Hi Linda-
In our ladies group it is the players responsibility to post
their scores after each round into the GHIN, and we have no "handicap
chair" to verify that scores are being posted properly.
One of our players has been playing on a handicap of 22 and
has won much more than her fair share through the summer. There were a number
of players grumbling about her handicap because she scores normally low
eighties to mid nineties. A number of us asked the player directly if she has
been posting all her scores, and she firmly stated she had been. Since I run
the ringers for the club, I had most of the score cards for the past 8 weeks. I
reviewed her scores and found that in this 8 week period alone, she had not
posted scores of 83, 84 ,88 and 89, but she had posted all her higher scores
over 90 and just one score of 87 since January eight months ago.
When I brought it to the attention of the vice president of
the league, she then discussed it with other players, and of course, it became
a bone of contention. Some of the player's friends said I was underhanded and I
had no right to review her scores in the GHIN handicap system. I maintained that
the handicap system is an open book for anyone to review player's posted scores
at any time, for this exact reason. Tell me, is that correct?
What is the proper procedure to dispute a player's handicap
who is not posting their low scores and only their high scores? Is there a way
to resolve or to DQ past wins by a player who is playing on an invalid
handicap?
This has caused quite a lot of hard feelings and I'm sure
that we are not the first club to experience this same exact debacle….
I read your blog every day and I very much enjoy learning
about the rules and etiquette of golf.
Regards-
Lulu from Florida
Dear Lulu,
One of the basic premises that underlie the USGA handicap
system is that “the player will post every acceptable round for peer review” (The USGA Handicap System, Rule 1-1). Players
who do not post all of their acceptable rounds, for whatever reason, are
cheaters, plain and simple. Players who discover cheaters by reviewing their
scores are not “underhanded” – they are to be commended for assuming a
responsibility that all players share to try to keep the game honest. Scoring
records are not meant to be private. They are, as you say, an “open book,” and
are meant to be available for peer review.
You had every right to compare this player’s scores to her
handicap record, and the obligation to report your discovery of a blatant
failure to post to a higher authority (the vice-president of the league, in
your case). Players who criticize you for your actions simply do not understand
the handicap system.
The proper way to dispute the accuracy of a player’s
handicap is to do exactly what you did, i.e., submit the evidence to the
officers in your league. Since your league does not have a designated Handicap
Committee, the officers should assume that responsibility. The Handicap
Committee has three options when a player has not posted a round:
1. Post the actual score made by the player;
2. Post a penalty score equal to the lowest/highest Handicap
Differential in the scoring record;
3. Post the actual score and a penalty score.
[The USGA Handicap
System, Rule 8-4b]
The Handicap Committee also has the authority to adjust or
even withdraw a player’s Handicap Index if it discovers a player is
manipulating her scores.
Here is how I would recommend your officers deal with this
cheater:
1. Post all the scores she omitted from her record.
2. Meet with the player, show her the evidence, and warn her
that the next time she fails to post a score she will no longer be welcome in
the league.
As you may have gathered, handicap cheaters are among my least
favorite people. No one should tolerate cheaters.
Linda
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