Handicap System | South African Golf Association: Handicap System

South African golf handicapping system
For men and women

Effective from the 1st February 2012

 

Part 1: PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS

• SECTION 1 - COPYRIGHT

• SECTION 2 - PURPOSE
  • 2.1 Essence of the System
  • 2.2 Purpose

• SECTION 3 - DEFINITIONS

Part 2: HANDICAPPING

• SECTION 4 - ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM

• SECTION 5 - SCORES ACCEPTABLE
  • 5.1 Rules of Golf
  • 5.2 Adjusted Gross
  • 5.3 Incomplete Holes and rounds
  • 5.4 Scores on all Courses
  • 5.5 Scores not Acceptable
  • 5.6 Net Disqualification not Affecting Gross
  • 5.7 Senior use of or Forward Tees (See Section 17)

• SECTION 6 - HANDICAP DIFFERENTIALS
  • 6.1 How to Determine Differentials
  • 6.2 Handicap Controls

• SECTION 7 - HOW TO COMPUTE HANDICAPS
  • 7.1 Period of validity
  • 7.2 Valid Differentials
  • 7.3 Considered Differentials
  • 7.4 Approximate calculation
  • 7.5 Exceptional performance calculation
  • 7.6 Maximum Handicaps Permitted
  • 7.7 Limits for professional and low handicap golfers
  • 7.8 Less than 20 differentials available

• SECTION 8 - SCORING RECORDS
  • 8.1 Scores
  • 8.2 Nine Hole Score Entry
  • 8.3 Nine Hole Scores and 72 Hour Penalty
  • 8.4 Information Required
  • 8.5 Time limit on entering scores
  • 8.6 Penalty Scores
  • 8.7 How to Enter Scores
  • 8.8 Posting Handicaps
  • 8.9 Electronic Data Processing
  • 8.10 Scores used to compute a Handicap
  • 8.11 Player belonging to More Than One Club
  • 8.12 Player Changing his nominated handicap club
  • 8.13 Records of Resigned Members
  • 8.14 Course Rating on Score Cards

• SECTION 9 - HANDICAP REVISIONS
  • 9.1 Frequency of Revisions
  • 9.2 Handicap Increases and Decreases
  • 9.3 Handicap to be used

• SECTION 10 - ALLOCATION OF HANDICAP STROKES
  • 10.1 Principles; Possible Value to Recipient
  • 10.2 Allocation of strokes for Plus handicap players
  • 10.3 Nine-Hole Courses
  • 10.4 Discretion of Committee

• SECTION 11 - HANDICAP ALLOWANCES
  • 11.1 General
  • 11.2 Match Play
  • 11.3 Stroke Play
  • 11.4 Total Scores of Partners (Aggregate)
  • 11.5 Players without South African handicaps
  • 11.6 Foreign Visitors
  • 11.7 Foreign Players with SAGA and other handicaps

• SECTION 12 - HANDICAP CONTROLS
  • 12.1 General
  • 12.2 Controls in the System
  • 12.3 Responsibilities of Handicapping Committee
  • 12.4 Exceptional Performance

Part 3: COURSE RATING

• SECTION 13 - PURPOSE, BASIS AND RESPONSIBILITY
  • 13.1 Purpose of Course Rating
  • 13.2 Basis of Course Rating
  • 13.3 Responsibility for Assessment of Course Ratings
  • 13.4 Responsibility of Clubs

• SECTION 14 - METHOD OF ASSESSMENT OF COURSE STANDARD RATING
  • 14.1 Length Rating
  • 14.2 Altitude factor
  • 14.3 Rating Adjustment Factors
  • 14.4 Temporary Adjustments to Course Rating
  • 14.5 Minimum Length for a Course Rating
  • 14.6 Course Rating Adjustment by the SAGA Handicap System

• SECTION 15 - MEASUREMENTS
  • 15.1 Starting Point; Permanent Markers
  • 15.2 How to Measure
  • 15.3 Certificate of Measurement
  • 15.4 More than One Set of Tees
  • 15.5 Colours of Rating and Tee Markers
  • 15.6 Nine-Hole Courses

• SECTION 16 - PROVINCIAL UNION RECORDS
  • 16.1 Information to be kept
  • 16.2 List of All Ratings

Part 4

• SECTION 17 - DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF FORWARD TEES AND SENIOR TEES
  • 17.1 Development and Rating of Forward tees
  • 17.2 Use of forward tees in club competitions by senior players
  • 17.3 Special senior tees

NOTE

On an on-going basis the system may require minor changes to some of the detailed calculations to optimize and balance the computation of handicaps. These may result in small changes to some player’s handicaps, such changes to take effect only when a handicap is recomputed for a player.

NOTE 1:
Throughout this manual, the use of the masculine applies equally to the feminine.

NOTE 2:
The attention of clubs is drawn to Section 14 and 15 which requires that the overall placement of the tee markers and pins should be such that the course always plays to the length on which the course rating is assessed.