Handicap (golf)
The handicap (or handicap index , German requirement ) in golf is a key figure that expresses the theoretical and current game potential of a player.
"A handicap expresses how well a player can theoretically play if everything goes well."
It is expressed as the difference in strokes for an 18-hole round of golf by a player compared to a very good golfer, the so-called scratch golfer with a handicap of zero. This fictional scratch golfer finishes a round with exactly the number of strokes equal to the par of the course. This is usually 72 strokes. If the individual player takes his current handicap into account, a competition "on an equal footing" is also possible between players with different game potentials. Individual players can also express their current game potential as a key figure and track their improvement (or deterioration).
Even if the handicap is actually mathematically expressed as a negative figure for the majority of amateur players, the minus is often left out. In the case of exceptionally good players who can play better than the scratch golfer , the key figure is mathematically positive, is always given a plus and is also explicitly classified as a plus handicap index .
The handicap of a player ( handicap ) is derived from his current game results and is part of the calculation basis of the handicap for his game on a specific golf course.
Historically, there are different handicap systems around the world, which are to be standardized to form the World Handicap System in 2021 . In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the continental European EGA specification system (2016–2019) still applies, with slight association-specific differences.
Basic idea
From the Handicap, in Germany also handicap called the handicap is calculated before a competition. This differs from the handicap in that it also takes into account the difficulty of the course to be played. So it can be higher, lower or (for an average difficult place) just as high as the handicap. This game specification then results in a number of default strokes which the player can subtract from the number of strokes actually played in a round. This calculated result, taking into account the default strokes, is called the net result and is comparable between golfers of different skill levels.
The handicap is a negative number for almost all players, the negative sign is therefore often omitted in linguistic usage. (The European Golf Association, EGA for short, does it the other way around). In Germany, the range is between +5 (best amateur player) and −54 (beginner classification). It follows from this that the better (according to the above-mentioned parlance without a sign: the lower ) a handicap is, the higher the skill level it shows.
In club-internal amateur competitions, several net prizes are usually advertised, since then all players have a realistic chance of winning. Often, however, there is also a gross price for the absolutely best result, i.e. without taking into account default rates.
At national and international amateur championships as well as in professional player tournaments, the gross weight is always given. Professional golfers do not have a handicap and can therefore not take part in the net rating if they compete in competitions with amateurs.
application
In almost all forms of play ( stableford , stroke play , match play and many forms of team play) the handicap can be used to mathematically compensate for the different abilities of the players. A bad player can then definitely win against a good one, because the worse player with his higher handicap receives more handicap strokes.
For each of the 18 holes of a full round of golf there is a guideline value for the number of strokes, which is indicated as par . Depending on the length of the tracks, three, four or five strokes are specified for you as a target ; it is therefore assumed that a very good player is able to complete these lanes with three, four or five strokes each. As a rule, a round of golf has a par of 72, which is usually made up of four par 3 and par 5 holes and ten par 4 holes. The simplest and previously practiced form of determining a handicap is to compare the average of several past results of a player with the par. For example, if a player played the last rounds at par 72 with an average of 90 strokes, his handicap would be −18, as you would have to subtract 18 from his result to get to par. A player who would play the course with an average of 72 strokes would have a handicap of 0. Such a player is also called a scratch golfer .
Calculation method in the EGA specification system
The simple system suffers above all from the fact that different golf courses are difficult to play and the results therefore also depend on the respective golf course. As a result, handicaps based on results on different courses cannot be compared with one another. The actual determination of a handicap is therefore now carried out in a much more differentiated manner, with golf associations setting different rules for managing the handicap. For example, the handicap system of the USGA ( United States Golf Association ) used in the USA differs significantly from the EGA handicap system used in Europe, which is used in Germany as the DGV specification system by the German Golf Association DGV . Although the calculation methods differ, the handicaps of equally strong players will be on a comparable scale. However, the inaccuracy is too great to allow a fair cross comparison between two handicaps of different systems. In the following, only the calculation of the handicap according to the DGV system will be discussed with occasional mention of differences.
In order to make the handicaps comparable, the difficulty of a course is now taken into account in the calculation. The system of so-called Course Rating (CR) and Slope Rating (Slope) is the most common internationally and is also used in Germany. Unlike par, these ratings take into account not only the length of a fairway, but also other factors that are important for the difficulty, e.g. B. the presence of obstacles. The CR value describes the average number of strokes (given to one place after the comma) that a very good golfer should need for a round. The slope value indicates a relative increase in difficulty for poorer golfers. Using both values, results of differently good golfers on different courses can be related to one another.
Every golfer has a so-called master handicap, which expresses his playing strength in absolute form and is given to one decimal place. This value is what is popularly known as the handicap. The minus sign is usually not mentioned here, very good golfers, who normally play better than par, can also have a positive handicap, in which case the plus is expressly mentioned as a sign. With the addition of the CR and the slope value, an integer handicap valid for the course to be played is calculated from the handicap. A golfer who z. For example, if you have a handicap of −19.3, you could get a handicap of −21 on a difficult course, so it should need 21 strokes more than par in order to have reached his normal level of performance. On an easy course, however, his handicap could only be −18, so that he may need fewer hits. For the exact calculation of the handicap see Course Rating and Slope .
In the DGV system, handicaps of a maximum of −36.0 are assigned; in practice, handicaps of up to +4.0 result for top amateurs in the other direction. In order to be able to involve beginners in the system of handicaps, a club can also have so-called club handicaps for its members, which are between −54 and −37, are always whole numbers and are essentially calculated according to the same rules as the master handicaps.
The master handicap (or club handicap) is determined on the basis of the results of handicap-effective rounds. Essentially, rounds played in certain tournaments are effective as guidelines; EDS rounds (Extra Day Score, rounds played outside of tournaments on the home court) can also be taken into account for calculating the handicap. The relevant score here is that according to Stableford , with other forms of play the result must be converted into a result according to Stableford. If the player has achieved 36 Stableford points, he has confirmed his handicap, if he has earned more than 36 Stableford points, the new handicap is calculated based on the number of points over 36. For each additional Stableford point, the handicap is reduced by a certain value (actually raised in view of the sign), namely
| Default class |
Area of handicap |
Change of handicap | Buffer zone (up to 36) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at> 36 stable ford points |
if the buffer zone is not reached |
18-hole tournament |
9-hole tournament |
|||
| 6 Club default |
−54 | −37 | +1 | no deterioration |
n / A | |
| 5 | −36 | −26.5 | +0.5 | |||
| 4th | −26.4 | −18.5 | +0.4 | −0.1 | from 32 | from 34 |
| 3 | −18.4 | −11.5 | +0.3 | from 33 | from 35 | |
| 2 | −11.4 | −4.5 | +0.2 | from 34 | ||
| 1 | −4.4 | better | +0.1 | from 35 | n / A | |
If a player with a handicap from handicap class 4 (i.e. −26.4 or better) has achieved less than 36 Stableford points in a handicap round, his handicap may deteriorate. The deterioration amounts to a flat rate of 0.1 points. It occurs when the buffer zone, which is different in size for each requirement class, has been missed. In class 1 this is one point, in class 2 it is 2 points, in classes 3 and 4 you can achieve 3 or 4 points less than 36 without affecting your handicap. In handicap classes 5 and 6, the handicap is not increased.
Only stroke play or Stableford tournaments over one or more full round (s) of 18 holes and EDS rounds over 18 holes are normally effective . However, from the 2006 season onwards, the German Golf Association has the option of playing “nine-hole tournaments that are effective in terms of specifications”. The increasing general shortage of time and the desire of golfers to play more frequently according to the rules are the reasons for this regulation, which was prepared in a two-year pilot project. However, nine-hole tournaments are only effective for players in the handicap classes 2–6, i.e. up to a handicap of −4.5 at best. For the "not played" second 9 holes in the nine-hole tournaments, 18 Stableford points are added to the result.
External influences (wind, rain, drought, high rough, ...) can distort the results of the competition compared to the "normal" state of the course. Using the Computed Buffer Adjustment procedure , the buffer limits of the respective Stableford classes were shifted (from +1 to −4) in this case until 2016 in order to achieve better comparability between different competitions. As of 2016, this procedure will no longer apply. Since then, there has also been no deterioration of the handicap down to -26.5 (instead of then -36) if the current handicap is not reached in a tournament or in an EDS round.
Calculation method in the WHS specification system
In the World Handicap System (WHS), the handicap index is usually calculated by taking the mean of the point result from the eight best of the last 20 full 18-hole rounds.
Score according to the WHS per hole (net double bogey)
Per hole is maximum net double bogey (English Net Double bogey ) evaluated as score. This means that particularly badly played holes are not rated higher than this maximum value. It corresponds to a double bogey (par + 2 strokes) plus the default strokes for the hole according to the player's previous WHS index. New players without a WHS index receive three default strokes.
Formation of a score differential for one round
In the WHS, the point results of each evaluated round are normalized and called Score Differential. Concrete calculation rules apply here.
- The scores, taking into account the upper limit of the net double bogey, are added up for the entire round and form the assessed gross result ( Adjusted Gross Score ).
- Using Course Rating (CR), Slope Rating (Slope) and Play Conditions Calculation (PCC), the score differential is calculated from the assessed gross result . This includes the fundamental difficulty (CR & Slope) of the course and the game conditions during the round (PCC) in the value and thus normalizes it. This calculation rule is adapted for 9-hole rounds by the corresponding values for CR, Slope and PCC.
Update of the WHS index after one round
The last 20 laps evaluated are used as the basis for calculating the WHS index. The lowest eight score differentials are selected from these . The mean value of these best score differentials gives the WHS index.
If there are fewer than 20 evaluated rounds, a WHS index can still be formed by reducing the number of the best score differentials to form the mean.
Comparison of the WHS and EGA specification system
Compared to the EGA specification system, in which the specification changes incrementally, the WHS index represents a current mean value. This means that specification classes, buffer zones and the corresponding reduction and increase factors are omitted in the WHS specification system.
EDS rounds and rated 9-hole rounds are handicap effective for all players in the WHS handicap system; handicap class 1 is excluded from this in the EGA handicap system.
A direct conversion of the EGA handicap into the WHS index is not possible; complete scorecards with CR and slope for calculating score differentials must be available.
The handicap in tournaments
If the result of a tournament is evaluated without taking handicaps into account, it is referred to as a gross evaluation, if the handicap is taken into account, it is called a net evaluation. Golf professionals always play gross in the absence of a handicap; in most tournaments for amateurs, gross and net prices are awarded and several evaluations are made accordingly. The gross winner is the player who absolutely needs the fewest strokes in a tournament or has achieved the most gross Stableford points. The net winner is the one whose result is best taking into account his handicap.
- Example:
- Pure stroke play: Player A with handicap 2 needs 76 strokes, player B with handicap 18 needs 90 strokes.
- Player A becomes gross winner because 76 is the lowest number of strokes.
- Player B is the net winner, because after subtracting his handicap he only needed 72 hits (90-18 = 72), while A's 74 hits (76-2 = 74).
In match play , the handicap is applied in such a way that the difference between the game specifications of the opponents is calculated, possibly modified by an additional factor. Depending on the distribution of the standard strokes on the lanes, the weaker player may need the resulting difference of strokes more to achieve a draw. For example, if there is a difference of 3 strokes, one stipulated hit on each of the holes with the preset values 1, 2 and 3 becomes effective.
- Example:
- Player A has handicap 2, player B has handicap 25 and therefore receives 23 strokes.
- B may then need two more strokes than A on the 5 holes with handicap entry 1-5, and one more stroke each on all other holes.
- For example, if B plays a 5 on the hardest hole (handicap entry 1) and A a 4, B has won the hole.
- If player A plays a 5 on the easiest hole (handicap entry 18) and player B a 6, then both would have shared the hole, i.e. played a "draw".
Extra day score
With extra day score rounds (EDS rounds), golfers can also improve their handicap outside of tournaments. The rounds are played privately. However, they must be registered in advance at the club secretariat, the player was allowed to have a handicap of −11.5 (or worse) at most by the end of 2011, and the person who writes the score (the counter) must have a handicap of −36 (golf professionals may not be counters in an EDS round). Since the 2012 season, EDS rounds from DGV specification class 2 to club specification can be played. In handicap classes 2 to 4 (master handicaps −4.5 to −26.4), no more EDS rounds than handicap tournaments may be played in a calendar year.
EDS rounds were set to 18 holes until the end of 2011. With the new rules since 2012, EDS rounds can be played over either 9 or 18 holes. Furthermore, DGV specification classes 2 to club specifications (−4.5 to −54) are approved for this. Until the 2016 season, EDS rounds were only possible on the pitch of the player's home club. With the amendments to the regulations for the 2016 season, this was extended to the effect that EDS rounds can now also be played outside of the home club.
manipulation
The accusation can occasionally be heard that golfers are trying to manipulate their handicap. Some players are accused of having a handicap that is too low to be seen as a better golfer. This can e.g. This can be achieved, for example, by giving a "fudged" score, especially for EDS rounds.
Others are accused of “ sparing ” their handicap (“ sandbagging ”): They would keep their handicap artificially high in order to have more default strokes and thus better chances of winning at tournaments. This can be achieved, among other things, by only playing very few handicap-effective rounds in order to avoid downsizing or by deliberately playing poorly.
A reduction can also be avoided by registering for tournaments as a player in a foreign club or as a holder of a foreign license. To demonstrate the improvement, the player z. B. given a certified scorecard, but the obligation to report lies with the player. If he fails to do this, he will forbidden start the next tournament with the same handicap.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Question 18 in the rules quiz. In: DGV. Retrieved June 11, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c d e World Handicap System, Rules of Handicapping. In: The United States Golf Association and R&A Rules Limited. 2019, accessed on June 11, 2020 .
- ↑ EGA specification system (2016–2019). In: Deutscher Golf Verband eV 2015, accessed on June 11, 2020 .
- ↑ EGA Handicap System (2016–2019). In: EGA Handicapping and Course Rating Committee. November 2015, accessed on June 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Licensee of the EGA specification system Licensed Users. In: ega-golf.ch. European Golf Association, accessed June 12, 2020 .
- ↑ Description of the requirements and competition conditions from 2012. In: Deutscher Golf Verband eV October 2011, accessed on June 12, 2020 . (PDF; 1.9 MB)
- ↑ Basis for calculating the World Handicap Index / the evaluated gross result and the score differential. In: serviceportal.dgv-intranet.de. Retrieved August 16, 2020 .