Competition Playing Handicap
To ensure that handicap competitions are fair to all those who participate, GolfRSA has decided to implement Rule 6.2a/Appendix C as the final phase of the implementation of the World Handicap System Rules of Handicapping.
As such, all club competitions will be played using the Competition Handicap Allowance and Competition Playing Handicap from 1 March 2021.
Reason for the change
With the change to the World Handicap System, there were two changes that affected your Handicap Index.
The first was the move to the best 8 out of the previous 20 scores when calculating your Handicap Index, from the previous best 10 of the last 20.
Secondly, the change from a maximum score per hole of 2 over par (unless you had two strokes on a hole, in which case you could enter a 3 over par) to Net Double Bogey (zero Stableford points).
The 2 over was incorrect because it failed to take into account handicap strokes on a hole, and it meant people could pick up despite still having a single Stableford point.
Net Double Bogey has been in use in the UK, Europe and Australia, and was agreed to by all the countries participating in the World Handicap System decisions.
The above changes have caused some handicaps to move more than others, so GolfRSA has decided to follow the World Handicap System recommendation of using Competition Allowances to ensure all players have an equal opportunity of winning.
Competition Handicap Allowances
We are sure that most of you are aware that many current provincial or regional handicap competitions are played off, say, 80% or 90% of Course Handicaps.
The World Handicap Technical Committee investigated millions of competition scores for different formats of play and came up with a statistically determined recommended adjustment to Course Handicaps, which is designed to make competitions fair to all participants. This gives everyone, no matter what their Course Handicap is, an equal chance of winning a club or other competition.
So, for example, in a betterball competition, it does not matter if two low handicappers play together or two high handicappers play together, or if a low and high handicapper play together – they will all have a fair chance to win if they play well or combine well.
So, how do we implement this Competition Handicap Allowance to give the players a Competition Playing Handicap for the specific competition?
The free HNA App has an option at the bottom of the Course Handicap section that says “Apply Allowance”. From here, simply select the percentage that the Club has advised you is applicable to the day’s competition.
The App will then provide you with a Course Handicap and a Competition Playing Handicap. The Competition Playing Handicap would be used to calculate your score for the club competition.
The Competition Playing Handicap can also be looked up in the same way on the club’s handicap terminal – and many clubs will also be able to print out your Competition Playing Handicap for the competition on your payment receipt. Additionally, Competition Playing Handicap Conversion Tables are available at the club as a quick look-up table.
When you enter your score for handicap purposes, you do it the same way as you have done for the past year by using your Course Handicap. The Competition Playing Handicap is only used for your competition score.
If you have any doubts about what score to enter on the HNA Handicap System, you can just enter your gross score per hole and press Enter Score – the system will automatically adjust your score for Net Double Bogey using your Course Handicap and calculate your Score Differential. This can be done on the App, the terminal or on the website.
Filling in your scorecard
If you are filling in a scorecard for the competition, you need to write down both your Course Handicap and your Competition Playing Handicap in the Handicap section. However, you will only use your Competition Playing Handicap to calculate your competition score.
In competition formats not covered by the table below, the Competition Committee can decide on their own percentage – or decide not to apply one.
In summary, there is no change to how you enter your handicap score, and the percentage adjustment for the Club Competition will be advised to you by the club. You can enter the Competition Handicap Allowance percentage on the HNA App or the club terminal to obtain your Competition Playing Handicap for that competition.
Although I agree with the principle, why change the individual handicap. I understand betterball etc but singles makes no sense. If I read it correct the only time you actually play off your so called handicap is when playing alliance with 3 or 4 scores to count.
The biggest problem is the 3 overs where a person strokes, this has increased the handicaps which lends to higher points etc being scored so 50 points in betterball stableford becomes the norm.
Why why if you are n low handicapper. That is your handicap play off it. Don’t reduce someone els handicap to accommodate low handicappers
The competition HC sounds like a good idea. What I am not clear about is the scoring for the competition and for Handicap purposes.
So am I correct in saying that one will not be able to use the HNA app for scoring the competition? As the default HC for scoring is your course handicap? Unless when one opens a round with the with the applicable Apply Allowance selected, the competition handicap will be used. This is not clear in the article.
Hi Dharmesh. Due to some unforeseen setbacks, our developers have unfortunately not yet incorporated playing allowances into the Events section. This will be done soon, after which you will be able to use it for both competition- and handicap purposes.
I agree with the comment about the 3 over rule, and in some cases it is 4 over. The way things are going soon some players will be playing off a 54 handicap and if they don’t score they enter a 5 over par on some holes.
I agree with the principle of having different handicaps for different type of competitions.
A much more simple system would have been:
Individual and combined competitions 100% of course handicaps
Betterball competitions 75% of course handicaps
Scramble or scramble drives 50% of couse handicaps.
These changes would have achieved the same as the complicated proposed system and would have caused much less confusion.
What a load of rubbish. You now have three handicaps. All rule changes recently have been made to make the rules simple this just makes it more difficult. Clubs now have to discard all their unused scorecards. Your handicap is your handicap not some % of it. In a democratic world were golfers consulted about this?
Hi Paddy. While it would be ideal to have one handicap for all situations and formats, it can’t be achieved without also frustrating the primary objective of handicaps—equitable competitions between players of varying ability. Would it make sense to give runners of varying ability the same handicap regardless of the length of the race?
Only clubs were consulted about this particular change.
Finally some sense. Hopefully this will reduce this incessant Betterball and Alliance competitions. If you want to actually play of your handicap, it will be Medal (100%), IPS (95%) and if you must, alliance 3 and 4 to count.
When did golf become a team sport as a rule and an individual sport on special occasions?
I have no problem with the new dual handicap but I do foresee major problems with players entering the incorrect gross score for their handicaps. Please correct me if I am wrong but this is how I see it working.
The holes that have been “lost” due to handicap reduction are the holes that need to be checked after your game. especially if a player has blacked out on any of these holes. one can pick up and take a 6 for 0 on the competition handicap but this might have in fact been a 7 for 0 if they had putted out all the way. so in this case add 1 shot onto your gross. If a person par’s all the ‘lost’ holes, then there is no adjustment needed for handicap score. In this case your gross remains unchanged for the handicap score.
As stated in the newsletter, a player must refer to the nett double bogey if they want to add shots onto the competition gross.
Am I correct or not?
Hi Mike, it would be a good idea for players to only pick up their balls once their Course Handicap strokes have run out—regardless of their Playing Handicap. They will always have more of these than Playing Handicap strokes, and it’s much easier to adjust scores downwards than upwards.
I am 14 (course handicap) but when playing betterball I am a 12 (playing handicap)at 85%,no problem. My query is can I take 3 over par on strokes 13 & 14 when playing betterball as a 12 handicap.
Hi Malcolm, for handicap purposes (where your Course Handicap is relevant) you can take 3-over. For competition purposes (where your Playing Handicap is relevant), you can only go 2-over. So, say you make an 11 on the par four stroke 13, then you’d take 3-over for handicap purposes and 2-over for the competition.
This doesn’t make sense, would still be 2 over par max score as you don’t double stroke on that hole, you would only lose out on that point ie 6/0 instead of 6/1
Hi Francois, off a Course Handicap of 14, he would have a single stroke on the stroke 13 and 14, meaning his maximum score would be three over par. Off his Playing Handicap (12), he doesn’t have any strokes on those two holes, so his max would be two over par.
Is it compulsory to utilize the handicap allowance system?
Having experienced clubs that do not utilize the system as they say it’s optional and having heard that many clubs do not use the system?
Hi Eddie, it’s compulsory in all official club competitions.