Frequently Asked Questions |
|
|
|
| How are Handicaps calculated? |
|
In the League, we calculate handicaps based on the most recent 5 (9 hole) rounds turned in. The 5 scores are first adjusted by throwing out all strokes over a triple bogey -- that is, if you got an 9 on a par 5, we count it as a 8 for the purposes of handicap calculation. Then the adjusted scores (compared to par) are averaged and finally, we take 90% of the total and round it to the nearest whole number. So, for example, if a player had scores of 10, 12, 11, 17, and 9 over par for his most recent 5 rounds, the average would be 11.8 and 90% of that would be 10.6 (listed as 'Actual' on the handicap page) -- with a final handicap of 11 after rounding it up. By the way, 10.49 is rounded down to 10 but 10.50 is rounded up to 11. At the beginning of the season, we encourage everyone to turn in at least 2 handicap scores before league play begins but if a league member turns in less than 2, we will use the most recent 2 scores we have -- from the previous season. We do NOT do this for subs however -- Subs are not deemed to have a valid handicap for competition until they have turned in 2 handicap scores from the *current* year. If a player new to the league does not turn in 2 scores before league play begins, they are assigned a (relatively low) handicap until they have turned in 2 scores to establish their actual handicap. To see how *your* handicap has been calculated, go to the Latest_Handicaps page and click on your handicap -- it will take you to a page detailing how it was calculated. |
| How do our League Handicaps compare to USGA Handicaps? |
| There are a couple of big differences between our handicaps and official USGA handicaps. First, our handicaps are a reflection of how a player has been playing lately -- most commonly over the last month and a half -- USGA handicaps span your last 20 18 hole rounds which would be about 3 years of league play. A bigger difference is our handicaps predict how you are likely to shoot in your next round whereas the USGA handicap predict the *best* you are likely to shoot in your next round. Another big difference is the USGA uses the 'Slope' of the course where you played to weight your score and it also assumes you are playing by USGA rules when you turn in a score. |
| Why did my Handicap go down when I shot a bad round?!? |
| This question perplexes at least one or two people every season -- the answer is: league handicaps are based on the most recent 5 scores so every time you turn in a new score, an old one - from (approximately) 6 weeks previous - 'drops out' of the calculation. If the score that is dropping out is worse than the new score, your handicap can go DOWN! Of course, the inverse is also true but -- strangely enough -- no one has ever asked me why their handicap went UP after shooting a good round! |
| Can I get a USGA Handicap from my League scores? |
| No, we can't give USGA handicaps from our league scores because we don't follow USGA rules during League play -- specifically, we break the rules in one important area: we don't enforce the stroke-and-distance penalty for Out of Bounds and Lost Balls in an attempt to speed up play. Technically, scores from League play should not be turned in for USGA handicaps. |
| How are the Matches scored? |
| Please refer to the section of Match Scoring in the League Rules. |
| Why doesn't our Match score add up to 60? |
| There has been a change to the scoring rules regarding Blind scores. Obviously, no one wants to use a blind score but the rule was changed so that when they are used the missing players do not benefit tremendously without showing up. The rule change is this: if a player does not play and does not have a sub, their generated blind score cannot take more than half of the available 20 points in the individual match and their team match score cannot exceed half the available 20 points either. The opposing team does NOT get the 'extra' points -- they simply go unawarded. Therefor, it is possible to have a match including blind scores like: 28-24. |
| How are Blind scores generated? |
|
When generating a Blind score, an attempt is made to create a 'typical' score for that player on that course based on his/her handicap and average gross score over the previous 5 rounds -- emphasis on 'typical'. We don't average the scores received so far on each individual hole because it is likely the player hasn't played the specific course enough to have a statistically meaningful sample. Rather, we take his handicap, calculate what gross score it predicts and compare that to his actual average gross score and this tells us how many quadruple bogeys he/she typically gets in a round. All of this information is used to create a 'typical' score for the player on that particular course. Furthermore, it the player didn't have a substitute or attempt to get a substitute for the round, an additional 2 stroke penalty is added to the predicted gross score. Once the gross score is predicted, the strokes over par are applied to the holes starting with the hardest handicap holes and continuing through each of the holes until a single stroke has been applied to every hole. If there are additional strokes left over to be distributed, the next one goes to the hardest hole again, etc. until they are exhausted. In other words, if the gross score predicted is 16 over par, the blind score will contain double-bogey on each of the hardest 7 holes and a single bogey on the easiest 2 hole. Obviously, the system isn't perfect but it works fairly well. |
| I had a sub -- why was a blind score used for me? |
| Subs need to have a valid handicap before their scores can be used in competition and the League Rules specify that a Sub's handicap isn't 'valid' until they've turned in 2 9 hole rounds from the current year -- we do NOT use scores from previous years to establish a Sub's handicap. |
| Why didn't my Blind score get 10 points against another Blind score? |
|
If you read the previous answer, you already know that Blind scores are intended to be a 'typical' score for the individual so when a blind score is matched against another Blind score, there is no guarantee they will come out even -- in fact, they probably won't! Overall, however, it is unlikely that one will beat the other by a significant amount and the limitation on how many points a blind score can win keeps someone from getting a lot of points without showing up. It could be argued that we should just force a Blind score vs. Blind score to be a 'push' and this rule change is being considered for next year -- let us know if you feel strongly about it one way or the other. |
| Why did I get penalized in my Blind score? |
| The League Rules call for a penalty if a player does not show up for play and hasn't notified the League officers in advance they won't be able to make it. We haven't been incredibly strict about the notification -- all we ask is that you attempt to find a sub by sending out email before noon on Thursday saying you won't be there. |
| What is the 'membership fee' at the beginning of the season for? |
| The membership fee pays for your shirt at the end of the season as well as the season-ending party. It is needed by the league to 'jump-start' the league coffers before the season starts so there will be money to pay Juniper a deposit and to pay for the first week of play (because there are always people who haven't paid yet). |
| What is the Maximum score permitted on any given hole? |
| The League rules limit the score to Par + 4 for any given hole -- therefor, you should pick up your ball after 7 strokes on a par 3, 8 strokes on a par 4, and 9 strokes on a par 5. PLEASE don't hit the 10th shot! |
| Why doesn't my browser show the new results? |
| If you've viewed the page in question any time in the last few days (how long depends on your browser settings), you might have to hit the 'Refresh' button (or 'Reload') to get the browser to load the updated page. |