Handicap Articles

Article 1

What is Course Rating and how does it affect my Handicap?
Sure the obvious factors are always considered in Course Rating, the creek that crosses the middle of the fairway that forces you to just barely carry it, or forces you to lay up, Out of Bounds down the left that makes you anxious, and of course those bunkers on the right. Course Rating is complex and many factors are considered, even some that may not be so obvious like the Psychological Factor. But the hardest factor to overcome is yardage. Yardage affects a rating more so than any other factor. You can only hit the ball so far (try telling Tiger that), but you can usually hit your ball short of trouble or steer away from it. But you can’t lay up or steer away from a long hole.

I receive all kinds of correspondence about course ratings, “why is this Slope so low”, or “I think this one is too high,” or “why is this Slope lower than the one just down the road, when I have a tougher time scoring on this one?” I’ll try to address one falsity most golfers make with Slope. Here is a question I’ll pose to you; Is a course with a 128 Slope Rating harder than a golf course with a 124 Slope Rating? Be careful with your answer. Not Necessarily! (I thought you’d be surprised) Slope Rating alone does not indicate course difficulty (Slope seems to be misrepresented as a strict measure of difficulty by golfers). You also have to consider; Scratch rating (I.E. 71.8) and also with what type of golfer you are talking about (low/mid/high handicapper). As you will see by my example, this all makes a difference.

Example; Course A - Rating 72.0 & Slope 128, Course B - Rating 72.5 & Slope 124

As you can see the two courses (A and B) are as equally difficult for the mid-handicapper who shot 88, but Course B is harder for the low handicapper (same score on each course produced a lower differential on Course B (even though the Slope is lower than Course A), this only means a better relative score on Course B. Course A was harder for the high handicapper, the same score produced a lower differential, again meaning a better relative score. But how can this be? The result is due to the Scratch rating, it makes a difference in the base number used in the calculation of your differential for your Handicap, in combination with the Slope rating.

I’m sure you’ve had this conversation before, you know the one where you argue with friends about why the Slope at one course is lower than that course just down the road, or over at “Joe’s” course because you feel one course is harder than the other. Keep in mind that a high Slope Rating only indicates that a bogey golfer will require more strokes from a scratch golfer in a Match, it does not mean the course is difficult for all golfers (you need to include the scratch rating as well).

What goes into course rating is hard work from our hundreds of volunteers who carefully consider and evaluate all obstacle factors. The GAO rate over 100 member courses every year for both men and woman for all sets of tees!

If you have any questions or would like more information on Course Rating and Handicapping, please visit the following sites; www.rcga.org, or www.usga.org.

Article 2

Inactive Handicap Season
What is an Inactive Handicap Season? You may have seen information at your club or at a golf club which states you are not permitted to post scores that have been made within your province because it is before or after the active Handicap Season (Inactive Season). You might have asked yourself, “what is this Handicap Season?” I get asked this question quite often every year.

The R.C.G.A. Handicap System Manual defines the season as; “An inactive season is the period of time determined by the authorized golf association having jurisdiction in a given area during which scores made there will not be accepted for handicap purposes.” The RCGA Handicap Manual further explains that “Scores made at any golf course observing an inactive season may not be accepted for handicap purposes. Scores made by a player at any golf course in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes, even if they are made during the time when the area where the golfer posts scores is in an inactive season.” What does this mean, a score made at a club in an inactive season, may not be posted for handicap purposes.

You are probably asking yourself “why aren’t scores accepted all year round?” The answer is simple, Ontario isn’t blessed with “golf” weather all year round. Here is a good example to support why we have an Inactive Season. It is late fall (November), you just finished hitting your drive right down the middle of the fairway. Content with the shot, as you walk up to the area you just hit to, you seem to be having a little trouble finding your ball, the problem is all those leaves on the ground hiding it. After 5 minutes, you still can’t find your ball, under the Rules of Golf, you have to proceed to play the ball as lost, under penalty of one stroke you must go back to the tee and hit another ball. This will be your third stroke (contrary to the belief there is a “leaf rule” where you get to drop where you think your ball ended up with no penalty). Imagine this happening on 3 or 4 holes for the day! It would very quickly inflate your score, and if this were to happen over several rounds, and you had to post these scores it will inflate your handicap too. Not all courses in Ontario have top notch million dollar maintenance practices to clear all leaves for ideal playing conditions, so we have to implement a date that best fits all GAO members to help keep handicaps accurate. In Ontario, our Active Handicap season is April 15 to October 31. The season dates are evaluated by the GAO Course Rating Committee every year.

For more information on Inactive Season, please consult the RCGA Handicap System manual, or visit www.rcga.org or www.usga.org.