Frequently Asked Questions |
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| How are Handicaps calculated? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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. 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. |
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| 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 blind score rule 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. Therefore, it is possible to have a match including blind scores like: 28-24. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How are Blind scores generated? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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, if 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 average gross score. Using the avg gross score, the strokes over par are applied to the holes -- starting with the hardest handicap hole -- and continuing through each of the holes until a single stroke has been applied to every hole. Unless there is a disparity between the actual avg gross and the gross score predicted by the handicap -- then a quad is assigned to the hardest hole. If the discrepancy is more than one, more quadruple bogeys will be assigned until the discrepancy is resolved. 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 avg gross score 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 holes. Obviously, the system isn't perfect but it works fairly well. Example: Golfer Fred has a handicap of 9 and an average gross score of 10.6 over par for his last 5 rounds. Carl has a 9 hdcp and an average gross of 10.4. The blind scores for Fred and
Fred's avg gross would be rounded up to 11 (no partial strokes in golf) and, when compared to his predicted avg gross (9 / .9 = 10), there is a 1 stroke discrepancy which tells us that he typically gets 1 quad / round on average and it is applied to the hardest hole (#4). The remaining 7 strokes over par are applied to the 2nd, 3rd, etc handicap holes until they are exhausted, leaving a par on the easiest hole. Carl's avg gross matches his predicted gross so generating his blind score means simply distributing the 10 strokes over the 9 holes with the extra 10th stroke applied to the hardest hole. |
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| 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? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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If you read the previous answers, 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. |
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| 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 puts some initial $$ in the league kitty 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can I get my tee time changed to a later time? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you need to change your tee time for any given week, you can approach your scheduled opponents to get their ok and then you can approach the foursome that has the tee time you would like to have and ask them to switch with you. The League scheduler can not change times for you after the season schedule has been published but the League does not care if you switch teetimes with another match (assuming it is alright with them ;-). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What is the plan if thundershowers show up while we're on the 5th tee? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrical storms are the only reason (short of a hurricane or flooding)
that is likely to cause the management of Juniper Hills to shut down the
course. As I think you know, we don't have any say in whether we play or
not -- it is completely up to the owners/managers of the course. In theory,
this is the way it works: the folks who run things at Juniper watch the
radar and the sky and, if they determine the proximity of electrical disturbances
is endangering their customers, they blow a horn that (in theory) can be
heard even out on the 5th hole (I'm not convinced it can be heard on Lakeside's
7th tee...;-). If you hear the horn blown during play, you must return to
the clubhouse to wait for the lightning to leave the area. When or whether
the course reopens is again, up to the management at Juniper. If they allow
play to resume, you are expected to walk back out to where you left off
and resume play. If they do not allow play to resume, they will make individual
determinations of who deserves a refund and who doesn't (in the past this
has depended on what hole you were playing when the course was closed --
generally, they have given the league a partial refund for anyone who hadn't reached the 8th tee). Please let me make one thing perfectly clear -- if the horn blows, the course is CLOSED and you must leave the course, even if you don't think it is dangerous. One more useful tip: if the horn does blow, mark the position of your ball with a tee and take your ball with you -- in case play does not resume. |
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| How do I get a friend on the Sublist and establish a BGL handicap for them? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Four things are required to add someone to the Sublist:
Get these 4 things in to me by end of the day on Wednesday and I will typically have added them to the handicap by the next day's competition. |