While answering a recent question that was emailed to our Help Desk I got to thinking many might appreciate seeing the answer so they better understand how the USGA recommends settling ties.
According to USGA rules…”Use last nine, six, three, and finally 18th hole. One half, one-third, one-sixth, one-18th of the handicap should be deducted from the scores on these holes. Fractions of one-half stroke or more should count as a full stroke; any lesser fractions should be disregarded.” Summarizing the equation…
Equation:
Step 1. GROSS last 9 minus one-half Hcp, if tie continue to Step 2
Step 2. GROSS last 6 minus one-third Hcp, if tie continue to Step 3
Step 3. GROSS last 3 minus one-sixth Hcp, if tie continue to Step 4
Step 4. GROSS 18th hole minus one-eighteenth Hcp
Example:
Assume Dan has a 9 handicap and Joe a 14 handicap.
LAST NINE HOLES
Dan 39 – (9 / 2) = 39-4.5 = 39-5 = 34
Joe 41 – (14 / 2) = 41-7 = 34
TIE
LAST SIX HOLES
Dan 27 – (9/3) = 27-3=24
Joe 29 – (14/3)= 29 – 5 = 24
TIE
LAST THREE HOLES
Dan 12 – (9/6) = 12-2 = 10
Joe 14- (14/6) = 14-2 =12
Dan WINS!
You can apply this recommendation in our Tournament Manager software by sorting a report (eg Individual Stroke Net Hole-by-Hole) using Net-USGA Tie Break as one of the sort criteria. To see more content like this, check out our Knowkedgebase.
Here is what the USGA says in its Handicap Manual:
A “Slope Rating” is the USGA’s mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers compared to the USGACourse Rating (e.g., compared to the difficulty of a course for scratch golfers). A Slope Rating is computed from the difference between the Bogey Rating and the USGA Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113.
My question is, why is 113 the standard rating? 
Do you make New Year resolutions?
Many people make unreasonable or unsustainable long term resolutions that fail within a few weeks or months. I’d like to suggest a short term resolution for our customers who purchase 9 or 18-hole golf scorecards. While budgets permit and time allows, why not review your group or club’s current golf scorecard supplies and plan ahead to purchase additional cards for your upcoming golf season?
We have our usual price breaks at 250, 500, and 1,000 scorecard quantitites and have added a NEW PRICEBREAK for 1,500 scorecards. Those of you who manage multiple leagues or frequently host large tournaments may find the larger card quantity with its attendant savings useful. As always, regular shipping is free througout the United States via US Priority Mail, and the scorecards usually reach you within 2 to 3 days.
You may order supplies any time by visiting www.GolfSoftware.com and clicking on BUY NOW ONLINE, or by phoning us at 919.460.7424 Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm EST.
Avoid that “oh-oh!” feeling and the stress that comes with it, as well as those $18 overnight shipping fees. If you’d like to feel great about a practical 2010 resolution that you can make and accomplish within a few minutes–review your scorecard supplies and order today.
You’ll be glad you did!
There’s lots new to report. See our Golf Bytes newsletter…
- Is “blog” a golf term. Mmmmm…not so much. But our “Short Game” blog is about golf stuff…
Website Builder is joining hands with Google Tools. No, Google has not bought us out. We’re just making it easier for you to take advantage of some of their great free tools.
- Imagine what Google Picasa will do with your photos in Website Builder
- What’s the whole new way to easily create web pages and collaborate in Website Builder with Google Docs?
- Think what Google Groups and Website Builder can do to improve your golf group communication
- Picture how video could enliven your golf website. It’s super easy when you team up Website Builder and Google’s YouTube.
- Par Package users (Website Designer). You have not been left behind with these Google Tools. You too can use them.
Enjoy…
How is it decided which hole gets which number of strokes?
Well, the folks at the USGA work very hard to assure scores are as fair as possible. They analyze lots of data to determine which holes give golfers the most trouble. If you look in SECTION 17 of the USGA Handicap System Manual, there is a detailed explanation of the large amount of data gathered and methods by which it is analyzed. http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-17/
In a nutshell, it’s not about difficulty. It’s about fairness.
If two players with a 5 stroke difference in handicap both have the same high score on a difficult hole, it’s probably a dificult hole. Having identical scores does not indicate the need to give handicap strokes. If the same two players play the next hole and there is a big difference in their scores, then that hole may give strokes to the player with the higher handicap.
Many thanks to the USGA for making the game of golf fair (and enjoyable) for all involved.
If you’ve ordered software or supplies from GolfSoftware.com in the past 13 years, I’ve probably facilitated your order. One of the great benefits of my job is it affords me the opportunity to speak with customers around the world. Because I was raised in a military family and have traveled and lived all over the United States and abroad, I particularly enjoy listening to regional American accents and can visualize (and have often resided in) the states our customers call from. We have customers in every state and territory of the US. In the humid, sticky heat of our North Carolina summers, I daydream about visiting our Pacific Northwest customers and when our winters drag on a little longer than I’d like, I’m a bit envious of those enjoying the balmy breezes of Hawaii.
My office wall boasts a worldwide map that I add stickers to, in order to mark the geographical locations of our international customers. My co-workers can
Karen pointing to tip of South America
attest to my cheers and exclamations of excitement when I am able to add a sticker to a hither-to blank spot on the map! A quick glance at my world map confirms we have customers on most major continents: Australia, North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. There are some notable exceptions where we have not made inroads–Russia comes to mind–and I note that although we have customers in both Norway and Sweden, sadly, Finland is not represented. [Don't Finns golf?] Our southernmost customer resides in Tierra del Fuego, while there appears to be a tie for the northernmost customer, between central Alaska and Iceland. The customer closest to the equator resides in either Singapore, or Jakarta, Indonesia. Our most surprising customer location could be the Maldives.
Wherever you hail from, it is a pleasure to provide you with service and the best golf software available–I’m thankful for you all!
Someone recently arrived at our website using the search question, “why is a handicap multiplied by .96?” at Google. The searcher arrived through our golf handicap formula in plain English page. Indeed, why are handicap differentials multiplied by .96, or 96%? This is what it says in the USGA Handicap Manual:
Bonus for Excellence is the incentive for players to improve their golf games that is built into the USGA Handicap System. It is the term used to describe the small percentage below perfect equity that is used to calculate a Handicap Index (96 percent). As a Handicap Index improves (gets lower), the player has a slightly better chance of placing high or winning a handicap event.
In another article entitled, For Better or For Worse, at the USGA website, the remark is made that, “your golf club or association then will multiply by a 96-percent ‘bonus for excellence’ factor that slightly favors the lower-handicapped player.” So the 96% is an incentive to improve your handicap and a “slight” advantage to lower handicapped players in a handicapped competition. In the only other mention of “bonus for excellence” on the USGA site, it is stated that a “limberback” lower handicapper will have a “very slight” advantage over a series of matches with a weekend warrior. That would mean that most non-professional golfers could play against an internationally known golfer with only a slight edge going to the pro. That’s what the USGA Handicap System does…
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday I wanted to share with you a story and a thought.
The summer of ‘83, just after graduating from Palm Beach Gardens (FL) High School I took a job doing golf course maintenance at an exclusive club near my home. On the day this story took place I was assigned the job of raking traps. Might not sound like much but trust me, for an 18 year-old, getting paid to race around sand traps on a three-wheeler was not too bad of a job! As I arrived at the 15th hole, a par 3 with an enormous sand trap fronting the green a threesome was getting ready to tee off. According to etiquette I turned off my equipment and waited for them to play out the hole. The first two golfers hit beautiful tee shots landing within 20 feet of the hole. The third golfer…well, the third golfer didn’t do so well. His first shot landed square in the middle of the sand trap. He approached his second with an air of hope only to see this shot land not too far from his first. The third shot was hit with focused determination and succeeded in exiting the sand trap where it was stopped in the side of a mound over which the green lay. The fourth shot was hit with rising emotion which being skulled sailed over the green and into a canal quite a distance behind it. This was the final straw as the third golfer threw his club to the ground and literally started jumping up and down yelling incoherently. According to etiquette I started my equipment and raced away so he wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.
Whether you’re one of the first two golfers or the last I want to encourage you to be genuinely thankful for the opportunity to play this great game and as the opportunity presents itself, take a moment to thank the Grounds Crew for the job they do…and for being discrete when they need to.
Here at GolfSoftware.com we are starting development on our next generation of the Golf Handicap System software. I will be posting twice a month with updates on our progression with the new software.
We are literally starting from scratch with this new Handicap System product. As opposed to updating/adding new options to the existing product, we are producing a NEW product. Why? Simply put, our goal is to have two types of Handicap System products.
- “Desktop” Handicap System (the current software)
- “Internet” Handicap System (next generation)
If you are a current Handicap System user reading this blog, you may be thinking, “Why change the Handicap System…it works fine as is?”. Fear not, we will continue to sell and support our desktop version.
But why an “Internet” version?
- Desktop version requires golf organizations with multiple administrators (who are at different locations) to pass the updated database back and forth via an awkward backup/restore process. Internet version will completely eliminate this.
- Desktop version requires users to perform a “synchronization” to update information to the web. Internet version will completely eliminate this.
- Desktop version does not allow for “dynamic” websites because the “active” database is not on the server…only the “synched” database which may not be completely up to date. Internet version will completely eliminate this.
- Desktop version must be installed on any computer that needs to administer it. Users are also responsible for maintaining version changes and updates. With the Internet version you will simply log in and go.
- Desktop version has the database on the local drive so the user is responsible for backing up and maintaining database integrity. This is automatic with the Internet version.
- Internet version will provide many other options simply not possible in a desktop version. Option to share data with other golf groups, social networking , shared course libraries, shared reports, shared views, etc.
More details in the next blog.
Trying to shave another couple of points off of your golf handicap index? If you’re a loud and chronic snorer, you might in fact be able to improve both your handicap and your health. According to a recent New York Times article,
Dr. Marc L. Benton, a New Jersey pulmonologist who was convinced that patients would improve their golf game if they slept better, tested his hypothesis by recruiting a dozen avid golfers with untreated sleep apnea for a small, preliminary study. Dr. Benton assessed their daytime sleepiness at the beginning of the study and recorded their golf handicap index.
The participants were less sleepy during the daytime, and their handicap index improved to 11 from an average of 12.4 before treatment, said Dr. Benton, who presented his findings last week at an international conference of the American College of Chest Physicians in San Diego.
And this from an Examinar article:
The fatigue factor. Golfers deprived of good sleep are prone to fatigue and muddled thinking, which, as most players will attest, can totally screw up your golf game. Nasal positive airway pressure (NPAP) treatment, including the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, can enhance your entire game and help you better manage the all-important “frustration” factor, says Benton.
So you could do yourself two favors – a double eagle, so to speak – by seeing your doctor about your loud and chronic snoring which might be a sign of sleep apnea.