Working With the Competition Committee

The Competition Committee typically organizes and runs competitions for the club. The Handicap Committee should consult with the Competition Committee to ensure the following items are decided in advance and clearly communicated:

  • Establish the Terms of the competition for all applicable events at the club.
  • Establish a schedule of events that caters to players of all abilities, offering all members the opportunity to post acceptable scores for handicap purposes.
  • In certain circumstances, the Competition Committee (or the Handicap Committee) has the discretion to decide what Playing Handicap the player should use for specific rounds being played.
  • If needed, jointly obtain approval from the appropriate AGA requesting a suspension of score submission due to exceptionally poor course conditions.
  • Refer to and use the recommended handicap allowances outlined in Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping for various formats of play.
    • Using the Terms of the competition, scorecards, pairings sheet, or other methods, players should be alerted of any handicap allowances that will be applied to the unrounded Course Handicap to determine the Playing Handicap for the competition.
  • The Handicap Committee should examine the results of competitions and take appropriate action if needed. For example, if a player repeatedly wins or places high in net competitions, then a handicap review to ensure their Handicap Index is reflective of their demonstrated ability would be appropriate.
  • Determine the Handicap Index eligibility requirements for the event.
  • Determine the stroke index allocation to be used for the competition.
    • In mixed competitions where players play their own ball and where allocations are different for men and women, the players are to receive strokes based on their respective stroke allocations.
    • In mixed foursomes, including selected drive match play (each side plays one ball), strokes should be received based on the allocation for men.
  • Determine the Handicap Index to be used for the competition.
    • It is recommended to use the Handicap Index in effect on a date as close to the start of the competition as possible with consideration to the preparation work that needs to take place (pairing, scorecards, etc.).
    • If the competition is played across multiple weeks in a season (such as a season long match play competition), it is recommended to use the player’s Handicap Index on the date that each individual match is played to calculate their Playing Handicap.
  • For multi-round events, determine if the Handicap Index will be updated between rounds or if the Handicap Index at the start of the competition will be used for all rounds.
    • To ease administrative tasks, it is recommended the Handicap Index remain unchanged between rounds for the duration of the competition.
    • If a round is started and play is then suspended, the Handicap Index in effect at the beginning of the round should be used until the round is completed.
  • The USGA strongly encourages the Competition Committee to post scores in formats in which all players are expected or required to hole out, such as individual stroke play. For other formats, such as match play or four-ball stroke play, where holing out by all may not be required under the Rules of Golf, clearly encouraging the players to post their own scores for handicap purposes is recommended*. In all competition situations, the Committee should announce who is responsible for the posting of scores for handicap purposes. The Committee (preferably the Handicap Committee, in consultation with the Competition Committee) must announce in advance whether the score will be identified by the letter “C” when posted.
    • Even if the same Handicap Index is used throughout the event, it is important for scores to be posted at the end of each day.
    • The player’s full, unrestricted Course Handicap should be used for the calculation of the adjusted gross score based on the Handicap Index on the day the competition was played.

    * When a player starts a hole but does not hole out for a valid reason, they still have an acceptable score for handicap purposes. See Rule 3.3 When a Hole is Started But Player Does Not Hole Out of the Rules of Handicapping to learn about the application of most likely score.