ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 27, 2009) - With the “official” golf season coming to an end in the Metropolitan area, it is important to know what scores (if any) played in the winter months are eligible to be posted for handicap purposes. Those who play well in the winter months tend to believe that their scores should not be posted for handicap purposes. Sometimes they even point to the fact that they have forgotten some of the important details about their score – like the actual score – to justify not posting. Those that play poorly in the winter months can’t wait to get those scores posted so when the new season starts in the spring, they’ll be able to cut through the competition like a warm knife through butter! So what’s the deal – post or not? The answer depends on some factors and total score is not one of them. And, as we did last year for the first time, an official Handicap revision will be sent out monthly out-of-season starting in early December.

For the purposes of this discussion, the first thing we want to do is avoid using the term “winter scores”. Strike that one from your memories and let’s make reference only to in-season and out-of-season scores. Scores are in-season when made in an area observing an active season and out-of-season when made in an area observing an inactive season. The next logical questions would be, “who decides the active and inactive season for a region” and “what are the dates for this year”? Section 6-2 of the USGA Handicap System states:

 

The authorized golf association having jurisdiction in an area is responsible for declaring the duration of any inactive season. A golf club located within the area covered by an authorized golf association must observe any inactive season established by the golf association, even if the club is not a member of the association.

So the MGA (along with the NJSGA in New Jersey and CSGA in Connecticut) is responsible for declaring the active and inactive season here in the Met area.  The 2009 active season ended on Tuesday, October 27 meaning that the last day scores made in the Met Area were eligible for posting was the 27. From October 28 until the 2010 season opens on April 1, any round played in the Met Area is NOT eligible to be posted for handicap purposes.

That covers rounds played in the Met Area. Now, what if someone lives in New Jersey in the summer but takes a golfing vacation to Florida in the winter? Or what if the person lives in Florida all winter long? Florida is in-season all year long so any round played in Florida, regardless of the status of the season where the player’s “home course” is located, must be posted for handicap purposes. If the player is a member of a club in Florida and New Jersey, he should make sure that all his scores are reflected in his scoring history at his club in Florida AND at his club in New Jersey.

Now, how should those scores be posted? There are three main ways to post out-of-season scores (or any away score for that matter). The easiest and quickest way, providing the club is on the GHIN or IGN network, is to post your score as a guest at the handicap computer terminal at the club just played. If for some reason that is not possible, those who are members of clubs that allow Internet Score Posting can post their score over the internet. Simply access the MGA Web site at www.mgagolf.org and click on the “Post Online” image. Finally, for those who are “less eager” to report their scores (you better have good reason!), posting the scores at your home club when our season reopens is acceptable. All MGA members will have their indexes revised shortly before our active season begins and all scores posted over the winter will be used in that calculation.

Now what happens when the 2010 season rolls around and your old nemesis, who left the club in October as a 12.0 index, returns as a 16.0 and puts her new found competitive edge to work by walking away with the hardware in the opening day tournament. After you and all the others she left in her rear view mirror are finished blurting out the one-liners and accusations of sandbagging, you think there has got to be a better way. Well there is. Section 8-4c of the USGA Handicap System states that the Handicap Committee has the responsibility of making certain that a player’s USGA Handicap Index reflects her potential ability. There are several circumstances when it may become necessary for the Handicap Committee to modify a player’s USGA Handicap Index. One circumstance points to a situation where numerous away scores change a USGA Handicap Index significantly. Section 8-4cii reads:

 

If a player’s USGA Handicap Index increases by three or more strokes due to the posting of numerous away or Internet scores, and subsequent scores at her club clearly indicate that her increased USGA Handicap Index is too high, the Handicap Committee must adjust her USGA Handicap Index downward.

So there’s your answer for your old nemesis – Section 8-4cii of the USGA Handicap System. And when next year’s season opener rolls around, the Handicap Committee can modify her index back to where it belongs – BEFORE THE OPENING DAY TOURNAMENT! You’ll know the modification has taken place because of the “M” next to her index (e.g. 4.9M). Don’t forget that all eligible scores from the winter months must be posted. I have heard of some clubs refusing to accept scores made in the winter. These clubs insist that it is not fair when some golfers go to Florida (or wherever else) and come back several shots higher while the indices of those that do not play in the winter remain the same as when the season ended. Keep in mind that, while some golfers do see an “unusual” rise in Index over the winter, the majority of golfers who post scores from the winter months see their USGA Handicap Index change appropriately either up or down. So refusing to accept all scores made in the winter because of a few odd cases is not fair to the majority of the golfers. Finally, refusing to accept scores is a direct violation of Section 5 of the USGA Handicap System and could put your club in danger of losing its license to issue USGA Handicap Indexes.

So remember, a score played in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes. When playing out of the area, the status of the season in your home club’s area is irrelevant. The key is the status of the season in the area of the course being played. Follow these rules and you are sure to get it right.

Stay well, stay warm and keep it in the fairway…at least try to.

 

Kevin Kline

Director of Handicapping & Course Rating

Metropolitan Golf Association