By Kelly Neely, Sr. Dir., Handicapping & Course Rating
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The Other 75 Percent – Part I

In last month’s edition of Handicap Hub, much like an unwilling victim you were forced to learn that around 25 percent of the World Handicap System is made up of formulas and some even have “hidden figures.” Yes, math (and covert math) was discussed yet again.

As you might have already guessed, my approach to handicapping is NOT like a teenager would treat his parents – “don’t tell them anything they don’t need to know.” Quite the opposite. I tend to be one of those stubborn people (I’m a Scot, after all) who will explain handicapping subjects many times in many ways, tossing clarifications to the wall hoping they will stick like spaghetti. Side Note: Is that even remotely a valid way to test pasta?

Since I received zero disparaging comments after last month’s article (which could also mean that literally no one read it) I’m going to forge on and give you The Other 75 Percent – Part I.

There have been countless entities over decades who have wrongly assumed that to produce a Handicap Index you just needed formulas and a calculator. And if we’re going way back in time when Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth, a slide rule. For those who aren’t old enough to know what a slide rule is, please humor us old folks and Google it (while you’re researching math antiquities, you might as well look up “abacus”).

While the old USGA Handicap System formulas were easy to pilfer and you could merrily crunch your own numbers, at the end of the day this was only a fraction of the picture needed to make assumptions about a golfer’s handicap. Even as time wore on and sophisticated computer systems were developed to lend automation (GHIN – Golf Handicap Information Network – was born in 1981), there was still something quite significant behind the numbers.

The human element.

Ah, here’s the 75 percent; the rest of the story. It’s the golfer, the golfers’ peers, the Club Handicap Committee, administrators at golf associations like the OGA, and the USGA (and R&A) that make the wheels turn. Let’s break down what roles all the stakeholders play, and start with the Most Important Human.

The Golfer –

There happens to be a lot of responsibility on the golfer when it comes to handicapping. Contrary to popular belief, the golfer doesn’t passively post a few scores and wait for their new handicap to magically appear. Much like your golf skill (or lack thereof) is solely on you, there is a lineup of essential expectations for the golfer. Yes, a bona fide list exists in the Rules of Handicapping, and here are highlights.

The player must agree to:

• Act with integrity by following the Rules of Handicapping and to refrain from using or circumventing the Rules of Handicapping for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage.
  
  The fact that this very strong, forthright statement is written into the ROH for the first time feels profound and overdue – at least to an administrator like me who has been around a while. The golfer’s integrity is at the very core of the game of golf, and is downright imperative to handicapping, where even a hint of manipulation can cast a dubious light on a Handicap Index. When a golfer signs up for a handicap, they are in essence putting an invisible signature to an invisible contract. While at times it may go unsaid, they are giving their word that they will uphold the Rules of Handicapping. A handicap becomes the golfer’s calling card to their club and others, so it must tell the real story.
  
  While this might be a bad analogy, it won’t be the first time I’ve made one so here goes: Your car belongs to you. You own it, you maintain it. But once you take your car out of the garage, you will affect other drivers. That’s why there are rules of the road. It’s the same with your Handicap Index. Please make sure it’s not a Monster Truck.
   
• Have only one Handicap Index from a single scoring record, which is managed by the player’s home club in accordance with the Rules of Handicapping.
  
  You can’t have one record in Oregon and a different one in Arizona. Just one per person, please. There might be a few reasons for multiple records. Sometimes, it’s an innocent mistake – you join a different club than last season and they unknowingly add you in with a new GHIN number. Because your old number isn’t seared into your brain, you don’t pay much attention and start posting scores. Suddenly, you discover your Index has plummeted. I get a lot of calls of “My handicap is wrong” (actually, this is the No. 1 question I get. Note that it is more of a statement). This is followed by “Where the heck did my previous scoring record go?” The solution to this dilemma is for the OGA to merge the two records into one. Problem solved.
  
  Another reason for two handicap records might be a bit more nefarious. One record might be full and compete. The other might be creatively manufactured to use in competitions where throwing the wool over unwitting competitors’ eyes seems like a good idea. Luckily, this Very Bad Idea is a rare occurrence.
  
  Another rare occurrence but one that happens nonetheless? Carrying one Handicap Index made up of scores while using your left hand, and another full of right-handed scores. Unless you are perfectly ambidextrous, these two handicaps are going to be very different and might cast questions your way. The Rules of Handicapping say to Just. Pick. One.
   
• Ensure that, prior to playing a round in an authorized format of play, they:
   
  • Know their current Handicap Index (this is why it’s ideal to have the GHIN mobile app and check it often for updates. In fact, check it the day after you post a score),
  • Inform the Handicap Committee or the Committee in charge of the competition of any discrepancies with their Handicap Index and provide details any outstanding scores to be posted to their scoring record (it’s the player’s responsibility to keep their Index accurate and up-to-date. If you notice any errors in your record, only your Handicap Chair can correct them),
  • Know the holes where handicap strokes are to be given or received (you can find rankings of handicap holes – called SIA – under GHIN hole-by-hole posting when you pick your course / tee. Note that h-by-h will also denote the correct par of each hole. Both SIA and par in GHIN, though correct, may not match a facility scorecard. This information also allows the player to gauge their maximum hole score so Net Double Bogey adjustments can be made correctly if their score goes over that number).
     
• Attempt to make the best score possible at each hole.
  
  The intention of the player is no small thing in handicapping. The assumption of the ROH is that the player will always try their best during every round. This is true whether they are playing in the Club Championship where bragging rights and hardware is at stake, or out for a fun round with friends where the winner buys the frosty adult beverages. You can’t slog around all week then turn on the afterburners on Saturday when there is “more on the line.” This might be how some approach their game, but just know that the Rules of Handicapping does not contemplate this type of player.
   
• Ensure all acceptable scores are submitted for handicap purposes, including scores from outside the player’s home jurisdiction. Acceptable scores should be submitted:
   
  • Before midnight on the day of play (it has never been more important to get your scores in right after you play due to nightly updates and so the PCC - Playing Conditions Calculation – has a chance to trigger if necessary)
  • In the correct chronological order (though GHIN will put your scores in the right order, even if forget to post on the day of play and must backdate the score) 
    
    Please be sure to post any scores made while you are enjoying the Palm Springs sunshine during our off season. Trust me, your peers stuck in the Northwest winter rain will be scouring your record, searching for them.
     
• Submit acceptable scores to provide reasonable evidence of their demonstrated ability.
  
  While there are certainly scores that are not acceptable to a Handicap Index (scrambles, scores made while playing alone, from a 3-club tournament, etc.), its easiest to assume that the round you just played needs to be posted. In order for the system to sift out the correct Handicap Index for the player, it needs a heck of a lot of data. Sure, this data must have accurate hole score adjustments made to the scores, and you must choose the correct tee / Course Rating, but more important is your attitude. Instead of picking apart why you wouldn’t post that score (it’s too high, it’s too low, I’m embarrassed, I got mad, it was ugly – okay, I’ll stop because this could go on and on), just hit the Post Score button. If you need to avert your eyes, so be it.
   
• Certify the scores of fellow players.
  
  In a word – well, two – this means Peer Review; which has always been a mainstay of handicapping. Though this topic deserves more examination which I will provide next time, the definition of a Peer, in part, is someone who has knowledge of the player’s demonstrated ability and can reasonably verify or challenge the Handicap Index issued to the player. Remember my questionable car analogy? Your Handicap Index belongs to you, but it also belongs to every other member of your club. And theirs in turn belong to you. Peer Review must be actively promoted in the daily life of a golf club. And not just after the tournament is over (I’d mention that’s like “closing the barn door after the horse has bolted” but that would be relying on another flimsy analogy).
   
• “Play by the Rules of Golf”
  
  Enough said.
   

Literally, enough said. Next time, I will cover the Other Important Humans involved that make the wheels of handicapping turn.