Dear Linda,
Are you allowed to post your score if you play in a three-club tournament?
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
While you are never required to carry 14 clubs, which is the maximum number allowed, you may not post a score when the maximum number of clubs permitted is less than 14. It is also true that you may not post scores if you are limited, for example, to using only irons. This information can be found in The USGA Handicap System, Section 5-1/f, which is available online at usga.org. Here is the link:
http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/manual.html
Here are some other situations where you are not permitted to post a score:
1. If you play less than 7 holes;
2. If you play during the inactive season (e.g., New Jersey is inactive from November through March, but if you are vacationing in Florida and play golf during those months, you must post those scores):
3. When you are not playing under the golf rules (e.g., scramble, Scotch Chapman, playing two balls throughout the round, etc.);
4. If the course is shorter than 3,000 yards (1,500 for 9 holes);
5. If the course you are playing has no USGA Course Rating or Slope Rating.
Lest we forget, you must post all of the following scores:
1. If you play at least 13 holes, you must post an 18-hole score. (Note: If you play between 7 and 12 holes, post a 9-hole score.)
2. Every round you play on a course with a USGA rating, both home and away, during the active season, must be posted.
3. You must post scores in both match play and stroke play. This includes match play or team competitions in which you may not have completed one or more holes or if you are asked to pick up when you are out of the hole. In such cases, you should record an X followed by your most likely score.
4. If you are disqualified from a competition (e.g., for failure to sign a scorecard), you still have an acceptable score for handicap purposes and should post it.
All scores should be posted on the day you play. Don’t forget to adjust your score total for Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) before you post. Here’s a quick ESC review:
“ESC” refers to Equitable Stroke Control. If you have an unusually bad hole, you must lower that score before you total your score and post it. If your Course Handicap is 9 or less, the maximum number you are allowed to post for any hole is double bogey; from 10 to 19, your maximum is 7; from 20 to 29, your maximum is 8; from 30 to 39, your maximum is 9; and for 40 or more, your maximum is 10.
Post all of your acceptable scores, and remember that your Handicap Index is not a reflection of your worth – it is only an indication of what you might be capable of scoring on your best day when you are playing the game of golf.
Linda
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
