NEW Easy Entry!!

Easy Entry integrates with Handicap System Web Edition and is network compatible. Easy Entry is used by golf clubs and organizations that want their membership to enter their own scores at the course.

Golfers can post scores, view handicaps, and print their own handicap card at the clubhouse. After your golfers finish a round, they can walk up to the computer, type in their score, and review previous scores, too.

Administrators will appreciate its ease-of-use, improved announcement capabilites, and kiosk design. It’s compatible with a touch-screen or mouse & keyboard.

We’re in the beta version and are looking for some groups to help us fine tune the final product. Interested? Click here for sign up info.

Hole by hole score entry screen

Hole by hole score entry screen

June 17, 2011 | Debbie | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

How did handicapping get started? – Betcha don’t know…

You guessed it! In the early days of golf, betting was a big part of the game. Clubs kept books of bets and odds on their players. There were lots of different types of bets, too. Strokes could be given every third hole, every other hole or every hole. The term ‘handicap’ came from horse racing. A jockey’s odds for a race were distributed in a cap. (hand-in-cap)

In the late 1800s and early 1900s golf tournaments became very popular. Many English clubs started using the term ‘handicap’ and held Handicap Contests/Tournaments which included odds. However, different clubs had different methods for giving odds/handicaps. As you can imagine, this led to many lively discussions. Soon, a proposal was made for a central authority to set and enforce uniform standards for handicaps. In Ireland in 1897, the first formula was devised to allow golfers to take their handicaps to other courses.

Today, Golfsoftware.com’s Handicap System software takes the work out of handicapping. You can choose USGA, RCGA, or even design your own custom handicap. For league play, League Manager will calculate weekly handicaps with the click of your mouse.

June 21, 2010 | Debbie | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Course handicap table – from Index to course handicap

The USGA Handicap System provides golfers with two key numbers: an Index and a course handicap. Until 1987 the USGA’s system provided one handicap number for all courses played. Can you imagine playing with the same handicap at Augusta National and at your municipal golf course?! I’m sure your “puni muni” course’s holes 11, 12 and 13 match up to Augusta’s Amen Corner!

With the introduction of the USGA’s “Index” in 1987, courses have been evaluated and given two ratings, course and slope, for each set of tees on the course. The course rating and slope rating are used to calculate the Index and the slope rating is used to calculate the course handicap.The USGA in its Handicap Manual define the course handicap as…

A “Course Handicap” is the USGA’s mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf. For a player with a plus Course Handicap, it is the number of handicap strokes a player gives to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf. A Course Handicap is determined by applying the player’s Handicap Index to a Course Handicap Table or Course Handicap Formula. (See Section 10-4.) A player’s Course Handicap is expressed as a whole number. The result of any conditions of the competition, handicap allowance, or competition from a different USGA Course Rating that changes a Course Handicap is considered to be the Course Handicap.

Once you have your Index, which is the same on any course (portable handicap), you can then derive your course handicap for a specific set of tees on a course using two methods as stated in the definition above: you can calculate it or look it up on a course handicap table.

The formula for calculating your course handicap is as follows: Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113. The USGA has a handy course handicap calculator at their website.

If you’d like a course handicap table, here are a couple of online sources:

Alternatively, you can probably find course handicap tables at the course you play. Make sure you select the set of tees you plan to play…

See our golf handicap software, Handicap System…

March 30, 2010 | Steve | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Golf course handicap calculator – what’s my course handicap?

Did you know that your golf handicap may be different from course to course? If you use the USGA system, this is true. The USGA provides a formula with which you first can calculate a number that is the same no matter what course you play. This number is called the “Index.” Using this Index, you can calculate a second number – your golf “course handicap” – for any specific course. The USGA has a handy golf course handicap calculator so you don’t have to do the calculation. But you will have to know your Index in order to use it. Alternatively, you can use the following formula to calculate your course handicap:

Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113

The course handicap is really a handicap for a specific set of tees on a specific course.

The USGA defines a course handicap in its Handicap Manual as…

A “Course Handicap” is the USGA’s mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf. For a player with a plus Course Handicap, it is the number of handicap strokes a player gives to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf. A Course Handicap is determined by applying the player’s Handicap Index to a Course Handicap Table or Course Handicap Formula. (See Section 10-4.) A player’s Course Handicap is expressed as a whole number. The result of any conditions of the competition, handicap allowance, or competition from a different USGA Course Rating that changes a Course Handicap is considered to be the Course Handicap.

So you have a course handicap that is specific to a set of tees at a certain course as well as an Index that is the same number from course to course. An approved golf club can provide you with a USGA Index which you need in order to calculate your course handicap.

See our golf handicap software, Handicap System…

March 22, 2010 | Steve | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Are you a bogey golfer?

You would think that a bogey golfer is one that would, on average, score par plus 18 strokes on an 18-hole golf course, right? You would be close, but not right on the money. Here is what the USGA says in its glossary of terms regarding the bogey golfer:

A male “bogey golfer” is a player who has a Course Handicap of approximately 20 on a course of standard difficulty. He can hit tee shots an average of 200 yards and reach a 370-yard hole in two shots at sea level. A female bogey golfer is a player who has a Course Handicap of approximately 24 on a course of standard difficulty. She can hit tee shots an average of 150 yards and reach a 280-yard hole in two shots.

So there are several facets to the official USGA definition of a bogey golfer:

  • course handicap on a course of standard difficulty
  • average drive length
  • what length hole they can consistently reach in two shots (at sea level)

Calculating a course handicap is relatively simple if you have a USGA Handicap Index. By doing so, you can  find out if you’re a bogey golfer or not!

See our golf handicap software, Handicap System…

March 18, 2010 | Steve | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Ever heard this gripe at a tournament: “The handicaps aren’t right”?

Competitiveness brings out interesting facets of human character, doesn’t it?

Naturally you want your golf events to be fair, and when fairness comes into question from a participant, you want to have a legitimate answer. Handicapping is meant to level the competition, so naturally the question regarding fairness might be whether the player Indexes or Course Handicaps are correct.

There’s an easy solution. Provide the griper(s) with their most recent 20 scores (or as many as they have accumulated) and a couple formulas from the USGA with which they can calculate their Index and Course Handicap.

  1. For each of their 20 scores they need to calculate a Handicap Differential using the formula and rounding to the nearest tenth (i.e., 12.1, 8.5, etc.): Handicap Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) x (113/Slope Rating)
  2. Pick out the 10 lowest differentials from the 20
  3. Average the 10 lowest differentials
  4. Multiply this average by 96% (0.96)
  5. Truncate the result to tenths (i.e., 8.557 becomes 8.5) This is the USGA Index

To calculate a course handicap for the course on which a tournament is played, use the formula: Course Handicap = Handicap Index x Slope Rating / 113

Assuming they have done their math right, their result should confirm the Index and Course Handicap calculated by your service or software.

To see a complete explanation of how an Index and a Course Handicap is calculated, please see USGA handicap formula in plain English. This information is available online at the USGA website as well.

See our golf handicap software, Handicap System…

March 15, 2010 | Steve | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

USGA Equitable Stroke Control Chart

The USGA’s Equitable Stroke Control is part of their Handicap System. You cannot calculate a valid USGA Index and course handicap without using Equitable Stroke Control or ESC.

“Equitable Stroke Control“ (ESC) is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player’s actual or most likely score exceeds the player’s maximum number based on the table in Section 4-3.

Our Handicap System software automatically uses Equitable Stroke Control when a player’s actual gross hole scores are entered. Alternatively, a player’s adjusted gross score total can be entered. You can see what role Equitable Stroke Control plays in the calculation of an Index and course handicap as well as the Equitable Stroke Control chart at “Golf handicap formula explained step-by-step.”

See our golf handicap software, Handicap System…

February 24, 2010 | Steve | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »