Handicap System South African Golf Association

Part 1: PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS

• SECTION 1 - COPYRIGHT

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

• SECTION 3 - DEFINITIONS
  • 3.1 Altitude Factor
  • 3.2 Calculated Rating (CR)
  • 3.3 Standard Rating (SR)
  • 3.4 Gross Store
  • 3.5 Handicap
  • 3.6 Handicap Allowance
  • 3.7 Handicap Committee
  • 3.8 Handicap Differential
  • 3.9 Handicap Stroke Hole
  • 3.10 Length Rating
  • 3.11 Net Score
  • 3.12 Par
  • 3.13 Professional Golfers and Golfers without Amateur Status
  • 3.14 Rating
  • 3.15 Rating Adjustment Factors
  • 3.16 Rating Marker
  • 3.17 Forward Tees
  • 3.18 Playing handicap

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 Use of Senior or Forward Tees. (See Section 19)

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

• 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 Limits for professional and low handicap golfers
  • 7.6 Less than 20 differentials available

• SECTION 8 - SCORING RECORDS
  • 8.1 Score
  • 8.2 Nine Hole Scores
  • 8.3 Not accepted for handicap purposes
  • 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 Clubs
  • 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

• 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: SAGA AND WGSA SPECIFIC ITEMS

• SECTION 17 - WGSA SILVER AND BRONZE MEDAL COMPETITIONS
  • 17.1 Description and Basic Rules
  • 17.2 Conditions of Play
  • 17.3 Number of Rounds
  • 17.4 Club records and Calculation

• SECTION 18 - WGSA GENERAL REGULATIONS
  • 18.1 Provincial Authority
  • 18.2 Conditions of Play
  • 18.3 Home Club Qualifications and Privileges
  • 18.4 Provincial Qualification
  • 18.5 National Qualification

• SECTION 19 - SAGA USE OF FORWARD TEES
  • 19.1 Eligibility
  • 19.2 Purpose
  • 19.3 Course Rating to be used
  • 19.4 Notes 

AMENDMENTS

The principal changes from the previous version, titled “GOLF HANDICAPPING SYSTEM FOR MEN AND WOMEN Effective from 1st April 2010” are as follows:

SECTION 3 Definition Changes, including Adjusted Gross

SECTION 5 Scores Acceptable

SECTION 7 How to Compute Handicaps

SECTION 8 Scoring Records

SECTION 9 Handicap Revisions

SECTION 12 Handicap Controls

On an ongoing 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.