The purpose of handicapping is to ensure equal competition among players of different abilities. League Manager provides a handicap using the 3 following methods:
- Automatic Handicapping. A handicap is calculated using the criteria you specify on the “Handicap Parameters” form under the Setup menu. See below.
- Manual Handicapping. You always have the option to type in any handicap for a player at anytime. To enter a handicap, double-click the player to view his/her Player Information Form. Type in the handicap you want the player to have for the current event.
- No Handicapping. Select “Do NOT calculate a handicap” for the calculation mode on the “Handicap Parameters” form. A handicap will not be calculated. All players will have a handicap of 0 (scratch) or whatever you type in.
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Note: You can see how a player’s handicap is being calculated at any time. Just highlight the golfer in question and press F10, or click the Help menu and select “How is golfer handicapped?”. A report will appear showing exactly how the player’s handicap is being calculated. |
To view the Handicap Parameters form, from the Setup menu, choose “Handicap Calculation Parameters”.
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Note: Handicap parameters can only be set while viewing event #1. The same handicap formula must be in effect for the entire season. |
To set up handicapping
- Determine the basic formula you wish to use for handicapping
Do you want to use Course Rating / Course Slopes or just Par in the formula for calculating handicaps?
The basic formula to calculate a handicap is:
Handicap = (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) x (113 / Course Slope)
The Adjusted Gross Score is a golfer’s score after any “stroke control” adjustments. See item #9 for more information. The Course Rating is provided by the golf course, and can usually be found on their scorecard. The rating is basically what a scratch golfer (0 handicap) would shoot (on average) on the course. Most courses have been rated by the USGA.
The Course Slope is provided by the golf course and can usually be found on their scorecard. The slope is the difficulty of a course compared to other courses. 113 is an average difficulty.
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Note: League Manager retrieves the rating and slope from the Course Library. The Course Rating and Course Slope values are entered for each course\tee your league plays. These values are entered in your Course Library. |
Many leagues simplify this formula by entering Par for the Course Rating and 113 for the Course Slope. The equation then simply becomes...
Handicap = (Adjusted Gross Score - Par) x (113 / 113)
Handicap = Adjusted Gross Score – Par
- How many scores will a golfer’s handicap be based on?
Determine how many scores you want a golfer’s handicap to be based on. For example, if a golfer gave you his last 100 scores, how many would you use to base his handicap on? The maximum number of past scores League Manager will look at is 30. Enter this number in the box “Number of scores handicap based on”.
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Note: The more scores a handicap is based on the less fluctuation you will see in handicaps. In other words, if a golfer’s handicap is based on 20 scores, any new score will have a 1 in 20 (5%) weight on his handicap. However, if his handicap is based on only 4 scores, any new score would have a 1 in 4 (25%) weight on his handicap. |
- How many scores must a golfer have before a handicap can be calculated?
Determine how many scores a golfer must have before a handicap can be calculated. Enter this number in the box “Minimum number of scores needed before a handicap can be calculated”. For example, you may determine that a golfer must have at least 3 scores before a handicap can be calculated. Each golfer’s handicap will remain whatever handicap you initially type in until he/she has at least 3 scores to start calculating a handicap. - Do you want League Manager to calculate an Instantaneous Handicap if the golfer has no prior scores on which to base a handicap?
If you want League Manager to automatically calculate a handicap for a player that has no prior scores (practice rounds), mark this option. The initial handicap that is calculated will be based on the current round they shoot, and is calculated using the current event’s gross score. Use this option as a LAST RESORT! Let’s see why.
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Example: Assume John Doe shoots a 50, the handicap percent figure is 100% and the rating and slope of the course he plays is 36.0 and 113 respectively. He comes into event one with no handicap. He has submitted no practice scores or history of scores to establish a handicap. The handicap for event one will be based on what he shoots in event one. 50 - 36 x 113/113 x 1.00 = 14 hcp. But what if he had shot a 40? His handicap would be 40-36 x 113/113 x 1.00 = 4 hcp. The problem is, if John shoots a high score he gets a high handicap, if he shoots a low score he gets a low handicap. So no matter what he shoots he is assured of receiving the same net score. Just one score is not a good indicator of the skill of any player. Plus, with no history of scores, the handicap for event two is the same, based on what he shot in event one... there are no more prior scores to base a handicap on. In event three John’s handicap will finally be based on two scores, what he shot in event two and in event one. As you can see, for players that do not have a history of scores (practice scores), you can expect a large fluctuation in handicaps for the first few events. Solution to problem: Most league golfers have played golf before and can at least submit a few past rounds they have shot. Put these in as practice rounds to establish an initial handicap. A fair handicap will be established much more quickly with less fluctuation. Note: An instantaneous handicap will never be less than scratch (0). |
- What should League Manager do in every instance it may encounter? Drop any high or low scores when calculating a handicap?
Fill in the handicap table to tell League Manager what to do in every instance it may encounter. What should League Manager do if a golfer has only one previous score to look at, only two previous scores to look at, only three previous scores to look at etc. Do you want to drop any high or low scores when calculating a handicap?
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Example: If you want League Manager to calculate a handicap based on a golfer’s last 6 scores, the parameters would be filled in... “# of scores handicap based on”: 6 But when a golfer has 6 scores to base a handicap on do you want to drop any high or low scores before calculating a handicap? What if a golfer only has 5 prior scores to look at? Do you want League Manager to drop any high or low score then? What should League Manager do if a golfer has only 4, 3, 2, or 1 scores available? You must fill in the table to indicate exactly what you want the program to do in every instance it may encounter. For example you may decide on the following…
The Parameters will be filled out as follows…
According to the table above…
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Note: Many leagues choose to drop some high scores, so that one bad score does not increase a handicap excessively. This helps deter sandbagging. If a golfer shoots an unusually high score, he may think it will make his handicap go up, but in reality it has no effect on his handicap since this high score will be discarded for handicap purposes. |
- What Handicap Percent Figure do you want to use?
The handicap % figure is used to calculate the final handicap. You can have a different value for regular and substitute players.
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Example: If Handicap Percent figure = 80% and a golfer’s handicap is 12 then … Final Handicap = Handicap x 80% Final Handicap = 12 x .80 = 9.6 Final Handicap = 9.6 |
- Do you restrict how much a handicap can change from event to event?
This option lets you specify the maximum number of strokes a player’s handicap can increase or decrease each time a new handicap is calculated. Great for leagues that have no scoring history or leagues that just have a starting handicap. This option absolutely guarantees that a player’s handicap will not fluctuate wildly no matter how few scores are available to establish a “good” handicap. For example, if you specified that handicaps can not increase by more than 1, then each week a golfer plays, his handicap cannot increase by more than 1 stroke. - Do you have a Maximum Handicap?
Specify the maximum handicap allowed in your league. The recommended USGA maximum for nine hole handicaps is 18 for men and 20 for women. The recommended USGA maximum for eighteen hole handicaps is 36 for men and 40 for women. If you don’t have a maximum handicap, type in 99. - Do you want to Round or Truncate handicaps?
USGA recommends that handicaps be rounded to the nearest whole number, but some leagues prefer to truncate (chop off the decimal points) handicaps.
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Handicap |
Round |
Truncate |
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7.49 |
7 |
7 |
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7.50 |
8 |
7 |
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7.99 |
8 |
7 |
- What kind of Stroke Control do you want to use? (How do you want to calculate Adjusted Gross Scores?)
STROKE CONTROL \ REDUCTION is used to calculate an “Adjusted Gross Score” (AGS) for handicapping purposes. Handicaps are NOT based on a player’s “Gross Score” rather they are based on a player’s “Adjusted Gross Score”. The whole purpose of an AGS is so one or two bad holes do not substantially raise a player’s handicap. A score for any hole is reduced to a specified number of strokes over par as indicated on the tables below. STROKE REDUCTION only applies if you are entering scores hole-by-hole. STROKE REDUCTION has no effect on how points are calculated. Points are determined using GROSS / NET scores, not ADJUSTED GROSS SCORES.
Four modes are available:
- No stroke Reduction
Hole scores will never be reduced. “Adjusted Gross Scores” will always equal “Gross Scores”. - USGA-Equitable Stroke Control
Maximum strokes per hole are allotted according to the player’s handicap. This table is for nine hole handicaps.
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9 Hole League Handicap |
18 Hole League -Handicap |
Limitation on any hole |
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4 or less |
9 or less |
Double Bogey |
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5 through 9 |
10 through 19 |
7 |
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10 through 14 |
20 through 29 |
8 |
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15 through 19 |
30 through 39 |
9 |
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20 or more |
40 or more |
10 |
- OLD (Pre 1993) USGA-Equitable Stroke Control
This option is only allowed for 9 hole leagues. A score for any hole is reduced to a specified number of strokes over par for handicap purposes only, as follows:
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Handicap |
Limitation on any hole |
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Plus or scratch |
Limit of one over par on any hole |
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1 through 9 |
Limit of two over par on number of holes equal to handicap. Limit of one over par on balance of holes |
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10 through 18 |
Limit of three over par on as many holes as handicap exceeds 9 strokes. Limit of two over par on balance of holes |
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19 through 27 |
Limit of four over par on as many holes as handicap exceeds 18 strokes. Limit of three over par on balance of holes |
- Constant Max Strokes Allowed
Enter the maximum number of strokes allowed on a par 3, 4, 5, or 6. Remember this only affects a player’s AGS (Adjusted Gross Score). AGS is used only for handicapping.