Handicap Policy Issues and Concerns Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Since the implementation of the Handicap Index Policy in November there have been a number of issues and concerns raised that need to be addressed and clarified. Why did we need to develop a Handicap Policy? For some time, there have been complaints regarding the integrity of handicap indexes at The Clubs of Kingwood, both indexes that are suspiciously high and ones that are too low. The problem had become so large that it was affecting participation in events at the club. The Handicap Committee and the Director of Golf determined that something had to be done to correct these concerns, level the playing field, and hopefully increase participation. Who is on the Handicap Committee? Every Clubs of Kingwood golf association has a seat on the committee. If the association does not have a person responsible for handicaps they can appoint any board member as their attendee to represent them on the committee. Who developed the Handicap Policy? No one person developed this policy. It was a concerted effort by every member of the committee in conjunction with the guidance of the Director of Golf. The USGA was also consulted frequently during the development of the Policy for guidance to make sure the Policy stayed within their Rules. The Handicap Committee has no authority to implement any Policy, it can only make recommendations. The final decision and implementation of the Policy is the responsibility of the Director of Golf for the Clubs of Kingwood. What was the process used to develop the Policy? The handicap committee began the process well over a year ago by manually investigating the scores posted to GHIN for the winners in MGA and Club events. That analysis resulted in conversations with a few individuals and the resulting adjustment that would occur. This was not completely effective for several reasons. Chief among them was the apparent magnitude of the problem. The amount of time to gather and process the data made the task impossible to do on an objective, equitable, and consistent basis. For the first nine months of 2015 metrics were gathered and audited for all players at the Clubs of Kingwood with a USGA Index on the GHIN system that participated in a tournament. The data gathered for each of the 560+ players was analyzed via an objective automated system to compare the player s scoring potential in tournament play versus his scoring potential in non-tournament play. During this period of time the handicap committee was in frequent email and phone conversations with the USGA. The resulting Policy was reviewed and adjusted according to the comments and suggestions of the USGA. While the USGA will not approve nor disapprove of any method chosen for adjustments by a Handicap Committee per USGA Rule 8-4-c, they will and did, however, confirm that the final draft of the Policy was not in violation of any USGA Rule.
Why such a large scope; shouldn t we just address the issue with the few people causing the problem? Several have suggested that this is a small problem with only a few individuals and should be addressed that way. The statistics clearly said otherwise. There are handicap discrepancies with more than 60% of the 560+ tournament players at the Clubs of Kingwood, many of which are significant. This would require individual conversations with more than 300 people. An individual approach is just not manageable. The process of notifying all individuals of their adjustment in advance of its use in an event and allowing the opportunity to appeal was the method chosen. Why has the club chosen to use this method? The following links should help those who think the New Handicap Policy is new, unique, an experiment or outside USGA guidelines. The six major golf associations in the world are hoping to have a worldwide index method by 2018. Many are favoring models that base their indexes on tournament scores only. Great Britain has never used anything but tournament scores to calculate indexes. So this could be the way indexes are going to be calculated in the near future. Please read the following links regarding handicap index systems in other parts of the world. Of particular interest is Australia s strict requirements for being able to use Social Scores, i.e. non-tournament scores. Here s what they are doing: Great Britain and Ireland http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-handicap-may-finally-go-global-1431732136 New Zealand http://www.golf.co.nz/uploads/explanation%20of%20the%20one%20handicap%20intention%202014.p df Australia http://www.golf.org.au/newsdisplay/76991 What a GHIN account is Some are under the impression that this is a personal account. It is not. All GHIN accounts are a public record and measurement of a player s scoring potential. It is the responsibility of the club and the handicap committee to verify that all indexes for our members are an accurate reflection of every player's scoring potential. This not only provides fair competition in our events, but it also protects the integrity of our club and Golf Professional staff who certify these indexes for events outside of our club. What is the adjustment Some have taken their adjustment as a statement of their character, believing that because they are adjusted, they are being labeled a cheat or a liar. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is an adjustment made on the basis of a complete, accurate, and verifiable account of the player s performance in tournaments. It is a purely objective process and applies equally to all members of the club.
There are two types of acceptable scores that may be posted to the GHIN system, social (nontournament) and tournament. To be an acceptable score that must be posted, the USGA states that it must be played following the Rules of Golf and Equitable Stroke Control must be applied. Why and under what circumstances the adjustment is made There is only one thing that makes this Policy different than other associations that use an index calculated only using tournament scores. Their policies are absolute; the index you have is based only on tournament scores, period. What makes our Policy different is that we are willing to accept and use your GHIN index (a blend of tournament and non-tournament scores) providing it meets the definition of an acceptable index per the Policy. In a nutshell, the adjustment is only applied when tournament and non-tournament performance is not in agreement. There are a number of reasons this can happen, none of which have anything to do with honesty or character. A player s scores posted percentage is insufficient when less than 50% of rounds played have a score posted. When this occurs we must rely on the only other complete record available, tournament scores. Additionally, when a player s non-tournament target score percentage is different than his tournament target score percentage the tournament scores are the most accurate measurement of his potential ability in tournaments, and an adjustment is appropriate. Why are we using 2 years of tournament scores when GHIN uses 1 year The 1-year time frame that GHIN uses is only for exceptional tournament scores. This is to allow exceptional tournament scores to remain in the handicap calculation regardless of the total number of rounds posted. When using only tournament scores to calculate the index this is no longer an issue. When calculating your GHIN index there is no time limitation for determining the 10 best of your last 20 rounds. A 2-year time limit was chosen for two reasons, the first was to get as many rounds as possible into the calculation for a better representation of the player s ability, the second, going more than two years risks the possibility that scores included may not be exemplary of the player s current ability. Why should we reward someone for poor play and adjust them up The adjustment is neither a reward (up) nor a penalty (down). It is an adjustment reflecting the player s actual proven performance ability in tournaments. When a player s performance over time is consistently different in tournament play and non-tournament play, something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Ask yourself this question: If I feel that it s not fair for a person to gain an unfair advantage by being allowed to play with an index that is higher than his actual playing potential, why should I be a given an unfair advantage by requiring him to play to an index that is lower than his actual playing potential? This is particularly important in ABCD events. Don t you want to be confident that your teammates have an equal likelihood to perform to their ability? If we are to have a fair and equitable field it has to work both ways, up and down.
Why wasn t I notified about the adjustment? You were notified. The first notification was on October 13 th, via the weekly Golf Update email, stating the new policy that was going to be effective by the November 7 th KMGA event. Included in the statement was notification of a Handicap Policy meeting at the club on October 29 th. The purpose of the meeting was to provide everyone attending a better understanding of the Policy, and to address any issues, concerns, or questions anyone might have. The second notification came on November 5 th via email to each member that would be playing with an adjusted index on the 7 th. Everyone was given the opportunity to contact the Director of Golf or the Handicap Chair if there were any concerns. What can I do now? Anyone wishing to have the details behind the calculation of their adjustment needs to contact Darrell Fuston or George Sullins at the contact information provided below. Either will be happy to send you a Performance Ability Recap (PAR) report showing you the detail behind the adjustment and discuss any questions. How do I get my adjustment changed or removed? See the Kingwood Handicap Policy for the details of when an adjustment is made and when it is removed. As has always been the case, should you have extenuating circumstances that need to be considered, they need to be brought to the attention of the Director of Golf or the Handicap Chair for consideration in the adjustment process allowed under Rule 8-4 of the USGA Handicap System publication. How can I find out what my GHIN index is without adjustment? There are 3 ways you can find out: 1. Log on to your GHIN profile and look at your trend index. That s where you are at that moment without adjustment. 2. Ask the Director of Golf or the Handicap Chair to send you a PAR report. 3. Use one of the many apps available on the internet that will calculate your index. Why has the M adjustment to my index on GHIN been removed? There were enough legitimate issues and concerns raised after the adjustments began to appear on the GHIN system that a special post implementation Handicap Committee meeting was necessary to consider modifications to the Policy. The following is a summary of the changes made for the 2015-2016 tournament seasons: 1. No adjustments will be posted to GHIN for now. The decision to post adjustments to GHIN for the 2016-2017 season will be made at a later time. 2. For 2015-2016 the organization hosting the event will determine the indexes to be used for the event: a. GHIN b. The lower of GHIN or Tournament Index c. Where GHIN is the lower of the two, use the Tournament Index (team events only)
3. A supplemental report will accompany the regular semi-monthly handicap report book showing both indexes and the resulting handicaps. It will also be available on the MGA websites. 4. Due to 2016 USGA rules changes, 50% of scores posted to rounds played will be considered adequate. 5. Advance notice of tournament scores not posted by one of our club professionals is not required. However, if the score cannot be authenticated, it may result in removal of your GHIN account for one year. It is the hope of the Handicap Committee that 2016 will prove to be a period of adjustment. Having visibility to your GHIN index and your tournament index should be helpful in understanding the importance of playing by all of the Rules of Golf at all times. Over the course of the year, if the Rules are observed, with few exceptions both indexes should be the same or very close to the same. Contact Information If you wish to appeal or discuss the details that resulted in your adjustment contact one of the following: Darrell Fuston, Director of Golf for the Clubs of Kingwood o darrell.fuston@clubcorp.com o 281-348-2288 George Sullins, Handicap Chair for the Clubs of Kingwood o gsullins11@gmail.com o 281-548-1028