Linda–
Reading thru some old material I cut out of an SCGA booklet,
I found an article on unfinished holes or conceded strokes.
It states "if a player starts but does not complete a
hole, he or she shall record for handicap purposes what they most likely would
have made. The most likely score consists of the number of strokes
already taken plus, in the player's best judgment, the number of strokes needed
to complete the hole from that position more than half the time. The most
likely score is not to exceed the player's maximum allowable under Equitable
Stroke Control." It goes on to say the most egregious violation of
this principle comes when a player who fails to complete a hole simply writes
down the Equitable Stroke Control, when in many cases this score is too high.
Recently, one of the player's in our foursome stated she was
going to pick up and estimated what she felt her score would be. One of
the other girls said she had to take her maximum. If my understanding is
correct, the player was correct in her "guesstimate" of what she
would normally take. Is this interpretation correct and would it differ
if they were playing in a tournament???
Love your column.
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Your understanding is correct. When a player does not
complete a hole, she needs to estimate her Most Likely Score so that she can
post a score for the round. For example, if she has played three strokes and
lies 20 yards from the green when she decides to pick up, she would estimate
one more stroke to get on the green and two putts. Her Most Likely Score for
that hole would be 6.
The Most Likely Score is a judgment call on the part of the
player. She must make an honest estimate of how many more strokes it would take
her to complete the hole the majority of the time. For example, if she were 140
yards from the hole after three strokes, she might decide that most of the time
it takes her two shots to cover 140 yards. In that case, her Most Likely Score
would be 7.
A player’s Most Likely Score may not be higher than the
maximum score she is permitted to post under Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). If
she estimates her Most Likely Score on a hole to be 9, and her ESC maximum is
8, she must record an 8 for that hole when she adds up her score to post. The
Most Likely Score for an uncompleted hole may never be higher than a player’s
maximum ESC score.
In a team tournament, where a player may choose to pick up
because her partner has the better score that will count for the hole, the
rules regarding Most Likely Score are exactly the same as in a non-tournament
round. When the player totals her score for posting into her handicap record,
she will enter the lower of her Most Likely Score or her ESC score for any
holes not completed. The proper way to keep track is to write an X on your card
along with the estimated score, e.g., X-6.
Linda
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© 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
