Rules of Handicapping Player Reference Guide

1 XxxxXxxxRules of HandicappingPlayer StartedBeforeYour RoundDuringYour RoundAfterYour Round Introduction Purpose of the WorldHandicap System What is a HandicapIndex? HowdoI getone? Maximum HandicapIndex Calculate your CourseHandicap Handicap Allowances Know whereyou get yourstrokes Know your maximumhole score Hole notplayed Submit yourscore Playingconditions calculation Calculation of scoredifferential BasicCalculation If your round is exceptional If yourhandicap is goingup SafeguardsPage3 Page10 Page8 Page13 Contents3 GettingStartedThis simple Guide offers golfers in Great Britain and Ireland a high-level overview of the World Handicap System and the Rules of Handicapping , and has beenput together by the Council of National Golf Unions( congu ).

2 It contains details specific to the way the system is administered withinGB&I. For further details, please contact your purpose of the WHS is to provide maximum enjoyment for all who play the game by enabling playersof anyability,fromanywherein theworld, to playandcompetewithothersona is a HandicapIndex?A HandicapIndexcalculatedundertheWHSprovid esyou with a portable measure of your demonstrated playing ability that is consistent with how all other golfers will be measured around canbeusedto trackyourprogressandto playin a casualora players are encouraged to establish and maintaina of the World HandicapSystem5 GettingStartedBy joining a will allow your club to manage and maintain your handicaprecord in accordance with the Rules of do I getone?

3 Every golf club has a you have any questions about the Rules of Handicapping or local procedures, it will be there to golfclub,thereis nothing to stop you from playing and from all individual formats of stroke play (competition and recreational) are acceptable for handicap purposes, providedyou: Ensure another person ispresent during theround; Play to the Rules of Golf;and Your score is do I getone?The maximum hole score for handicap purposes during your initial 54 holes is par + 5. This adjustment will be made automatically within the you havesubmitted scores from a total of 54 holes, made up of 9 or 18-hole scores, you will be allocated an initial a maximum Handicap Index of , the WHS is designed to be inclusive of all golfers, regardless of age, gender or ability.

4 Competition fixture lists and Terms of the Competition should be set up by your Handicap or Competition Committee - to ensurethatallgolfersfeelincluded,haveple ntyof opportunityto competewithother golfers and have the chance of imumHandicapIndexYourHandicapIndexis theportablenumberyoutakewithyoufromcours etocourse. YourRoundOnce you have decided which tees you are going to play, you must convert your HandicapIndexintoa numberof strokesyouneedto helpyouplayto yourhandicapbasedonthedifficulty of thecourseandthesetof youwholikenumbers,youcandoit yourself using the following formula for an 18 -holeround:NOTE:Thecalculationfora 9-holeroundis your CourseHandicapThe conversion process is easy and can be done by using a look-up table located nearthe first tee, your Club software or a Index x (Slope Rating /113)=9 Before YourRoundDependingontheformatof play,a handicapallowancemaybeappliedto your players are competing fromdifferent tees, a further adjustment may be necessary for any differences in.

5 If you are playing a recreational roundforhandicappurposes,youwillneed to pre-register before : The recommended handicap allowance for individual Stroke Play events is 95%, which means a Player could have a Course Handicap of 15 and a Playing Handicap of your Course Handicapto stroke index identifies where your handicap strokesare received, with stroke index 1 being the hole where a stroke is most needed by where you get yourstrokesIn this example, the Player has aCourse Handicap of 10, which means the Player will receive one handicap stroke on holes allocated 1 through10(marked with a ticksymbol) Hole123456789 OUTY ardage3931333754903333781554163573030 Par43454434435 StrokeIndex5 179 1 117 153 13 PlayerAHole10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 INYardage3411523601314713233143753402807 Par43435444435 StrokeIndex8 166 182 10 144 12 PlayerADuring YourRound11 During YourRoundIf you happen to struggle on a hole and the format of playallows( ), youmaynotneedto netdoublebogeyand,if theformatofplaydoesallow, HoleScoreExample: A playerwitha CourseHandicapof10receives 1 strokeonholeswithstrokeindex1 to.

6 Ona par4 holewithstrokeindex10,theirmaximumholesc ore is 4 (par)+ 2 (doublebogey)+ 1 (strokereceived)= 7 Ona par5 holewithstrokeindex5, theirmaximumholescore is 5 (par)+ 2 (doublebogey)+ 1 (strokereceived)= 8 Ona par3 holewithstrokeindex15,theirmaximumholesc ore is 3 (par)+ 2 (doublebogey)+ 0 (strokereceived)= 5 Net DoubleBogey=12 Anincompleteroundwillonlybeacceptablefor handicappurposesif youhave playedat least9 holes(fora 9-holescore)or10holes(foran18 -holescore).HolenotplayedIf youdidnotplaya holefora validreason,youshouldeitherleavetheholes coreblankormarktheholeas notplayed (NP). A scoreof NetParwillbeusedforthishole,calculatedas follows:NetParParHandicap strokesreceived=+Valid reasons for not playing a holeinclude: Failing light or badweather Player injury orillness A hole being declared out of play by the Committee for maintenance or reconstruction purposesInvalid reasons for notplaying a holeinclude: Notplayinga holeforthepurposeof gaining a scoringadvantage (high or low)During YourRound13 After YourRoundSubmit your score in accordance with Club procedures as soon as possible afteryou have completed your round.

7 It must be certified by a yourscoreThepromptsubmissionof yourscoreis importantasit willenable:Your score to beincluded in the daily PLAYING CONDITIONSCALCULATIONandYour Handicap Index to be UPDATED READY FOR YOUR NEXTROUNDAt the end of each day, a playing conditions calculation (PCC) takes place automatically, behind the scenes, to determine if scores made at the coursewere significantly higher or lower scores were unusually low or high, a PCC adjustment between 1 and +3 will be appliedto yourscoredifferentialcalculationto ConditionsCalculationAfter YourRoundA negative (-) adjustment means the course played easier positive (+) adjustment means the course played more difficult PCCof 0 meansthecourseplayedasexpected, YourRoundOncethePCCis determined,yourfinalscoredifferential will be calculated representing the handicap you played to for that round relative to the difficulty of the course played, as determined by the Course Rating and Slope Rating, and the of ScoreDifferentialCourseRatingSlopeRating A score of 80 on a difficult coursemay result in a lower score differential than a 77 on an.

8 A high score on a day when conditions are challengingmay result in a lower score differential, which has the potential to become one of the best 8 within your YourRoundA HandicapIndexis designedto representyour is calculatedbyaveragingthebest8 scoredifferentials out of themost recent 20 within your scoring Player s HandicapIndex in this example is calculated as 18. 2+ 8= a scoreproducesa strokes or better than your HandicapIndex at the time the round is played, it is subject to an exceptional your round is exceptionalIf the score differential is between strokes better, your Handicap Index will be reduced by the score differential is or more strokes better, your Handicap Index will be reduced by YourRound18 Eventhebestplayersstrugglefromtimeto time- andalthoughformchanges,a Player s underlying ability does not ,everytimeit is updated, the 8 of 20 calculation is compared to the lowest Handicap Index that you have achieved during the last exceptionalcircumstances, your Handicap Index is goingupA soft capwill beapplied.

9 Which slows down the rate hard capwill prevent any additional upward movement after the soft cap the difference is more than :If the difference is more than :After YourRound19 The Rules of Handicapping include a range of safeguards to protect the field and to mitigateagainstanyplayerthatmighttryto circumventtheRulesin orderto gainan advantage. Theseinclude: Handicap CommitteeReview Application of a penalty scorefor failure to submit a score Adjusting a Handicap Index tomore accurately reflect the Player sability Freezinga HandicapIndexfora periodof time Withdrawing a HandicapIndexSafegu ardsIf you ever feel that your Handicap Index or the Handicap Index of anyother golfer needs to be reviewed, contact your golf club or YourRound20 Keep up-to-date with the latestnews about the World Handicap that you cantrack your progress and play with others on a fair basis, you just need to enjoy yourself the next time you tee it don t forgetto submit