SOFTWARE SUPPORT
HANDICAP REVIEW
The World Handicap System proposes statistical tools to support the handicap review by Handicap Committees, to ensure that a player’s Handicap Index reflects their demonstrated ability (Rules of Handicapping – Rule 7, Appendix D and Rule 3.2 of the Local Guidance for Golf Club Committees).
The review process should take place frequently, such as every 6 to 3 months and at least once a year.
HANDICAP COMMITTEE PROCEDURES
HANDICAP COMMITTEE PROCEDURES
1. Consult the statistical tools:
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General review for all members affiliated through the Club
– Globally assess the handicaps of the players federated by the Club and identify those flagged by the test.
Club Area -> Administration -> Handicap Review -> Set starting date & set the Margin -> Calculate
Set the period for the two tests:
Different review periods (e.g. last year or last six months) can be tested to compare with recent performance.
Set the margin of difference between the average SD in general play and the average SD in competition:
Different margins of difference can be tested (e.g., selecting 3 flags players with an average score differential in general play of +3 (plays worse in general play) and -3 (plays better in general play).
Take note or export the flagged players.
Notes:
– Review by Range and Adjustment proposal:
The test determines whether a player’s score differentials, during the period of analysis, are adequately within their expected range given the current Handicap Index and flags players with consistently score differentials above or below the expected range.
– Difference between General Play and Competition
The test calculates the difference between the averages of the score differential for general play and competition during the analysis period and flags players with differences greater than the defined margin. No adjustment value is proposed. -
Specific review of the player
Club Area -> Players List -> Search Member File -> Handicap Review button -> CalculateThe Handicap Committee should individually review each player who has been flagged and any others identified by the Handicap Committee.
On each player’s specific Handicap Review page, additional statistical information is available.- Additional Measures – Review Period
For the selected period:
– Evaluate the statistical measures by ‘Result Origin’ and “No. of Holes” of the score differentials, in terms of number, average, net average, maximum and minimum, and identify differences or patterns,– Assess the number of ‘No Returns’ and possible repetitions,
– Check if the following has been applied to the Handicap Index:
. Cap
. Exceptional Scores
. Adjustments by the Handicap Committee- Additional Measures – Current Handicap Index
– Evaluate the composition of the current Handicap Index, i.e. that one produced by the most recent handicap calculation, and consider the difference between scores in general play and competition, if applicable.
For this calculation, neither international nor imported scores are considered.
2. Consider other aspects:
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Evaluate the player’s complete scoring record and its evolution, including upward or downward trends and years with handicap. Check:
– The last time and how long ago the player played to their Handicap Index, i.e. that they had a score differential identical to the current Handicap Index.
– Whether the best rounds included in the calculations are more recent, older, or evenly distributed.
Club Area -> Players List -> Search Member File -> Handicap Index -> Check Calculations icon -> rounds in red.
– For players with a Handicap Index higher than 36.0, check for the effective application of ‘reductions only’ (Appendix Z of the Rules of Handicapping).
Club Area -> Member List -> Search Member File -> Handicap Index -> Check Calculations icon -> ‘Score Average’
- It is possible to export the handicap record to Excel and carry out additional calculations, such as comparing home and away scores.
- Consider all known information about the player’s performance, such as scores in formats of play not acceptable for handicapping, information provided by other players or clubs, training frequency, etc.
- Additional procedures and investigations in the event of the detection of considerable differences or extreme values, namely:
- between scores in general play versus competition;
- in the classification of competitions in handicapped versus non-handicapped formats;
- in club competitions versus competitions run by other organisers;
- frequent no-return/disqualified cards without a card in competition.
– Carry out detailed monitoring of the scores in general play, namely, playing dates and pre-registration dates and identification of the marker (the data is available by following the instructions).
– If in doubt, contact:
- the player, ask questions and provide educational information on good practices for submitting scores;
- the marker (and/or their affiliated club);
- the golf course where the round was played.
– Investigate in detail the player’s performance in competitions not valid for handicap and, if in doubt, contact the organiser.
– Consider applying a handicap adjustment or freezing the handicap.
– Consider whether the player may have gained any potential unfair advantage by submitting, not submitting or possibly selecting scores. Examples of player actions that may have contributed to this include:
- maintaining or increasing the Handicap Index to gain an advantage in net.
- lowering or maintaining a low Handicap Index to gain an advantage in eligibility to participate in competitions.
3. Decide and apply the Handicap Index adjustment:
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Follow the appropriate administrative procedures:
– Make a record of the decision and state the reasons for it in the Handicap Committee’s minutes or report,
– Give the player the opportunity to contribute, to the extent possible, towards the Handicap Index adjustment process and inform them of the decision.
– Make the adjustment, if that is the decision. The updated Handicap Index comes into effect upon registration in the national central handicap computation system.
Software instructions: Link
- Follow the appropriate regulatory and technical procedures:
– Once the review process has begun, proceed promptly and, if necessary, recalculate.
– Even if the ‘review value’ suggests an adjustment of more than 2 strokes, the Handicap Committee should only consider making an adjustment of more than 2 strokes in exceptional circumstances.
– Adjustments that increase the Handicap Index by more than 5.0 strokes or result in a Handicap Index lower than 2.0 require ratification by the CHCR of the FPG.
– When there is a decision to freeze the Handicap Index (Rule 7.1 ii), the request may be made to the Hcps Dept. of the FPG, duly supported.
4. In the event of an appeal by the player:
- Decisions made by the Handicap Committee can be appealed by the player to the HCRC of the FPG.
– Before appealing, the player should analyse the matter with the Handicap Committee of their Home Club. The player will be informed that the Handicap Committee has the right to apply an adjustment as part of the handicap review and is directed to appeal internally first at Club level.
– If an appeal is made to the HCRC of the FPG, as part of the technical review process, a report will be requested from both parties.
– Appeals to the HCRC of the FPG follow the procedures set out in Rule 3.2 of the Local Guidance for Golf Club Committees of the Rules of Handicapping.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STATISTICAL TOOLS AVAILABLE IN THE CLUB AREA
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Player’s current Handicap Index®
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Score Differential™ (SD) of rounds acceptable for handicap, from individual stroke play and calculated according to the definition in the Rules of Handicapping. Note: Differential scores obtained in Four Ball are not considered.
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Review period, corresponding to the period of time between the start date and the end date.
In the general review, for all federated players, the following selection filters are available:
– Flagged players only
– Margin of Avg SD Difference (General Play-Competition)
To flag players, keep the ‘Flagged players only’ filter selected, enter the desired ‘Margin’ and click on calculate.
Other possible selection options are:
– If the ‘margin’ is 0, only the Range Review is performed
– If the selection ‘Flagged players only’ is removed and the ‘Margin’ is 0, the calculations for all players are displayed.
– If the selection ‘Flagged players only’ is removed and the “Margin” is defined, the ‘SD Average’ difference calculations for all players are displayed.
Range Review
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Current Handicap: The player’s current Handicap Index.
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No. of Scores: Number of score differentials included in the review. Includes information on the number of scores that would be required to flag the player.
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Review Value: Handicap Index value identified by the algorithm at the end of the review calculation.
Note: In exceptional cases, the calculation can result in both up and down values for assessment.
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Up/Down Review: Adjustment suggested by the algorithm in the calculation. It refers to the whole process, or to a specific step.
E.g. Review Up of 0 represents no change; Review Up of 1 represents a rise of 1.0 in the Handicap Index.
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Steps: Number of steps in the iterative procedure.
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Hcp Up/Down Handicap Index value to be tested for possible handicap increase/decrease.
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Upper/Lower Flag Level: Limits of the range test.
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No. Scores High/Low: Number of score differentials above/below the flag levels.
To determine whether a player’s score differentials, during the period of analysis, are adequately within their expected range given the current Handicap Index and to flag players with consistently score differentials above or below the expected range.
The algorithm uses the current Handicap Index as a reference and determines the upper and lower limits of the expected range of scores. It then counts the number of scores outside these limits. If the number exceeds what is expected, the player is flagged for review.
The process is repeated until it finds a ‘Review Value’ corresponding to a suitable Handicap Index, where the score differentials would be within the limits.
The statistical range is wide, detecting only a small percentage of players.
The test detects unexpected scores in relation to the current Handicap Index, however, in specific cases, the direction of the ‘review value’ may not be appropriate, and requires careful evaluation by the Handicap Committee, such as in situations of:
. High variability of scores,
. Rapid player evolution,
. Different time periods for analysis, which may justify considering different intervals for evaluation.
Additional Measures
Additional statistical analyses, also referring to the review period, which include:
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Origin of Scores: Identification of scores by typology (Total, Competition, General Play, International and Imported) and No. of Holes (18 and 9 holes).
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No. of Scores: Counts the score differentials recorded.
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Average SD: Average of the score differentials.
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Average SD Net: Average of the net score differentials, i.e. the difference between the differential score and the player’s Handicap Index, at the time of the score.
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Example: SD=23.5 and Handicap Index = 22.0 -> SD Net = 1.5
Notes:
Positive values, with no sign, represent scores that are worse than the Handicap Index; negative values, with a ‘Plus’ sign (+), represent scores that are better than the Handicap Index.
Net SD Totals do not include imported scores.
It is not recommended to consider this measure for dates before the initial handicap assignment, as a Handicap Index value of 54.0 is automatically applied.
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Max SD: Maximum value of the score differentials.
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Min SD: Minimum value of the score differentials.
These measures do not directly propose a review value but help to assess the player’s demonstrated ability.
– Source of Scores
The number of scores in the period and the measures by type make it easier to understand the player’s profile in terms of the most frequent formats of play and their performance in them. Huge disparities are not expected and if they do exist, they should be researched. At a national level, it is somewhat more frequent to see better scores in general play compared to competitive play than the other way round, but it is to be expected that this difference, if it exists, is not extreme.
– No. Return Scores: The repetition of no return scores, not acceptable for handicapping, requires the intervention of the Handicap Committee. The Handicap Committee should consider what possible impact these scores would have on the Handicap Index and apply an adjustment.
– No. Caps: Number of handicap calculations limited by the Soft Cap or the Hard Cap.
– No. of Exceptional Scores: Number of Exceptional Scores.
– No. of Handicap Adjustments: Number of handicap adjustments applied by the Handicap Committee.
Starting Date: date of the oldest score counting towards the most recent handicap calculation.
SD Average Difference (General Play – Competition): calculation of the difference between the average of the score differentials in General Play, compared to the average of the score differentials in Competition, in the most recent handicap calculation.
Notes:
– If there are no scores for one of the two types, the calculation is not performed.
– Imported and international scores are not counted because it is not technically possible to verify whether they were played in competition or in general play.
22/07/2025
