Golf Australia announce timeline for new handicapping components

New handicapping components including Slope and the inclusions of social scores are set to launch in January, 2014.

Golf Australia have announced the timeline for the final components of the new handicapping system and include Slope, a daily scratch rating and the introduction of social scoring for handicapping purposes.

Over the past two years, Golf Australia has completely overhauled the handicapping system in Australia for the better and these final components will come into effect as of January 24, 2014.

The five major components that will be implemented are:

• DSR (Daily Scratch Rating)
  The new system will see GolfLink assess a daily course rating (calculated immediately after all scores are complete) from which handicaps can then be calculated. This will obviously take account for changes in daily weather which can lead to a course becoming much more difficult to play in wet conditions, for example.One may be tempted to assume this is just like the old CCR rating but the new DSR relies on a much more complicated algorithm that includes average net score for the field, average handicap of the field, field size, competition type and gender of the golfers in the field.
• Slope
  We’ve discussed Slope here before (What is Slope?) and this will adjust a player’s handicap depending on where they are playing. It enables the portability of a golfer’s handicap and will change depending on tee positions which have their own slope rating on every golf course.
• SHA (Stableford Handicapping Adjustment)
  All Par and Stroke competition scores will be converted to Stableford scores for handicap calculations. This will reduce the effect of blow-out hole scores and ensure handicaps are “more representative of a player’s potential”.
• Handicapping of Conforming Social Scores (CSS)
  Social scores will now be permitted to be used for handicapping purposes (like in much of the rest of the world) if:
  – the golfer’s home club has elected to allow this
  – the player nominates the round for handicapping purposes prior to teeing off
  – the scoring format is Stableford
  – the player has a marker for the entire round
  – the player abides by the Rules of Golf
• The new 9-hole handicapping regulations
  A nine-hole score can now be submitted for handicapping purposes. It will be held until a second nine hole score is submitted and they will be combined to then be submitted as an 18 hole score. Both nine-hole scores do not need to be two different nine’s from the same golf course.

I’m most excited about these last two implementations. They will encourage  golf outside of competition rounds and nine-hole competitions. Something time-poor golfers prefer and will be vital for enticing new golfers to the game.