Dear Golfer
This month, we share some detail of the upcoming changes to the HNA system, which are scheduled to go live on the 1st March.
These changes, form part of 2024 World Handicap System™ Rules of Handicapping.
From 1 March 2024, the HNA system will use an “expected score” formula to take nine-hole scores and convert them to an 18-hole adjusted gross score, and it will also be used for an 18-hole round, where holes were not completed.
How will the new formula work?
By using the data gathered from millions of scores, a scoring formula has been developed, by the World Handicap System technical team, to give a score which a player is expected to achieve over a specified number of holes on a course of standard difficulty.
The expected score is calculated by using the player’s Handicap Index®, and the formula attributes a numerical value against any hole or holes not played during a round.
How will incomplete rounds be treated?
Previously, when a player had only completed 10 to 13 holes, the system applied net pars plus one additional stroke to the completed holes to give an 18-hole adjusted gross score, and when between 14-17 holes were played before stopping, then par plus any handicap strokes were used for the remaining holes, in order to allow an 18-hole score to be posted.
To facilitate this change, when players complete between 10 and 17 holes, they are required to enter their scores for the holes they have played, by selecting the hole-by-hole option on the app or system, and then by selecting ‘not played’ for the holes not completed.
The system will then automatically calculate the expected scores for the holes that were not played, and post an 18-hole adjusted gross score to the players’ scoring records.
Phone App hole-by-hole score entry: By pressing repeatedly on the minus icon in the middle section showing the hole’s par, the system will bring up the ‘Not Played’ option for holes not completed. This can be repeated for the rest of the round’s unplayed holes.
9 Hole Score Entry
There is no change to how a 9-hole score is submitted on the system, so players should continue to follow the same steps, as they did previously, when recording a 9-hole score.
What are the benefits of this change?
The calculation of an expected score, for both 9-hole scores and any incomplete rounds, will now be more accurate and based on the player’s Handicap Index rather than on just par plus strokes. The change allows more flexibility in terms of posting scores, and generates a more accurate adjusted gross score.
An added benefit is that players will also see more equity and consistency, since the expected score is not course-specific, or reliant upon the course’s stroke index allocation.
Note: Net par is still available for limited use where practical, and at the discretion of the club’s handicap or competition committee, however where possible, the expected score should be used as the default position for holes not played, and hole by hole scores entered for the completed holes.
Quote of the Month
“Golf is a compromise between what your ego wants you to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do.” – Bruce Crampton
Swing easy!
The Handicaps Team
