Proposal

Handicapping

"How can I get my handicap down?" This is a regular question from players of all levels but particularly beginners and high handicappers. This note will try to simplify it for you.

PAR

Everyone understands par, it's the number of strokes it says on the card you should take on a particular course. It is usually around 72. However all courses are not equal, 72 on the Downshire would generally be considered easier than 72 at Wentworth West Course or St Andrews.

Getting your handicap down does not depend only on scoring less than par, it also depends on how difficult the course is and playing conditions on the day.

STANDARD SCRATCH SCORE

The Standard Scratch Score or SSS is the mechanism used to handle the relative difficulties of different courses. A course of 'average' difficulty with par 72 has a SSS of 72. You will see that Downshire with a par of 72 has an SSS of 71 off the white tees in Summer. What this tells you is that it is an easier course than average. A scratch player would be expected to go round in 71, not 72.

The Edinburgh course at Wentworth is an example of a much more difficult course. It has a par of 72 but an SSS of 74. If you go round there in 74 you are doing well.

COMPETITION STANDARD SCRATCH

Finally, there is the weather, or at least playing conditions on the day of a competition.

After every competition a Competition Standard Scratch or CSS is calculated based on the results. This may be different from the SSS. The logic is simple. If scores on the day are generally very good you can assume that playing conditions were good. In that case it would be unfair to cut a player's handicap too much as some of the success was probably down to conditions.

How the CSS is calculated is complicated. All you need to know is that the CSS may be in a range from SSS -1 to SSS + 3, that is 70 to 74 for Downshire. For most of our weekend competitions the CSS is 70.

So, to the bottom line, what do you need to do to go down or up?

HANDICAP ALTERATIONS

Handicaps are divided into 4 categories:
	Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4	5 or less 6 to 12 inclusive 13 to 20 inclusive 21 to 28 inclusive
The figures used to determine by how much a handicap is altered are shown in the table below:

Handicap Category	Playing handicap	Buffer zone	Above buffer zone	Below buffer zone
Handicap Category	Playing handicap	No change if within	Add	Subtract per stroke below
1	Up to 5	CSS to CSS +1	0.1	0.1
2	6 to 12	CSS to CSS +2	0.1	0.2
3	13 to 20	CSS to CSS +3	0.1	0.3
4	21 to 28	CSS to CSS +4	0.1	0.4

Your handicap will be reduced if your net score is under the CSS score. and will be increased generally if above your buffer zone. The buffer zones vary according to playing handicap.

Increases, if above the buffer zone, will always be by 0.1.

Reductions vary according to playing handicap, from 0.4 to 0.1 per shot below CSS. When a reduction brings a handicap from one category to a lower one, it is reduced at the rate for the higher until it has been brought into the lower category and the balance of the reduction is at the rate for the lower. The number of strokes net below CSS is called the Net Differential.

Examples:

A player on 25.6 returns a score with a net differential of 6, his Exact Handicap will become 22.2, that is

25.6 - (6 x 0.4) = 22.2.

A player on 21.0 returns a score with a net differential of 6, his Exact Handicap will become 19.0, that is

21.0 - (2 x 0.4) = 20.2

20.2 - (4 x 0.3) = 19.0

D-I-Y HANDICAP ADJUSTMENTS

It will sometimes happen that a player who knows that a handicap cut is certain will play in another competition before handicap adjustments from the previous competition have been published.

He is obliged to make such adjustments as are appropriate under the handicapping scheme by applying the CSS if known or the SSS otherwise to calculate his net differential and handicap reduction.

Should a player not know his exact handicap such reduction should be made from his playing handicap less 0.5.

Note: Only handicap reductions may be made in these circumstances.