Good Morning, Linda.
Thank you for making the rules of golf more understandable.
I, as well as thousands of others, really appreciate you. My question is this:
In Ask Linda #619, about playing right- and left-handed rounds, you said that
the one round (in this case, her right-handed round) should be played as a
practice round. I can't find that there is a definition of a practice round,
just a round that is not played under the principles of the Rules of Golf. How
does one stipulate "practice round?"
Thank you,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
One of the basic premises of the USGA Handicap System is as
follows:
“Each player will try to make the best score at every hole
in every round…”
A player who is experimenting with playing both right- and
left-handed is not trying to make the best score at every hole.
Players should be encouraged to play practice rounds. This
is how they learn and improve. However, practice rounds, by my understanding of
the meaning of “practice,” do not meet the requirement that a player strive for
her best score. Such rounds should not be posted, as they are likely to
artificially increase a player’s handicap.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
