Handicap Allowance
Why is an 85% or 95% handicap allowance needed in golf competitions?
After finishing your first hole in a golf league or tournament, you notice there's no black dot in the upper right corner of your score box, indicating you're not entitled to a handicap stroke on that hole. However, when you play the same hole casually with friends, GHIN gives you a black dot. What's going on? Don't call the cops. You haven't been robbed. This is a common practice among tournament organizers to manage handicaps. The reason? According to the USGA, high-handicappers' scores can vary more dramatically, especially during exceptional rounds, compared to low-handicappers, who tend to be more consistent.
Numbers form the foundation of golf, and the USGA uses plenty of them to promote fairness and prevent any golfer from gaining an unfair advantage. The Rules of Handicapping website by the USGA offers suggested handicap allowances for medium-sized fields in individual stroke-play net events and other common golf formats. These recommendations aim to ensure that all players have a comparable chance of finishing in the top 10% when they perform well. These recommendations are also implemented in Golf Genius, an app that SGL uses to oversee its golf events.
Handicaps are designed to level the playing field, enabling players of varying skill levels to compete fairly. Many tournaments determine winners based on handicap-adjusted scores rather than gross scores. To ensure a level playing field, a percentage handicap allowance is applied. SGL awards both gross and low-net scores.
"Compare a 2 handicap player to an average 20 handicap player in a stroke-play competition. The relative scoring variability of the 2 handicap player is much smaller than that of the 20-handicap player.
For high handicap players, having an exceptional day and scoring five or more strokes below their handicap is easier. While rare, it can occur—something an average 2 handicapper typically doesn't experience."
If you have a large field with diverse handicaps, likely, a high handicapper will occasionally have a rare, exceptional day when they outperform their usual best by 5, leaving the lowest handicappers with little to no chance." (Golf Monthly, June 2025)
The GHIN app has a handicap allowance feature that lets you check it against the handicap strokes you were awarded in any given tournament.
"So let it be written, so let it be done."
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Important Request for the Oregon Golf Association (OGA)
The OGA has asked the Salishan Golf Links Handicap Committee to pass the following request to its membership:
•Encourage hole-by-hole score posting•
Know Before You Play: Hole-by-Hole Score Posting.
There is a possibility that h-by-h scoring will become mandatory, so it's best to start the habit now. Instead of the handicap committee reminding you monthly to post your acceptable rounds, we will now remind you to post them h-by-h.
Lucky Draw for a Free Sleeve of Golf Balls
Congratulations to Brian Green. Please collect your free sleeve at the Pro Shop front desk.
Thanks to Salishan Golf Links for sponsoring this prize.
Exceptional Score Report
Congratulations to Nina Vetter.
Scores Posted Report
Why Peer Review is Important:
It is not just the Handicap Committee's responsibility; it is a shared responsibility to maintain the integrity of the World Handicap System. Peer review ensures that every golfer plays on a level playing field, discourages score manipulation, and supports a fair, community-checked handicap system.
Most Improved Report
Paul Brown is the leading male golfer, and Nina Vetter is the leading female golfer, both of whom made the most significant improvements in May. Please coordinate with the pro staff to claim your prize via the Most Improved link in the left sidebar. Seasonally, the leading male golfer is Mark Ross, and the leading female golfer is Kathleen Schroeder.
Are you on the list? Click "MOST IMPROVED" on the left to find out.