Short Course HandicapBy Peter Dennis, USGA Assistant Director of
Handicapping and Course Rating
Four beginners gather at the No. 1 tee of their city's
developmental "short" course. They've been playing
for about a month and are beginning to feel comfortable enough to
enjoy some of the game's competitive aspects. Just before the
first player hits that first tee shot, one of them asks a
question: "What is everybody's handicap?"
The fact that each can answer with a bona fide number, and not
some imaginary assessment of their ability, marks an important
step for the USGA Handicap System. In the next few months,
players at about 2000 developmental courses around the country
can obtain short-course handicaps. With this new set of
procedures, the USGA erases a long-standing gap in the handicap
system that did not allow for handicaps at courses less than
3,000 yards.
Short course construction has boomed in the United States in the
recent years and shows few signs of slowing. Many players
beginning the game take their first steps on these layouts, often
through organizations receiving grants from the USGA's
"For the Good of the Game" program. Others are
affiliated with the First Tee - a program the USGA has backed
with millions of dollars in contributions - which has the goal of
establishing short courses and learning centers in major
metropolitan areas around the U.S.
State, regional, and local associations will administer short
course rating and handicap procedures, just as with
standard-length layouts. Many associations will spend the summer
rating these courses preparing for the short course's formal
introduction on Jan. 1.
Short courses have been known by many names, but were never
covered under the USGA Handicap System. Par-3 layouts, some
"executive" and practice courses of less than nine
holes fell outside the handicap system's mathematical
boundaries. The computations of the rating system concentrate on
courses greater than 3,000 yards for 18 holes. That meant
beginners could not receive a handicap until they joined the
mainstream.
The short course system also solves the problem of how to address
facilities not having a configuration of nine or 18 holes,
another requirement of the handicap system. The short course
procedure allows using any combination of holes.
As with the USGA Handicap System for standard length course
ratings, the game's best players provided the yardstick to
calculate the formulas for short course ratings. The USGA studied
how U.S. Amateur and Women's Amateur competitors played the
shortest holes during stroke-play qualifying rounds. This study
translated the USGA's standard-length rating knowledge to
combinations of individual holes as short as a few dozen yards.
The short course handicap cannot be applied to other layouts.
That means the four players gathering on the No. 1 tee have an
accurate sense of their ability for only that facility. By the
time they progress to visiting other courses, they should have
graduated to standard-length layouts and receive a handicap index
that can be applied anywhere. In the meantime, they'll have
the footing to mark their own development from their earliest
steps in the game.