CONGU - The Council of National Golf Unions

Unified Handicapping -System in detail

Unified Handicapping -System in detail

17. Qualifying Scores / Qualifying Competitions

Although a club Committee or Handicapping Authority has the right to deprive certain competitions of their status as Qualifying Competitions this discretion should not be abused. It is considered to be outside the spirit and intent of the UHS to deliberately adjust the terms and conditions of a competition so that it is technically Non Qualifying. Examples of situations used to circumvent and abuse the handicapping rules are:


17.1   Scores to be recorded on a Player Handicap Record sheet are:

  1. (a) Qualifying Scores as defined including Supplementary Scores and Nine-Hole Scores returned in compliance with Clauses 21 and 22 respectively - see also Clause 17.2(e).
  2. (b) Nett Differentials returned in any abandoned round of a Qualifying Competition. In such circumstances the Competition Scratch Score is equal to the Standard Scratch Score and handicaps are not increased – see Clause 18.6.
  3. (c) Disqualified Scores in Qualifying Competitions – see Appendix P for interpretation of acceptable and unacceptable scores.
  4. (d) Scores returned in a Qualifying Competition played over 9 or 18 holes on a course reduced in length under the provisions of Clause 13.
  5. (e) Scores returned in a Qualifying Competition played over a Measured Course when Local Rules are in operation for Preferred Lies (as permitted by Clause 15) or for any other purpose, provided the rules are in compliance with Appendix 1 of the Rules of Golf or associated guidance notes or have been approved by the R&A Rules Limited.
  6. (f) Scores returned in a competition over no more than two days (which need not be consecutive) and in which only one return is permitted.
  7. (g) Scores returned in a competition extended over three or more days solely to accommodate the number of players entered.

Note 1: Qualifying Scores returned in Par/Bogey and Stableford competitions shall be converted into Nett Differentials by using the Table in Appendix D.

Note 2: For handicap adjustment and record purposes the entry of an incorrect score on any hole or an incorrect handicap shall be corrected – see Appendix P regarding Disqualified Scores.


17.2   The following returns are not acceptable as Qualifying Scores:

  1. (a) Scores returned in any better ball four-ball competition.
  2. (b) Scores returned in competitions over other than 9 or 18 holes.
  3. (c) Scores returned in any competition in which the form of play is not covered by the Rules of Golf and authorised Local Rules.
  4. (d) Scores returned in any form of competition in which competitors play in partnership with another competitor in the same playing group.
  5. (e) Scores returned in a competition played with less than full handicap allowance unless scores are recorded with full handicap applied and a Competition Scratch Score calculated – see definition of a Qualifying Competition.
  6. (f) Scores returned in an event run by any organisation, for example a Society, which is not a Handicapping Authority unless the event has been previously approved by a Union as a Qualifying Competition – see Clause 4.1(g).


17.3   The declaration that a competition is a Non Qualifying Competition disqualifies all scores returned in that competition being used directly for handicap purposes. Thus a player returning a score below his handicap will not have his Exact Handicap reduced nor will a score above the Buffer Zone increase his Exact Handicap. Performance in Non Qualifying Competitions is only one of a number of factors to be considered in the Annual Review of Members' handicaps.

Decisions Relevant to Clause 17

Qualifying Competitions

1(a) Status of a Competition When the Use of Fairway Mats Is Obligatory

1(b) Status of a Competition When Artificially Surfaced Tees Are in Operation

1(c) Status of a Competition When a Local Rule Allowing Relief from a Plugged Ball 'Through the Green' Is in Operation

1(d) Status of a Competition When Competitors Are Required to Lift a Ball from the Fairway and Place in Semi-Rough

1(e) Status of a Competition When Bunkers Are Undergoing Renovation

1(f) Status of a Competition When Green Staff Have Carried Out Maintenance Work During the Course of a Competition

1(g) Status of a Competition in Which Shotgun Starts Are Employed or Competitors Are Authorised By the Committee to Start Other Than at the First Tee

1(h) Status of a Play-off

1(i) Handicap to Be Used in Event of a Member Holding a Handicap From More Than One Handicapping Authority

1(j) Limitation of Handicaps in Qualifying Competitions

1(k) Status of a Competition When a Local Rule Permitting the Use of Electronic Distance Measuring Devices Is in Operation

1(l) Status of Aggregate Competitions

1(m) Competition Conditions That Apply Solely to the UHS

1(n) Failure to Comply With a Competition Condition Requiring Entry by Applying a Swipe Card to a Computer Terminal

1(o) Failure to Report 'Away' Scores Affecting Handicap

1(p) Failure to Return a Scorecard on Completion of Round Causing Inconvenience to Handicap Committee

 

Qualifying Scores 2(a)

Competitions Extending Over More than One Round

2(b) Status of Scores in Extended Competitions with Eclectic or Aggregate Awards

2(c) Status of Incomplete Cards and No Returns

2(d) Status of a Marker in a Qualifying Competition

2(e) Status of Scores Returned from Outside the Jurisdiction of CONGU®

 

17/1   'Reduction Only' Competitions

Q. Are there any circumstances under which a club can run Stroke Play, Par/Bogey or Stableford competitions where handicaps can be reduced but not increased?

A. A club does not have the authority to run competitions in which handicaps can be reduced but not increased. When a competition is declared Non Qualifying handicaps can neither be reduced nor increased. There are only two situations within the UHS when handicaps can be reduced but not increased. These are:

17/2   Handicap Adjustment in Par/Bogey Competition Is Less than in Stroke Play Equivalent

Q. A Category 1 player competing in a Par/Bogey Competition finished one up on a course where the SSS, CSS and Par were the same. His nett score, had Stroke Play conditions prevailed, would have been three strokes below the CSS. By how much should his handicap be reduced?

A. The Table in Appendix D is used to convert Par/Bogey and Stableford Scores to Nett Differentials. In the above situation 1 up converted to a Nett Differential of -1 resulting in an Exact Handicap reduction of 0.1 of a stroke. The Stroke Play score is not relevant.

17.3/1   Adjustment of Handicaps in Non Qualifying Competitions

Q. The Handicap Committee in our club has taken the decision to make competitions Non Qualifying for the duration of the 'Preferred Lie' period. Resulting from this decision a number of competitors who played below the course SSS in such competitions are seeking a reduction in their Exact Handicap. Is this permitted?

A. It is a fundamental tenet of the UHS that handicap adjustments can only be applied in Qualifying Competitions when handicaps are adjusted, upwards and downwards as appropriate, in relation to the CSS. To create a situation where handicaps can only be reduced, would distort the balance on which the system is based. To reduce the handicaps of those players scoring below the SSS in Non Qualifying Competitions is considered to be an unacceptable abuse of the system. To permit the UHS to operate as intended, all competitions should be run, whenever possible, as Qualifying Competitions. A number of dispensations for winter play have been granted by CONGU® to encourage this, including preferred lies and use of artificial mats.

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