World Handicap System 2020

Welcome Back From The Handicap Committee  Well, we survived the winter and are looking forward to the start of the golf season at The Club at North Halton. Just a few reminders as we all hit the course on or around April 25th, 2022. The active golf season in Ontario for posting scores for handicap purposes is April 15th through October 31st. The Handicap Committee strongly recommends that members maintain a valid handicap to be eligible to enter most, if not all, events at North Halton. We do not want any member to decide to enter an event and find out that their entry could be impeded by the lack of score postings. We are not a committee that is punitive, however, we are entrusted to maintain the spirit of the game for competitions, which includes a level playing field for everyone.  Posting your scores hole by hole is Strongly recommended by Golf Canada and the Handicap Committee, but not mandatory at North Halton. Posting hole by hole takes very little time and can be done on your phone, computer, tablet, and on the handicap computer in the Pro Shop. Welcome back Pro Shop Computer, we missed you due to Covid protocols (touchpoints). One of the biggest advantages is that the computer will adjust any high scores based on the maximum score of double net bogey.  This is particularly advantageous to members that struggle with this calculation after years of the easy ESC (Equitable Stroke Control). Stay tuned, and we hope to see many of you enjoying the course, posting their scores and entering the many events offered by the Women’s and Men’s Sections this year.  The Handicap Committee Further Information All Members are required to post your scores for all rounds played, preferably on the actual date you played.   Golfers below a minimum 90% posting rate will lose status to play          in any club events.   It is understood that golfers may play rounds that are not appropriate for posting for various reasons such as playing with their spouse and/or     children, playing less than the required holes for posting eligibility, or not playing by the rules of golf.  In these instances the onus is on the player to send an email to professionalshop@nhgcc.ca with the subject line: “Excluded Round—Month/Day” Your Handicap Committee appreciates your support and your      understanding that accuracy of handicaps is integral to the integrity of our competitions.   ************************************************************************ WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM ESR - Exceptional Score Reduction ESR is a procedure for dealing with exceptional scores which may indicate the player’s true ability. All scores are considered, rather than only tournament scores.  How does it work? Calculate Score Differential once a score is posted and playing conditions calculation is applied (when appropriate).  (Score differential is the adjusted gross score – course rating – playing conditions calculation) x (113/slope rating) Don’t panic this calculation is done automatically by the computer and has been done this way for quite some time  If Score Differential is -7.0 to 9.9 strokes or better than the Handicap Index from when the round was played then ESR is -1 If the Score Differential is -10 or better than the Handicap Index from when the round was played then the ESR is -2  Apply ESR table reduction to newly calculated Handicap.         5.  A reduction can be applied based on a single exceptional score. Reductions for multiple exceptional scores are applied cumulatively. A reduction is automatically applied within the calculation of a player’s updated Handicap Index following the submission of an exceptional score. A reduction for an exceptional score is applied by adjusting each of the most recent 20 Score Differentials recorded in the player’s scoring record, which includes the exceptional score. As a result, the impact of the reduction will remain after the next score is submitted but will dilute over time as new scores are submitted. Where there are fewer than 20 Score Differentials in a player’s scoring record at the time an exceptional score is submitted, the reduction is applied by adjusting all of the Score Differentials recorded in the player's scoring record, which includes the exceptional score. Video Link: Exceptional Scores World Handicap Video ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why We Need You to Post Your Score On The  Day You Play

PLAYING CONDITIONS CALCULATION (PCC) Golf is  an outdoor game and thus weather conditions come into play with your expected performance. Course ratings are based on normal playing conditions but the difficulty of the course can vary substantially from day to day due to the above plus course conditions and course setup.  Rule Change for 2020: When abnormal course or weather conditions cause scores to be unusually high or low on a given day, a “Playing Conditions Calculation” will adjust Score Differentials to better reflect a player’s actual performance. The “PCC” is: 1. An automatic procedure by the computation service that compares the scores submitted on the day against expected scoring patterns, 2.  Conservative in nature and applied in integer values, and 3. Applied in the Score Differential calculation of all players – even those who submit their score(s) on a later date. Reasons for Change: 1.To provide a mechanism that allows a better assessment of the difficulty of a course on a particular day. 2. Golf is an outdoor sport with many factors that can impact scoring (weather, rough height, hole locations, etc.). 3. A score of 90 made under challenging conditions could be a more impressive performance than an 88 under normal conditions – and incorporating a Playing Conditions Calculation allows this to be represented. This is one of the more modern features of the system, but a similar calculation has been used successfully in other parts of the world. The PCC is designed to be conservative, so if an adjustment is taking place 4-5 days a week, then the Course Rating may not be accurately representing the difficulty of the golf course. The ability to identify such courses will provide enhanced integrity to the system. The system analyzes how players have performed that day compared to their expected performance on the golf course. If expected results fall outside  a tolerance level, an adjustment will apply to all scores played on that course that day  Is performed only once for a day. Considers acceptable scores submitted on a golf course, including all rated tees and both genders. Requires at least eight acceptable scores submitted by players with a Handicap Index of 36.0 or below. Is applied in the calculation of score differentials for all players. Includes both 9-hole and 18-hole acceptable scores. Regardless of when the score is posted, the PCC will impact the score differential. The maximum PCC calculation is is + or -1 to +3  SO PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR SCORES ON THE  DAY YOU PLAY SO YOUR SCORES CAN BE PART OF THE PCC . THE PCC NUMBERS ARE DONE NIGHTLY AT MIDNIGHT IN ALL TIME ZONES AND APPLIED AT THAT TIME IF APPLICABLE. Video explaining the PCC _________________________________________________________________________________________________

This notice of the new handicap system is sent from the North Halton Handicap Committee.  Barb Rieger is the contact if you have any questions.

World Handicap System

ESC REPLACED BY NET DOUBLE BOGEY Times are changing and  concessions were  made to have harmony developing the World Handicap System (WHS). The concept of Equitable Stroke Control, as of January 1, 2020 has gone the way of the Edsel.  ESC came into being in 2012 and is exiting 8 years later. In its place is the concept of the NET DOUBLE BOGEY as the MAXIMUM SCORE you can take on a hole. Although this concept can be a bit confusing at first soon you will be comfortable with its calculation.  You must know your course handicap from the tee box that you are using that day. That handicap will be added on to the par plus double bogey allowing you extra strokes on those handicap holes. If you worry that you can not figure out the Net Double Bogey correctly you can always enter your gross score in the computer Hole by Hole (HBH). I know that you may think this is very onerous and time consuming but it took me maybe 15 seconds to enter my scores that way. You enter your gross score and the computer automatically adjusts that score to the Net Double Bogey. Golf Canada is really advocating this HBH method for many reasons. If you are worried about lining up at the computer you can do it through the Golf Canada website as I did ( I understand the App is not that user friendly but give it a whirl). If you do not have an account with Golf Canada ask any of the Club Pros to get you hooked up and a username will be assigned to you then you just have to set up a password and voila, online score entry from the comforts of your home, car, if you are not driving, etc. Also once set up you can change your username if you so desire.                                                         EXAMPLES   If your course Handicap is 18 and if par on the hole is 4 then 2 for a double bogie + 4  for the hole par and + 1 for your Handicap allotted stroke holes. If your course Handicap is 22 and if par on the hole is 4 then 2 for a double bogie  + 4 for the hole par and, here’s where it gets a bit tricky,1 for each hole + 1 for each of the 4 most difficult holes equaling your total of your Handicap allotted stroke holes. The  score cards all designate which holes are shown by their level of difficulty for both men and women and they differ by gender. If your handicap is zero then your maximum score under the NDB method would be 5 on a par 3, 6 on a par 4 and 7 or a par 5. If your handicap is 18 then your maximum score under the NDB method would be 6 on a par 3, 7 on a par 4 and 8 on a par 5. The calculations are not as intuitive for handicaps that are not multiples of 18.     We know this may or may not sound confusing so if you just put your scores either in the Club Computer or on the Golf Canada website Hole by Hole the site will do the computing for you.     Our Club recommends this but has NOT made it MANDATORY like other Clubs. Our Club Computer still defaults to total score entry but is is super easy to click on Hole by Hole ( HBH) and enter your score that way. Reasons for Change The Net Double Bogey adjustment is more consistent from hole to hole than the ESC procedure. For example – using the ESC procedure, a player with a Course Handicap of 21 would have the same maximum score (8) on each hole – regardless of the Par or difficulty of the hole. By factoring in Par and Stroke Index values under the Net Double Bogey procedure, adjusted hole scores will be more precise and reflective of each player’s demonstrated ability. This is a more personal assessment compared to the grouping together of Course Handicap ranges. While this is a change for all who have used the Golf Canada Handicap System, Net Double Bogey has been used successfully in many parts of the world – as it is the equivalent to zero points in the Net Stableford format of play which is widely used elsewhere. The 2019 “Rules of Golf” introduced the maximum score form of stroke play, and Net Double Bogey was included as a recommended maximum score. When Net Double Bogey is the maximum score set by the Committee, no adjustments are necessary for handicap purposes. Below is a link to a video about net double bogey. Love the accent!  https://youtu.be/hKcTA_87UUk