Linda, our Women’s Golf Association uses a handicap
computation system to do our handicaps based on the USGA handicapping
system. When an "R" appears after a person's handicap, I
understand their handicap has been reduced based on at least two exceptional
tournament scores. It is very difficult to explain to a golfer why their
handicap was reduced due to an exceptional tournament score. One score was
in June of 2011 and the other score was April 28th of 2011. Will the
April 28th T score drop off and then show a regular score? Do you have any
recommendations on how to explain this to a golfer? They do not take this
reduction very well and I find this very difficult to explain so they will
understand. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Lulu from Texas
Dear Lulu,
I will do my best to give you a simple, straightforward
explanation. For those of my readers who are outside the jurisdiction of the
USGA, please be aware that the information in this column pertains only to the
calculation of USGA handicaps.
The first thing a player needs to understand is that her Handicap
Index (HI) is designed to reflect her best rounds, not her average or poor
rounds – her potential, in other words. It is a percentage (96%) of the average
differential of the 10 best scores
of her last 20. The HI represents her differential when she is playing some of
her best golf. A golfer plays better than her handicap less than one time out
of four.
When a player competes in a tournament, most of the time she
will not score as well as her HI. When a player scores lower in a tournament
than her HI, the general feeling is that she had a very good day. When it
happens twice in the same calendar year, it is considered unusual. When a
player shoots at least two tournament scores with differentials that are 3 or
more strokes better than her HI, this is a mathematical rarity. In response, the
USGA adjusts the player’s HI downward and the HI is recorded as a reduced (R)
handicap (e.g., 12R).
A separate record is kept of each player’s tournament
scores. The player’s six best scores within the last 12 months are saved. If a
player has less than 6 scores, they are all saved; if she has more than 6, the
best 6 are saved. When two of those scores have differentials that are at least
3 strokes better than the player’s HI, the player’s HI is reduced according to
a USGA formula that incorporates exceptional tournament performance into a
player’s HI. This handicap reduction process affects less than one percent of
golfers.
On the 12-month anniversary of a tournament score, it is
deleted from the separate tournament file. In the case of your player, Lulu,
the tournament in which she scored exceptionally well on April 28, 2011 will be
deleted from her record on April 28, 2012. If this leaves her with only one
exceptional score in her file, she will lose the R and her HI will once again
be calculated based on her last 20 scores.
Having two exceptional tournament scores doesn’t necessarily
mean that the player is a “sandbagger” – some golfers play better under
pressure. However, the odds are very high that a player will not underscore her
HI by 3 or more strokes in two tournaments in the same year, since her HI
represents her potential –not her average– score.
Each competitor should start with an equal chance to win a
net tournament on a day that she plays well in relation to her HI. While it is
not surprising to see the same names at the top of the leaderboard in gross
tournaments (the best golfers are, after all, the best golfers), the same
players should not be winning net tournaments time and time again.
Players who are interested in reading about the development
of the handicap reduction system should read the following article on Dean
Knuth’s website: http://www.popeofslope.com/sandbagging/procedure.html
Players who are interested in learning how to calculate R
handicaps should read Section 10-3 of The
USGA Handicap System: http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-10/
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
