Do you know which is correct and what online site might
confirm it?
Thank you kindly.
Lou
Dear Lou,
A player whose Course Handicap is 9 or less may not post
higher than a double bogey. You can verify this information by viewing The USGA Handicap System on the USGA
website: http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Handicap-Manual/
Click on Section 4 (Adjusting Hole Scores) on the far left,
and then scroll down the middle section to 4-3 (Equitable Stroke Control).
I wrote a column in January of 2011 (Ask Linda #276) in
which I explained Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). I am reprinting below a
section of that column that will help you understand ESC.
Equitable Stroke
Control
Before posting a score
for your handicap record, a player must review his scorecard and apply ESC.
This means that if he has scored higher than the maximum score his Course
Handicap (CH) permits on any given hole, he must subtract those strokes from
the score he posts. For example, if a player with a CH of 12 scores a 9 on one
hole, he must subtract 2 strokes from his total score before posting it. This
is because his maximum ESC score is 7. If this same player scores 9 on three
different holes, he must subtract 6 strokes from his total before posting.
Here is a quick ESC
review:
If your CH is 9 or
less, the maximum score you may post for any given hole is double bogey.
If your CH is 10-19,
your maximum is 7.
If your CH is 20-29,
your maximum is 8.
If your CH is 30-39,
your maximum is 9
If your CH is 40 or
more, your maximum is 10.
Please remember that
if you are playing in a tournament and you shoot 92, you will turn in a score
of 92 for the tournament. When you post that score in your handicap record, you
will then apply the ESC adjustments to any holes where you exceeded your
maximum score. So if your CH at the tournament was 15, and you scored 8 on
three holes, your tournament score would still be 92, but the score you post in
your handicap record would be 89, since the maximum score you are permitted to
post is 7.
Linda
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