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What the new golf handicapping system could mean to you

With thanks to Inside Golf (www.insidegolf.com.au)

Handicapping set for a shakeup
While it barely made headlines when announced (in fact, it barely made the papers at all) Golf Australia is considering adopting the USGA system for golf handicapping. Though nothing has been set in stone, this is big news for golfers as it will affect not only our everyday play, but our daily comps and tournaments as well.

Having played extensively in both the USGA and Australian handicapping systems, I whole-heartedly welcome the move, as I believe the USGA system is not only easier for players to understand, but it also makes it much fairer to the average golfer.

There are two major differences that Australian golfers could experience if and when the new handicapping system is adopted:

Course Rating vs Slope:
The current Australian system factors in a Course Rating which, while beneficial in comparing courses, does not really assist a golfer at the more difficult tracks. For example, if your handicap is 15, then under the current system you will play at a 15 at any course, regardless of its level of difficulty. In the USGA-based Slope system, however, your 15 “handicap index” would be converted to a “course handicap” based on the difficulty of the course. (Slope can range from 55 to 155, with 113 being considered a course of average difficulty.) So on a local/easy track, your handicap for the day may be, say, a 12, while on a monster it could be a 17 or 18. (Luckily, the USGA has calculators and charts to make this all simple for you.)

Calculating your Handicap:
The second major difference is how your handicap is calculated. Whereas the Australian system has an intricate scheme of differentials and buffer zones, the USGA’s “handicap index” is calculated by averaging the best 10 of your last 20 scores. Simple.

This should produce a more accurate handicap that better refl ects your current/ recent playing status as well as your future potential. It will also be very beneficial to players who, for example, only play once a month and who may have suffered a dip in form, or conversely, those who may have had one lucky “day out” round. Thus, whereas players can currently only “blow out” by just 0.1 of a shot each time they fail to play to their handicap, the USGA system allows players undergoing a “rough patch” to see a few more strokes added to their handicap a bit faster than before. Of course, this opens the door to the potential handicap “manipulation” by dishonest players. To combat this (and other concerns), the USGA has an Equitable Stroke Control system in place.

Equitable Stroke Control sets a maximum score per hole when calculating your handicap – and it is used to minimise the effects of “blowout holes” on your handicap.

For example, say you take an 8 on a par-3 (we’ve all been there). On its own, that snowman could potentially throw your handicap well out of whack. With Equitable Stroke Control, the 8 will count towards your total score for the daily comp, but not all of those extra strokes will count towards your handicap. Depending on your course handicap, the maximum you could claim towards your handicap might be a double-bogey 5. After subtracting all the “extra” shots from your round, the resulting score is your adjusted gross score, which is what is used to calculate your handicap.

Note that Golf Australia has applied for an amendment to Equitable Stroke Control, which would use a Stableford-type adjustment system, which would require players to adjust their score downward to what is effectively a net double bogey…effectively the lowest score that would give no Stableford points. If this still seems a bit complicated, don’t worry. In the US, they have a fully computerised system to do most of this work for you, and it would seem that a system like GolfLink could easily be tweaked to fit. In addition, tournament directors and club managers will likely be instructed on the “ins and outs” of the system.

This is just a bare-bones explanation of what the system may look like if adopted. Once a decision and/or agreement has been made, we’ll be sure to fill you in. Stay tuned!

For more on the proposed changes, check out the Golf Australia website: