Handicaps - General
From 2nd November 2020, a new World Handicapping System has been adopted = WHS
It has two key aims: -
| 1. | To have a single, global handicapping system |
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| 2. | • To adjust the strokes received by a player on the difficulty of the course, not just their playing ability. |
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Under the new WHS the number that represents your ability on a course is known as your
It is calculated from the best 8 out of the last 20 qualifying scores submitted (see below). If you haven’t submitted 20 or more scores – then it will be calculated in accordance with the number of scores that have been submitted (between 3 – 19) as shown on the table below. It is, of course, beneficial to have 20 scores counting – as this is more likely to show a truer representation of your play.
• Obtaining a Handicap for the first time - Handicap Index
If you have not held a handicap before or it has been over 12 months since leaving your last club, you will need to submit cards played at SBM to obtain your initial Handicap Index.
Please note the following: -
| • It is the responsibility of the applicant to give full details of any previous golfing history by completing the attached Golfing History Proforma. This should be completed and returned to the Handicap Secretary before a handicap index is issued. Completed forms can be dropped into the card box by the handicap computer or e-mailed to sbmhandicaps@gmail.com |
| • A minimum of 54 holes (made up of any 9 or 18 hole rounds) are required to obtain a handicap index. The cards must be clearly marked "FOR HANDICAP INDEX", dated and played under competition rules and marked by a SBM member. White or yellow tees for men, blue may be used for juniors and red for ladies |
| • Cards must be submitted within a six-month period. The maximum handicap for any gender is 54 |
• Don’t forget - your handicap index will ideally be calculated from the average of your best 8 scores from your last 20 rounds. So, you are encouraged to submit score cards on a regular basis. Your index will be updated after you post a new score. The table below shows how your Handicap Index will be calculated before you reach the 20 round target. After 3 rounds your lowest round less 2 will be used, 4 rounds – lowest less 1 … and so on (see table)
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| • Adjustments to the score submitted In some cases it may be necessary to adjust the score put forward for one or more of the following reasons:
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• Once you have achieved 20 qualifying scores, your Handicap Index will be calculated using the best 8 scores within the 20. These are the last 20 scores played and will be on a rolling basis – with scores dropping off as new/latest scores replace them. The following table shows an example of how this will work:
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| • If you are a member of more than one club, you must nominate a home club, to ensure you only have one Handicap Index |
• Course handicap
To play a casual round at any golf course, you will need to calculate your Course Handicap for that course. This is a combination of your Handicap Index and the Slope Rating* for the course you are playing. This can be calculated by the:
Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Index / 113
However, these calculations have already been made for you on a Slope Rating Table (one for each combination of courses at Stock/Brook/Manor and are displayed in the changing shoe hut near reception – see example of Slope Rating Table below
An Application for iPhone/Android is available from England Golf (called MyEG) which will show you your current Handicap Index and also provide details of your Course Handicap for playing courses around the UK - recommended
*Slope Rating
Rating is a measure of the difficulty of a course and has been calculated based on a number of factors including the playing length of the course and the obstacles a player will encounter (e.g. size of green, number and place of bunkers, lakes, trees and other hazards). Each course has a Slope Rating between 55 and 155 – with 113 being the average. The higher the Slope Rating – the more strokes a player will need to play it.
For Stock/Brook – the Slope Rating is 122 (from the White tees), 120 (from the Yellow tees) and 129 (from the Red tees for Ladies)
• Playing Handicap (for Competitions ONLY)
One further element applies if you are playing in Competitions. It represents the number of strokes a player will receive when playing with or against others players in a Competition Round (dependant on the format of play) - this is for COMPETITION PURPOSES ONLY.
Course Handicap x Handicap Allowance = Playing Handicap
Here is a table showing the Handicap Allowances:
In an Individual strokeplay or stableford competition – an individual will only play off 95% of his/her Course Allowance – but in a Fourball stableford will play off 85% of his/her Course Allowance.
Your Handicap Index may be adjusted for the following reasons:
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1) Playing in qualifying competitions home or away – these scores may add to the “past 20” qualifying scores and could therefore adjust the “best 8” average
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2) Pre registering for a casual/recreational round – more detail provided below
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3. Complete the round and enter both on HDID (if you have access) and a physical SB golf card – get this signed by the marker
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4. The golf card must be marked ‘Casual or Recreational Round’ and placed in the appropriate box in the foyer
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5. Verification of the score and acceptance towards your Handicap Index will be made by the appropriate Handicap Secretary within 30 days
Please note:
Recreational Rounds should be played from near the plates of the course being played (i.e. Red/Yellow/White) and cannot be played from the Tee Mats
HowDidiDo - to sign in for a Casual/recreational Round:
For any further information regarding Handicaps at Stock Brook – please email SBMHandicaps@gmail.com
