the System to identify those golfers who save their best play for only the most important events. So the moral of the story is that less is actually more when it comes to T-scores.
So Long Solo (Rounds, Not Han) By far the most controversial amendment surrounds the unac- ceptability of scores recorded while playing alone. This has drawn the ire of many a golfer and one country due north of the United States. The fact is, peer review (the
right that we all enjoy to review and confirm the scores of others) is the heart and soul of handicapping. It is what truly brings to life the numbers we are issued twice a month. And if you think about it, the opportunity to exercise peer review is presented in
virtually every golf experience except one—those occasions when we play alone. So in the eyes of the USGA, a policy of no longer accepting scores when playing alone represents, in effect, the closing of a loophole. Nothing more, nothing less.
World Handicap System Just one more handicap cycle to navigate and the World Handicap System will be upon us. A reboot of handicapping, if you will, that melds many of the best attributes and best practices from various systems around the globe. Attributes that golfers, I am convinced, will rally behind. I look forward to sharing details of
the WHS as they are released. In the meantime, may the course (and not the gorse), be with you!
USGA FAQs
Scores Made While Playing Alone
Q: Why will scores made while playing alone no longer be eligible for posting?
A: Primarily, to support a key tenet of the USGA Handicap System: peer review. Knowing golfers rely on the integrity of the system to produce an accurate view of playing ability, this change helps golfers form a better basis to support or dispute scores that have been posted to a player’s scoring record. The majority of handicapping authorities around the globe have employed this policy for some time. With them, the USGA believes it provides a more accurate view of a golfer’s ability, supporting integrity, fairness and equitable play among all golfers.
Q: What constitutes not playing alone? A: As long as someone accompanies the player during the round (e.g., fellow competitor, opponent, caddie, marker for a tournament, friend riding along in a cart) the player is not playing alone.
Q: How many holes can a player play alone to post the score?
A: The player must be accompanied for at least seven holes for a nine-hole score or 13 holes for 18-hole score. This is consistent with Section 5-1 and the minimum number of holes played under the Rules of Golf. For the holes played alone (not accompanied), the player would treat these as not played under the Rules of Golf and post according to “par plus” any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive.
For more information, see Section 4-2.
Jim Cowan is the NCGA’s Director of Course Rating and Handicapping
Playing by yourself, but have a caddie? You are still required to post this score.
WINTER 2016 /
NCGA.ORG / 63
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