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| Barbara Conerly BCGC Handicap Director |
Frequent Questions and Answers
Regarding “R” Index from NCGA
What does an “R” next
to an index indicate? And what exactly does it mean for regular and tournament
play?
The “R” means Reduced
and it is treated like any other handicap, meaning it is intended for regular
and tournament play.
What triggers an “R”
next to your index? Does it matter how
long between “T” scores, if one was this year, and one the next, could that still
trigger the “R”?
The goal of the
Handicap System is to issue a Handicap Index which best describes a golfer’s
“potential” ability. “Potential”, for
these purposes, is measured by a review of the golfer’s 20 most recent rounds
AND by a review of their two best Tournament scores of the past twelve
months. Basically the System examines
the size of the “gap” between the best 10 of 20 numbers and the average of the
two T-scores. If the System feels the
gap is too wide, an automatic reduction to the best 10 of 20 number kicks in. This is how every handicap in the entire
country is computed. The T-scores
themselves can be almost a year apart, but bear in mind that such rounds will
not overlap for long. For example, if
one of the rounds was recorded late last July (and the golfer posts more than
20 rounds per year), it will no longer be a factor when the August 1st
handicaps are issued.
What does “reduced”
actually mean? How is the handicap
reduced? Based on what? Is this process/procedure spelled out
somewhere?
It means that the best
10 of 20 “number” has been reduced. In
other words, the Handicap Index has been placed somewhere between the best 10
of 20 number and the average of the two low T-scores. The size of the reduction varies depending on
the size of the “gap” referenced above, while weighing the total number of
tournament scores credited to a golfer within the past year. Follow this link and advance to Section 10-3
for the math.
Barbara Conerly
BCGC Handicap Director
