GUEST ESSAY By Cindy Cooper
Staying active A recent change in the system allows a player to keep a handicap up to date on a year-round basis
T
he USGA Handicap System is constantly evolving to ensure that each golf club member has a Handicap Index that is accurate and up to date. One recent change to the 20082011 USGA Handicap System enables a golf association to provide a handicap revision during an inactive season. The revision of Nov. 15, 2010, will mark the first offseason revision by the Chicago District Golf Association, and is the precursor to the adoption of a National Revision Schedule, which becomes a mandatory part of the 2012-2015 USGA Handicap System. Effective Jan. 1, 2012, each Handicap Index for all golf clubs nationwide will be revised with an effective date of the first and 15th day of each month. This requirement will apply regardless of whether an authorized golf association observes an inactive season for score posting purposes. What does this mean? Perhaps you would be interested in the background and progression of the upcoming change. Prior to 2006, a Handicap Index would not change during the inactive season. In 2006 and 2007, a few golf associations tested a procedure for having revisions scheduled during the inactive season. The test program went very well and enabled the USGA to incorporate a new clause into the 2008-2011 USGA Handicap System. This allowed golf associations that observe an inactive season to set revision dates during that inactive season; the update noted that revisions cannot be more frequent than once every two weeks. For example, on an inactive season
that extends from Nov. 1 until April 1, the CDGA has set its revision schedule to include Nov. 15, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15 as revision dates for the remainder of 2010. This may not be a matter of concern if players hang up their clubs after Labor Day and don’t play again until Memorial Day. It also would not make a difference if one plays in the Chicago area on a frosty November day. Section 5-1f of the USGA Handicap System states such scores are not acceptable for posting when made in an area operating in an inactive season. However, this will be a major improvement for those who are able to play in an area operating in an active season during this time. According to Section 6-2 of the USGA Handicap System manual, “Scores made at a golf course in an area observing an active season must be posted for handicap purposes, even if the golf club from which the player receives a Handicap Index is observing an inactive season.” So while a Chicago-area golfer would not previously have posted scores from a December vacation in Florida, that now changes and those scores would be posted and the player’s Handicap Index updated. An extreme example might be someone who ventures to Arizona for the winter. They may post more than 20 scores during the winter, yet in the past their Handicap Index would still not change until April 1. This major change for the USGA Handicap System is a result of more and more players from northern states operating in an inactive season visiting states operating in an active season. Some of these players were playing a lot of golf, but had no desire to join a new club while in
Cindy Cooper
the southern states. Although they were using the Internet to turn in their scores, their Handicap Index was not current with the most recent scores posted. If these players were playing in a tournament, they would be playing with an inaccurate Handicap Index and may have had an unfair advantage. The addition of the offseason revision eliminates this concern and ensures the Handicap Index properly reflects the player’s potential based on the most recent 20 scores. There are many reasons for this change in the revision schedule. However, the primary objective is to create a standard schedule with revisions effective on the same dates every month for everyone everywhere. This will enable clubs and players, especially those who are members of more than one association, to know when there is a potential change in a Handicap Index to be used for a competition. Many golf associations, like the CDGA, have already embraced the new revision schedule prior to its introduction in 2012. A current listing of state-by-state revision schedules and inactive seasons can be viewed on the USGA website. Cindy Cooper is Assistant Manager, Handicapping and Club Licensing, for the United States Golf Association.
Comments are solely the opinion of the author and not necessarily those of the CDGA. Letters and opinions are welcome at info@cdga.org. 4 | CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER
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