Monday, July 13, 2009

Ask Linda #131-Handicap allowances, mixed formats

Dear Linda,
According to the Section on Handicap Allowances in the USGA Handicap Manual some of the competitions determine the allowances based on the higher-handicapped 'player' or 'side'.
However in:
• Four-Ball Match Play vs. Par or Bogey
• Best Ball of Four Match Play vs. Par or Bogey
• Four Ball Stroke Play
• Best Ball of Four Stroke Play
• Two Best Balls of Four Stroke Play
-the allowances are based on whether you are a man or woman. Invariably the man receives a smaller percentage of strokes than the woman. How does the Handicap System take into account a mixed tournament? One cannot assume that all men have lower handicaps than their female partners.
I understand that after allowances are determined Section 9-3c is applied for competitions between players competing from different tees, however is the percentage allowance based only on gender?
I would be interested to know your thoughts on this. I enjoy reading your e-mails on rules and have learned a lot.
Thanks,
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
This is a complicated issue, Lulu, but I believe if I break it down into steps and apply it to one form of competition with four imaginary players the answer will be easier to digest. If you understand how to handicap four players, then it will be no problem to handicap 40 or even 400 players.

Let’s look at a mixed four-ball stroke play net event. This is more commonly referred to as a better ball tournament – a man and a woman play as partners, the lower (or better) score counts for each hole. In this type of competition, the USGA recommends that men receive 90% of the Course Handicap® and that women receive 95%.

Fred and Mary and playing against Jimmy and Alice at Humble Pie Country Club. The men are playing from the White tees, which are rated 71.6/134. The women are playing from the Red tees, which are rated 69.0/121.

Step 1 – Establish everyone’s Course Handicap (CH).
There should be a Course Handicap table at the golf course. Find the Slope Rating (in my example that would be 134 for the men and 121 for the women), look for the range that includes each player’s Handicap Index®, and note the Course Handicap. For example, Fred’s Handicap Index (HI) is 6.8. Looking down the column of Handicap Indexes for a course with a slope Rating of 134, you will find that Fred’s 6.8 falls between 6.4 and 7.1, and his Course Handicap is 8.
Fred: 8 (HI 6.8)
Mary: 15 (HI 13.9)
Jimmy: 20 (HI 17.1)
Alice: 17 (HI 15.6)

Step 2 – Apply the handicap allowance.
For four-ball stroke play, calculate 90% of the men’s CH and 95% of the women’s CH.
Fred: 7 (90% x 8 = 7.2, round to 7)
Mary: 14 (95% x 15 = 14.25, round to 14)
Jimmy: 18 (90% x 20 = 18)
Alice: 16 (95% x 17 = 16.15, round to 16)

Step 3 – Calculate the difference in Course Rating between the Red and White tees. (A difference of .5 or more is rounded up.)
White tees for men: 71.6
Red tees for women: 69.0
Difference: 1.6, rounded to 2.

Note that the calculations must be performed in the order listed above to arrive at the correct handicap allowance for each player.

The women will be playing a course rated 2 strokes easier than the men’s course. You now have a choice. You may either give the men their full handicap allowance (7 for Fred, 18 for Jimmy) and subtract 2 strokes from the women (12 for Mary and 14 for Alice); or you may give the women their full handicap allowance (14 for Mary and 16 for Alice) and add two strokes to the men (9 for Fred and 20 for Jimmy).

Regardless of whether the man or the woman has the lower handicap, the USGA handicap allowance recommendation for a four-ball stroke play format is 90% of CH for men and 95% for women.

Here are the USGA recommended handicap allowances for all of the forms of play you listed:
Four-Ball Match Play vs. Par or Bogey: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women
Best Ball of Four Match Play vs. Par or Bogey: 80% of CH for men, 90% for women
Four Ball Stroke Play: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women
Best Ball of Four Stroke Play: 80% of CH for men, 90% for women
Two Best Balls of Four Stroke Play: 90% of CH for men, 95% for women

Of course, none of these adjustments can work its magic unless everyone’s handicap index is accurate, so don’t forget to post your score after every round.

The USGA has done extensive research to calculate handicap allowances that will help make your tournaments fair and equitable. Take the time to do the math (or use a computer program designed to do it for you, such as the Tournament Pairing Program) – fair tournaments are fun tournaments!

Linda

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