Scratch golfer: what does it really mean to be a scratch golfer?

Bogey golfer, good. Scratch golfer, better. Sub-par golfer, best. Most golfers, statistically, are outside these three categories. A scratch golfer needs no strokes to score the Course Rating on any course. That’s basically it.

In its Handicap System Manual the USGA defines a scratch golfer as follows:

A “scratch golfer” is a player who can play to a Course Handicap of zero on any and all rated golf courses. A male scratch golfer, for rating purposes, can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level. A female scratch golfer, for rating purposes, can hit tee shots an average of 210 yards and can reach a 400-yard hole in two shots at sea level.

Mathematically, then, when you apply the following formula to a scratch golfer, the resulting Course Handicap would be zero:

Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating/113) = 0

Since the highest Slope Rating is 155 (difficult) and lowest is 55 (easier), mathematically a scratch golfer’s Index will fall between +0.3 (think -0.3) and 0.3 in order for the above formula to always produce a zero Course Handicap when you round to whole numbers. When someone has an Index better (lower) than zero, a “+” symbol is used (you have to “add” strokes to arrive at the Course Rating).

A related topic, the USGA’s Course Rating is defined using the playing ability of a scratch golfer:

A “USGA Course Rating” is the USGA’s mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal course and weather conditions. It is expressed as strokes taken to one decimal place, and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring ability of a scratch golfer.

If you play in a “net” event which takes your handicap into account, you receive the number of strokes you require to play to the level of a scratch golfer. Said a different way, you receive (or give) the number of strokes required to play to the Course Rating for that course and set of tees.

Seems like a simple enough phrase, but “scratch golfer” can scratch up a whole lot of confusion!

Golf Australia not adopting USGA Handicap System, but adapting some aspects

Back in May of 2009 Golf Australia announced that it would adopt the USGA Handicapping System. In the intervening three years, though, they have backed away from the wholesale adoption of the USGA method. In the fall of 2011, Golf Australia outlined their complete revamping of the system to be used in Australia. Some aspects have been implemented as of this blog post and some are pending. By the end of 2013, all aspects are to be in place.

Here is a summary of what has been implemented already:

average the best 8 differentials out of the most recent 20 scores and multiply by 93%
an “Anchor” will be set where the GA Handicap (like Index) cannot move more than 4 higher than their lowest in the last 12 months
handicaps immediately update upon posting new score
no lapsed handicaps (you don’t have to have a minimum of scores in the current calendar year anymore)

The items yet to be implemented in the Golf Australia Handicap System are as follows:

Daily Scratch Rating (DSR) is comparable to the USGA’s Course Handicap which is a rating for a specific set of tees on a specific course. However, the DSR takes into account other scores posted that day on the same course and set of tees to arrive at the rating de jour
Slope Rating which measures the difficulty of a course and assigns a number between 55 (easy) to 155 (difficult) with 113 being neutral. This is very similar to the USGA Slope Rating.
Stableford Handicapping Adjustment (SHA) – this serves somewhat like the USGA’s Equitable Stroke Control to mitigate the effect of high hole scores
Handicapping of Conforming Social Scores – Firstly, the player’s home club must have chosen to allow the use of social scores; and secondly, the player must have nominated prior to starting a round that it is to count for handicap purposes.
How to handle 9-hole and incomplete rounds
Handicapping of four ball scores

For more details please see the “complete revamping” link above.

Golf pairings – make the task of pairing golfers easy

Golf pairings for professional tournaments such as the Masters, as opposed to local club tournaments and leagues, serve very different needs, but have some similarities. For the first two rounds of the Masters, for instance, it is totally up to the powers-that-be to pair the golfers. They may take into consideration the television audience, crowd control, the golfers’ star power. The last two rounds, of course, are based on scores from the first two rounds.

With club tournaments, of course, there are no likely concerns about television, crowds, star power, etc. In a multi-round tournament, previous round scores may come into play for later-round pairings. A common concern for club level leagues and tournaments is to make sure golfers play with as many different players as possible. For a group taking a golf trip, they typically want to make sure everyone plays with everyone else. Depending on the number of players and the number of rounds to be played, trying to make sure everyone plays with everyone else with a minimum of repeats can send smoke rising out of the best of computers. For a mere human brain attempting to arrange or pair the players, the result can be lots of hair pulling.

Luckily there are solutions for both planning tournament pairings and creating the pairings for a golf league. In a tournament the goal might be to make sure that different players are placed into foursomes over a course of a number of round. In a league the goal would be to make sure individuals or teams are matched against different opponents for each weekly event as much as possible. The ideal – never playing the same person or team – is, of course, sometimes not achievable. It’s a mathematical problem for which the ideal solution depends on the number of individuals or teams as well as the number of events.

Our League Manager and Tournament Manager have a very similar “engine” for creating unique pairings (where mathematically possible). The following is a screenshot of the feature of the programs. In the example there are 24 teams (could be players) and 23 events. Teams are numbered horizontally at the top as well as vertically at the left. The black boxes indicate that the team (or player) cannot play against itself.

golf pairings calculator

Golf leagues: how to start and run your golf league

Golf leagues run the gamut. One league might be highly competitive while another is casual and concentrating on fellowship and fun. A league might have mostly players in their 30′s and 40′s or have a whole range of ages. There are men’s leagues, women’s leagues and mixed leagues. Some leagues will have beginners and others will have highly skilled golfers while others will have a mix. What’s your league like?

If you’re puzzled about how to start or run your golf league, our 22-minute video, How Best to Run a Golf League, might be just what you need. The video will help you…

determine your league type
games or playing format recommended for each league type
a case study
handling seasonal challenges encountered by leagues (golfer absences, incomplete rounds, change in number of players / teams, rain-outs)

The video will help you figure out what kind of league you have using the League Quadrant tool. The League Quadrant tool helps you decide if your league is a high or low competition league. Additionally the tool will help you conclude whether your league is a high or low diversity league in terms of skill levels. Determining your golf league’s type leads you to the next step of deciding which golfing play formats most appropriately fit your league type.

Play formats include team-based individual match play, team match play, Stableford, best ball, skins and more. In addition to solving a problem through the case study, the video will walk you through solutions for some of the challenges leagues face during their season.

Find our video at How Best to Run a Golf League, and fine-tune your league.

Online Golf Group Manager service from GolfSoftware.com

What if you could streamline and take some of the hassle out of managing your golf group whether it be a league, traveling group, local tournament group, company group or any other golf group? Make managing a golf group of 20 or 2,000 (or larger!) easier on yourself.

What are some of your hassles as a manager of a golf group (Please name hassles you face by commenting on this post. We may be able to add features to lessen those as well.)?

manually inputting and maintaining member information
collecting dues from members
communicating with the group
lack of an easy way for members to access needed documents
being the conduit for member-to-member contact

Golf Group Manager gives you the online tools to…

Host a member area with password protected login (each member has unique password). This means your golf group can carry on its business securely and privately behind a login screen.
Create a membership database with information (addresses, phone numbers, etc.) added by members and/or administrators. This means less work for the administrator(s) as the membership can do much of the data entry for their contact information and update it.

Golf Group Manager

Communicate via email – or messaging within the online group area. This means the administrator has a central console from which to contact members either by email or messaging and members can do the same.
Collect membership dues. This means administrator’s time collecting fees is minimized and streamlined.
Store documents which members can access (registration forms, newsletters, special event fliers, etc.). This means you can store and make documents available to your members online in a secure way.
Create a member forum where members can carry on online conversations. This means you have a safe and secure forum that cannot be found by anyone except your members who log in to gain access.
Allow membership to find substitutes or playing partners. This means that the burden of substitutions can be shifted to players as well as giving players the means to find contact information and communicating with other group members to create foursomes for a golf outing.
Export information to various file types. This means that your information can be exported for creating a report or for importing into other programs such as GolfSoftware.com’s League Manager, Tournament Manager and Handicap Systems.

Golf Group Manager…bringing you all these tools and benefits to make running and managing your golf group easier…at a price any group can afford!

Golf Group Manager is coming soon…

Post golf scores online from your club house with Easy Entry!

Golfers have just walked off the course having had a great round – or, ugh, a horrible round. Give them the means in your club house to post their golf scores online with Easy Entry. It will give them immediate feedback on their projected Index and course handicap(s) based on their newest score posting.

How could Easy Entry benefit your golf course operations?

boost traffic – giving golfers the opportunity to post golf scores draws traffic to strategic areas of your club house
simple – touch screen (or standard) makes posting golf scores a breeze
convenience – multiple score posting locations provide convenience and eliminate waiting
free up staff – players posting scores lifts the burden off club house staff
easy access – players can view scoring history and course handicaps
printing – players can print handicap cards

Easy Entry integrates with our Handicap System Web Edition to track and calculate USGA, RCGA or custom handicaps. Players can post scores with any Internet access.

Calculating handicap in golf? Try our free golf handicap calculator

Wondering what your actual golf handicap would be? Your answer is a few keystrokes away with our new free golf handicap calculator. Just enter as few as 5, or up to 20 of your most recent 18-hole scores. The calculator will do the rest.

Did you know that there are two numbers that are often called by the name “handicap”? One is portable, meaning you could go to any course and the number would remain the same. The second is not portable and it is dependent on the course and set of tees that you play. The first number is what the USGA calls an Index (in Canada it is your “Factor”). Our calculator spits out your Index for 18 holes based on your most recent scores on courses of 3,000 yards or longer. Once you calculate your Index, you can then calculate the second number which is called a Course Handicap.

You might vaguely know that your handicap is some sort of averaging of your scores. That is partially correct. If you’re curious about what exactly goes into figuring your Index and Course Handicap, see our plain English explanation. You will learn the secrets and remove the mystery of golf handicapping.

RCGA changing Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) for handicap calculation

Back in May of 2011 we published a post that described the difference between the calculations for USGA Index and RCGA Factor. Golf Canada, the governing body for golf in Canada, announced in early December a substantive change in its Equitable Stroke Control.

In its announcement Golf Canada says…

“The Royal Canadian Golf Association (operating as Golf Canada) has announced a notable change to the Canadian methodology for calculating a golf handicap as it relates to Equitable Stroke Control (ESC).

The RCGA Handicap & Course Rating Committee recently approved a change to the long-standing Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) method, bringing the Canadian methodology into equivalency with current ESC calculations employed by the United States Golf Association (USGA).”

The change will take effect on March 1, 2012.

The table below shows how the new Equitable Stroke control is different from the old.

New RCGA ESC		RCGA ESC
Course Handicap	Limit on any hole	Course Handicap	Limit on any hole
9 or less	Double bogey	Plus or scratch	1 over par
10 through 19	7	1 through 18	2 over par
20 through 29	8	19 through 32	3 over par
30 through 39	9	33 and above	4 over par
40 and above	10	n/a	n/a

Ready to test your knowledge of golf rules?

While many golfers have put away their clubs for the next few months, you can still keep your mind in the game!

   Did you know that the USGA website offers quizzes on the Rules of Golf? The quizzes are available to take online or can be printed for later use. You can choose your desired level of difficulty (Basic, Advanced or Random-mixed) as well as the length of your quiz.
   While you wait in line, you could take the shortest quiz of 10 questions. If you have more time, 18 or 25 question quizzes are available. It’s a great way to stay current with the rules. See how quickly you can complete a quiz… Try to stump your golfing friends!
   Not only does the online answer key tell which questions you answered correctly, it also provides a link to the rule in question, for each question. It’s a great way to familarize yourself (or a newer golfer) with the rules of the game. When it’s time to get those clubs back out, you’ll be ready for any situation on the course!

Android golf software? Run your desktop golf software remotely

Ever wish you could access League Manager, Tournament Manager or Handicap System from the golf course? Many of our customers have taken their laptops to the course and that’s a good solution. For whatever reason, though, you may not want or be able to take your laptop to the course. Then you can run your software remotely using your Android. Here are the three things you need:

Android
League Manager, Tournament Manager and/or Handicap System installed on your computer at home/office with the computer running (i.e., not off)
Remote access software installed on computer and app installed on Android.

That’s all you need and you’ve now got your golf software for Android ready to go!

What remote access software is available? You can search Google with words such as “remote computer access Android” or something similar. You can also look at the article, “10 Best Android Remote Desktop Apps” to see what’s available. We can’t recommend any of these products, so you’ll have to choose what best suits your needs.

Obviously on a smaller screen of a mobile device such as an Android, the experience is a little different than the full screen of a laptop or desktop…or even an iPad. But many people access their files and programs residing on their computer(s) from their Android. If people can work on documents and spreadsheets via their Android, you certainly can do the same with golf software!

We have no relationship with mobile hardware companies, mobile services companies or remote access software and app companies, so we cannot recommend or advocate for a certain device, app or software…other than our own golf software, of course. ;o)

Short Game

Bits and Pieces from the GolfSoftware.com team

Scratch golfer: what does it really mean to be a scratch golfer?

Golf Australia not adopting USGA Handicap System, but adapting some aspects

Golf pairings – make the task of pairing golfers easy

Golf leagues: how to start and run your golf league

Post golf scores online from your club house with Easy Entry!

Calculating handicap in golf? Try our free golf handicap calculator

RCGA changing Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) for handicap calculation

Ready to test your knowledge of golf rules?

Android golf software? Run your desktop golf software remotely

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