Questions about strokes and hole ratings at my course

[Raiderboost]

Last night we 8 guys play Pinehurst. While figuring up handicaps I just brought up the front 9 from those tees and used the course calculator on GHIN. One of the guys is a 13 over 18 holes. However, when you choose either of the 9 holes he is only a 6 from both. This also was happing to me as a 3 but I would only get 1 on each side. The number one handicap on the course is hole 3. Would you give the extra pop there on the front 9 of just give both the lower amount per the GHIN App?

The other thing that was brought up in the discussion is that the back 9 is rated harder than the front so GHIN gives the odd stroke on the back while most groups give it on the front because that is where the number 1 handicap is. What is your thought there?

 

[tequila4kapp]

Give strokes per the course’s rating of holes. 3 strokes means pops on 1, 2 and 3, regardless of which side is harder.

I’m not sure about the missing pop. When you say you get 3 is that because your index is 3? Or did you find your course handicap and is that what gave you 3? I think you have to do the latter. If you did that, got 3 strokes and still only got 1 per side then something seems off and I’m not sure what’s going on.

 

[Raiderboost]

Give strokes per the course’s rating of holes. 3 strokes means pops on 1, 2 and 3, regardless of which side is harder.

I’m not sure about the missing pop. When you say you get 3 is that because your index is 3? Or did you find your course handicap and is that what gave you 3? I think you have to do the latter. If you did that, got 3 strokes and still only got 1 per side then something seems off and I’m not sure what’s going on.

Yeah that's what we did. If you get for strokes for the front then you would pop on the 1,3,5,7 holes.

No my index was around a 4.2 which would give me 3 strokes from the blue tees over 18 holes. When I use the course handicap calculator on the GHIN App you can choose 18 holes or 9 holes. When choosing 9 you pick either the front or back 9. In both of those cases it would show me as only getting 1 stroke for each 9 but 18 showed the 3. I dropped my index some so I'm only a 2 now but I'm assuming it affects most odd number of strokes.

 

[captaincaution]

It is a rounding issue. It is entirely possible for your course handicap before rounding to be say, 1.4 on the front and 1.3 on the back, based on rating par and slope. Both of those would round down to 1 of you were playing 9 only. Add them together for 18 and you get 2.7 which rounds to 3.

 

[OldandStiff]

 

[Par5zN2]

Ok, I didn't think there'd be that kind of difference when calculating course handicap with 18 vs 9 holes. I never 'plan' on playing just 9 holes, even if I had I would have used my 18 hole handicap. I have a friend here who will love having this conversation! But on to your questions...

If you course handicap is 3 then you get dots/pops on handicap holes 1, 2 and 3 only, regardless of where they are on the course.

I don't believe I've come across a course with odd handicap holes on the back. However, if I had I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it.

 

[Raiderboost]

It is a rounding issue. It is entirely possible for your course handicap before rounding to be say, 1.4 on the front and 1.3 on the back, based on rating par and slope. Both of those would round down to 1 of you were playing 9 only. Add them together for 18 and you get 2.7 which rounds to 3.

That's what I was thinking. Would you go ahead and give that stroke on the front or go by what the app says for 9 holes?

 

[millsan1]

What he said

 

[Raiderboost]

Ok, I didn't think there'd be that kind of difference when calculating course handicap with 18 vs 9 holes. I never 'plan' on playing just 9 holes, even if I had I would have used my 18 hole handicap. I have a friend here who will love having this conversation! But on to your questions...

If you course handicap is 3 then you get dots/pops on handicap holes 1, 2 and 3 only, regardless of where they are on the course.

I don't believe I've come across a course with odd handicap holes on the back. However, if I had I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it.

They moved our number 1 handicap hole at one point to hole 18 and then moved it back to hole 3.

 

[JohnSinVA]

The simplest explanation to me would be since there’s no such thing as a half-stroke, and odd handicap over 18 would have to be rounded somehow over 9. Rounding up would essentially confer an advantage so it gets rounded down.

 

[captaincaution]

That's what I was thinking. Would you go ahead and give that stroke on the front or go by what the app says for 9 holes?

Go by what the app says for 9 holes.