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Hole Handicap - What does it actually mean

blugold

blugold

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Albatross 2024 Club
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Interesting read from the owner and head professional at my home course...

http://www.golfwisconsin.com/articles/article.cfm?ID=2049

scorecard_royalstpats.jpg


Unveiling The Hole Handicap Mystery

The Smartest Person in The Room...

By Nick Stephens



This past winter we changed all our handicap holes and re-printed our scorecards. After 10 years and tons of historical data entered by our players, we can actually see where the strokes are needed. If you want to be the smartest person in the room next time you're in a handicap discussion, say this: "Handicap Holes are NOT a list of holes from hardest to easiest! Allocating handicap strokes is a method to Equalize, not to give an Advantage to one player over the other. A stroke should be given on a hole where higher handicap players would need "help" to halve the hole with a better player".

In order to figure out where the strokes should fall, we need to calculate the holes with the greatest differential between good players and average players, not the holes that are the most difficult. So that's what we did. We took the hole-by-hole scores of Group A (players of handicap 8 or lower). We averaged all of them. Then we took Group B (players of handicap 14-24), we took their hole-by-hole score and averaged them. When you compare the two lists, the hole with the greatest differential in score averages, becomes your number one handicap hole. This is the hole where the average player needs more help. That hole is #3. Good players (average 5.23) can knock it on in two, average players (average 6.28) can hit in the water 2 or 3 times. They need help. Is it the "hardest hole?" No, but it is the hole of greatest differential. Let's take #15 the par 3. It used to have a handicap of 4, now it's 16. You say, "but that hole is hard". Yes, it's hard for everyone. Good players average 3.69, average players average 4.04, there is hardly a differential, so no one should get a stroke. We think this change will be really good for future competitions out here, and the changes will definitely make future matches more strategic.

Eric and I would be very happy to explain more of this process if you are interested. We ask going forward, that all players who play here enter hole-by-hole information when posting your handicaps. This provides the data to make future adjustments to ensure equity.
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Very interesting read there. The statistical analysis behind it really makes a sound argument for where the strokes should be given. I, for one, hate when a par 3 is a stroke hole. Your new score card looks very fair and hopefully it does have a positive impact on equalizing and making the game more fun.
 
It shatters the common belief that the holes' handicap are ranked for difficulty. I wonder how many courses actually look at it this way...
 
I'd like to mention this is an excellent course if anybody ever wanted to have an event or get together in this region...
 
Good read and very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
 
This is a great, simple, explanation of a topic that can get complicated. Thanks for posting Blu.
 
blugold said:
It shatters the common belief that the holes' handicap are ranked for difficulty. I wonder how many courses actually look at it this way...
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I bet most courses with the help of their regional association look at it that way. It's just tough to pass that down to your golfers.
 
And I just learned something today. Thanks for sharing.
 
Good read, thanks for sharing
 
blugold said:
It shatters the common belief that the holes' handicap are ranked for difficulty. I wonder how many courses actually look at it this way...
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Do you happen to mean difficulty based on length of the hole relative to par? A shorter par 5 at your course is more difficult than a longer one because of design and the scoring tendency of players at different skill levels. This is a great approach to it IMO and something I may bring up to my course.
 
Very interesting, they actually just adjusted all that at my home course, great read!
 
tpluff said:
Do you happen to mean difficulty based on length of the hole relative to par? A shorter par 5 at your course is more difficult than a longer one because of design and the scoring tendency of players at different skill levels. This is a great approach to it IMO and something I may bring up to my course.
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Actually, the hardest hole per stroke average to par is actually the 7th. But high and low capers score high. A lot of courses assign handicap on holes based on highest stroke average, at least it feels like that.
 
I wonder how a brand new course assigns the handicap strokes, since they have no playing record to go off of.
 
Agreed that this is how it should be. Unfortunately I do not think it's standard practice.
 
Good information and nice to see a proactive head pro figure this out. I guess when a course first opens and the USGA gives it a slope/rating, the "committee" makes a guess at the handicap difficulty. I'd bet 99% of courses never update those numbers.

Below is the USGA answer to 'hole handicapping'
https://www.usga.org/HandicapFAQ/handicap_answer.asp?FAQidx=25

Handicapping FAQs

Section 17
Allocating Handicap Strokes

Q. Does the USGA® have any recommendations for allocating Handicap Strokes?

A. The USGA recommends that the Handicap Committee should review the course hole-by-hole to determine the appropriate allocation of handicap strokes for men and women. This procedure is not mandatory and will have minimal effect on a player's Handicap Index®. Common sense should be used to ensure that the handicap strokes are used as an equalizer and should be available where it most likely will be needed by the higher-handicapped player in order to obtain a halve on the hole.
When starting out, the Handicap Committee should remember a few basic guidelines:

  • Allocate strokes based on the tees played most often by a majority of the members.
  • Allocate the odd-numbered strokes to the front-nine holes and the even-numbered strokes to the back-nine holes—unless the back-nine is decidedly more difficult than the front—you can reverse the allocation.
  • Avoid allocating the low numbered holes to the beginning or end of the nine holes

A method for allocating your handicap strokes is to collect 200 hole-by-hole scorecards from two different groups of golfers. Group A consists of golfers with a Course Handicap™ of 0-8 for men or 0-14 for women. If there are very few members within this range, take the low 25 percent of its golfers as group A.
Group B consists of middle-to-high Course Handicap golfers, ranging 15-20 strokes higher than group A (20-28 for men and 26-40 for women).
The next step is to compare the average score per hole for group A against the average score per hole of group B. Rank the differential of hole scores between group A and group B from high-to-low (1 highest, 18 lowest) differential. Allocate odd and even numbers to front and second nine. The last step is to make sure low numerical holes are not at the beginning or end of each nine.
The Handicap Committee should use good judgment when allocating handicap stroke holes. The club makes the final determination.Please visit Section 17 of the USGA Handicap System manual for further reference.
 
Great way to handicap the holes, for sure. I had never really thought about it any other way than hardest vs easiest.
 
blugold said:
Actually, the hardest hole per stroke average to par is actually the 7th. But high and low capers score high. A lot of courses assign handicap on holes based on highest stroke average, at least it feels like that.
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Right and that's what I meant, being that it is a very long par 5. I would have guessed #7 would be the 1 HCP and #3 be the 3 HCP based on what I have seen only based on yardage. I agree on the last part as well, my course certainly does their handicapping this way. Very innovative approach and something that isn't very costly and can make the game more fun and fair for everyone.
 
tpluff said:
Right and that's what I meant, being that it is a very long par 5. I would have guessed #7 would be the 1 HCP and #3 be the 3 HCP based on what I have seen only based on yardage. I agree on the last part as well, my course certainly does their handicapping this way. Very innovative approach and something that isn't very costly and can make the game more fun and fair for everyone.
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I'm trying to find an old copy of the scorecard. But 3 was not that highly rated, even with its length.
 
blugold said:
I'm trying to find an old copy of the scorecard. But 3 was not that highly rated, even with its length.
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I'd definitely be interested in seeing the differences. Then playing match and seeing if the outcomes differ very much between the two score cards.
 
Awesome read Blu, and IMO that SHOULD be the way it's done.
 
Very interesting, did not know that. I also am impressed that the course took the time to do it the right way and is willing to change it down the road. I wish it worked that way more often.
 
Huh... Interesting stuff. Nice thread op. Have no idea if the courses around here are set with toughest holes or largest differential holes.

Tappin it up
 
Very interesting. Seems a very logical way to do it, but not something I'd ever thought of. Thanks for sharing!
 
Thanks for sharing. Great read, I definitely looked at handicap holes differently before. Glad to know the right way.
 
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