Unified Handicapping -System in detail
Unified Handicapping -System in detail
2. Qualifying Scores - Clause 17
Dec.2(a) Competitions Extending Over More than One Round
Q. May a player who fails to return a score, or is disqualified, in an early round of a competition over more than one round, continue to play in some or all of the remaining rounds?
A. At the discretion of the organising Committee, unless prohibited from doing so by the conditions of the competition, a player may continue to play in subsequent rounds. He shall be regarded as competing in a Qualifying Competition and his score shall be included in the Competition Scratch Score calculation.
Dec.2(b) Status of Scores in Extended Competitions With Eclectic or Aggregate Awards
If, from a series of an unspecified number of scores, special prizes are awarded for the best eclectic score or the best nett or gross aggregate of a prescribed number of scores, the individual scores in the series will be Qualifying Scores provided each score is returned under Competition Play Conditions in a Qualifying Competition and not returned solely for the purpose of the eclectic, nett or gross aggregate awards.
Dec.2(c) Status of Incomplete Cards and 'No Returns'
a) All cards must be returned in Qualifying Competitions, whether complete or not.
b) It is expected that every player who enters an 18 hole Qualifying Competition intends to complete the round.
c) Since an incomplete card and a 'No Return' may have the effect of increasing a player's handicap, the club would be justified in refusing to accept a card or record a 'No Return' when the player has walked in after playing only a few holes.
d) Cards should not be issued to players when there is obviously insufficient light for them to complete the round.
e) Sympathetic consideration should be given to players who have had to discontinue play for any cause considered to be reasonable by the organising Committee.
f) Clauses 23 and 24 of the UHS give clubs the discretion to deal with players who persistently submit incomplete cards or make 'No Returns' if they consider they are attempting to 'build a handicap'.
Dec.2(d) Status of a Marker in a Qualifying Competition
Q. Can a person, other than a fellow competitor, appointed to act as a marker return a Qualifying Score for handicap purposes?
A. A person appointed by an organising Committee to act as a marker cannot return a Qualifying Score for handicap purposes and his score shall not be included in the Competition Scratch Score calculation.
Subject to the provisions of Clause 21 and with permission from the Committee in charge of the competition the marker may return a Supplementary Score.
Dec.2(e) Status of Scores Returned From Outside the Jurisdiction of CONGU®
Q1. A player returns a score(s) from a competition organised by a club affiliated to a handicapping authority other than CONGU®. Is it a Qualifying Score(s) for handicap purposes?
A1. Such scores should not be used directly to adjust handicaps. They may be recorded by the Handicap Committee and used in support of the Annual Review or General Play Adjustment.
Q2. A Category 1 player returns four scores from a prestigious National Championship organised by a handicapping authority other than CONGU® that would warrant a reduction in handicap. Should these scores be entered in the Player Handicap Record as Qualifying Scores?
A2. The scores should not be regarded as Qualifying Scores unless they are from a competition that has been approved by the player's Union as a Qualifying Competition for handicap purposes - see Clause 4.1(g) Such a competition should always have a Competition Scratch Score (or equivalent e.g. CSA) calculated.
Q3. A player spends five months in Portugal where he is a member of a club and he plays frequently in competitions regulated by the EGA Handicapping System. His CONGU® Exact Handicap when he left for Portugal was 13.7. On return he reported his EGA Exact Handicap was 12.4. Should a General Play Adjustment be applied to reduce his CONGU® Exact Handicap to 12.4?
A3. No, not directly. Because of differences in the operation of the two handicap systems, an EGA Exact Handicap is not directly comparable to a CONGU® Exact Handicap.
The player should be requested to return his current EGA Handicap Certificate to his Home Club. This will detail the player's EGA Exact Handicap and the Slope Rating from the competition tees at his Portuguese golf club. The following formula should be used to determine the 'Comparable Exact Handicap' that applies to his club golf in Portugal:
'Comparable Exact Handicap' = EGA Exact Handicap x (Slope Rating of Competition Course/113)
For example if the EGA Exact Handicap is 12.4 and the Slope Rating is 127, the 'Comparable Exact Handicap' is: 12.4 x (127/113) = 13.9.
A difference between the 'Comparable Exact Handicap' and the CONGU® Exact Handicap of within plus or minus 2.0 strokes is considered acceptable. A General Play Adjustment may be considered if the difference is more than 2.0 strokes above or below.
Q4. A player who resides in Spain in the months of winter and has an EGA Handicap, asks for an upward revision in his handicap on return as he states that he plays from a handicap two strokes higher than his CONGU® Handicap at his club in Spain. Should the club increase his handicap based on this information?
A4. No adjustment should be made solely on the evidence of EGA Course Handicap (equivalent to a CONGU® Playing Handicap). Course Handicaps in the EGA Handicapping System are adjusted to take account of differences between Par and the Course Rating as well as Slope. These adjustments can be up to three strokes different to the equivalent CONGU® Playing Handicap that would apply. The procedure for calculating the 'Comparable Exact Handicap' as outlined in A3 above should be used.
Q5. A Category 1 player attending a Golf Academy or on a University Golf Scholarship in the USA returns home and states that he has a USGA Handicap Index lower than his CONGU® Exact Handicap. Can his Home Club apply a General Play Adjustment to make his CONGU® Exact Handicap the same as his USGA Handicap Index?
A5. The possible adjustment of the handicap of such a player will be considered by the Union operating to agreed CONGU® guidelines. To facilitate a review of this nature it is essential that players in this situation return their full USGA Handicap Record and full scoring record from tournaments played during the period in question. All this information will be taken into account by the Union before a decision on any handicap adjustment is made. This is consistent with applying the audit procedure to Category 1 players who remain within the CONGU® Handicapping System.