Handicap Terminology
Stroke Index
All golf clubs are required to publish a Handicap Stroke Table, indicating the
order of holes at which handicap strokes are to be given or received. This always
appears on the course score card under the heading stroke index. The lower numbers
indicate a higher degree of difficulty, hence a person receiving, for example,
9 strokes, either in a handicap competition or from a playing opponent, would
receive an extra stroke at each of the holes with a Stroke Index from 1 to 9 inclusive.
The degree of difficulty is a relative term, as the Club Committee is requested
to observe a number of recommendations when setting the stroke index, such as
balancing the numbers between the front and back nine holes of an 18-hole course.
One thing you can guarantee – the stroke index 1 hole has been given that
status for a very good reason.
Qualifying competitions
These are normally club competitions which allow golfers to qualify for his/her
handicap for adjustment purposes. Purely as an example, a competition may be
declared non-qualifying if it is played when many temporary greens are in use,
affecting the overall length of the course.
Standard Scratch Score
This is a fixed number agreed by the Club with the ruling bodies. This is the
score it would be expected a scratch golfer would go round in. This can differ
from the course par by anything up to +3 to –3 of the course par. It is
this number which is used for handicap adjustment, rather than the par of the
course.
Competition Scratch Score
This is arrived at as a result of calculations on the day of a competition,
taking into account the degree of difficulty size of field and generally how
the different handicap categories performed. If this is different to the standard
scratch score, it replaces it for that day.
Qualifying score
Any score, including a ‘no-return’ returned in a qualifying competition.
Net differential
Is the difference (+or-) between the net score returned by a player in a qualifying
competition and the competition scratch score.
Buffer Zone
Adjustments. Changes to handicaps are made in accordance with a set of rules
administered by the national/regional authority. For simplicity’s sake,
a player’s handicap may increase or decrease by a tenth of a point for
every full shot that player is above or below the CSS x the number of their
category. So a 10- handicap player (category 2) coming in 3 below the CSS would
expect to see his handicap reduced by 3 x 0.2 shots = 0.6.
There is a so-called ‘buffer zone’ which prevents handicaps increasing
quite so directly. Again, the category number is used, but this time as a whole
number, and this is applied before any adjustments are made. So a score of 3
over CSS for our 10-handicapper (category 2) would result in an increase in
handicap of just 0.1.
Exact versus Playing handicap
It will be immediately apparent that there is no point moving handicaps up
and down by the odd decimal place if there is no record kept of other than round
numbers. Every player has an exact handicap as well as a playing one. The playing
one is simply the ‘rounded’ whole number of the exact one. Thus
8.4 = 8, 8.5 = 9