardage difference;
Click for Women's Ratings Adjustments From Unrated Tees Table
Click for Men's Ratings Adjustments From Unrated Tees Table
Add the resulting table values if the unrated tees
are longer than the rated tees, or subtract the resulting values if the
unrated tees are shorter than the rated tees.
This method may also be used if a player plays a
combination of tees. The player first determines the total yardage
played then applies the above procedure.
If the committee in charge of a competition has used
a combination of tees for a competition course, this procedure may be
used. This procedure is not a substitute for a formal USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating.
For a nine-hole adjustment, the proper procedure is
to use the actual yardage difference for the adjustment to the USGA Course Rating, and double the yardage difference to find the
appropriate Slope Rating adjustment.
Example 1: A woman plays from the middle tees,
which are not rated for women. The women's USGA Course Rating from the forward tees is 71.6, with a Slope Rating of 119. The
middle tees are 396 yards longer than the forward tees. She enters the
387 to 404 yard range, which corresponds to adding 2.2 to the USGA Course Rating and 5 to the Slope Rating of the forward
tees. She will post her score with a USGA Course Rating of
73.8 (71.6 + 2.2) and a Slope Rating of 124 (119 + 5).
Example 2: A man plays nine holes from the
forward tees, which are not rated for men. The men's nine-hole USGA Course Rating from the middle tees is 34.8, with a Slope
Rating of 117. The forward tees are 195 yards shorter than the
middle tees. He enters the 187 to 208 yard range to subtract 0.9 from
the USGA Course Rating and the 385 to 406 yard range (195
x 2 = 390) to subtract four from the Slope Rating of the middle
tees. He will post his score with a USGA Course Rating of
33.9 (34.8 - 0.9) and a Slope Rating of 113 (117 - 4).
Note 1: If a
player plays a course which does not have the necessary men's or women's USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating, the player
should notify the authorized golf association that has
jurisdiction in that area.
Note 2: If the
yardage difference is more than 1,250 yards for women or 802 yards for
men, the player finds one-half of the yardage difference on the table,
doubles the corresponding numbers, and applies the procedure above. For
example, if a man finds a yardage difference of 1,400 yards, he doubles
the values for 700 yards from the table, and adds 6.4 (3.2 x 2) to the USGA Course Rating and 16 (8 x 2) to the Slope Rating. |
