In some cases, tournaments are played only using a subset of holes (rather than the full 18 or 9 holes). Some examples:
Tournament that counts balls only on Par 5s
Tournament that counts balls only on odd holes
6-hole tournament (e.g., Holes 1 thru 6)
3-hole tournament (e.g., Holes 1 thru 3)
In these cases, there are two options to handicapping these types of tournaments:
Allocation strokes for the subset of holes played
Allocate strokes based on the full card stroke allocation table
These options can be found by going to Event/League > Event/League Profile > Handicap Settings (as shown below).
In this article, we will discuss both options in detail.
(Note: For details on handicapping 666, 333, and 99 tournaments, Click Here instead).
Allocation Strokes for the Subset of Holes Played:
When using the World Handicap System (WHS) of handicapping, the following process is used:
Calculate the unrounded 18-Hole Course Handicap .
Apply any Handicap Allowances (do not round).
Apply the par difference adjustment (if necessary) and do not round.
Determine the number of holes being counted in the competition and apply the appropriate percentage from the table below to the Course Handicap calculated above.
Exception:
If exactly 9-holes are being counted and those 9-holes have an applicable Course Rating and Slope, calculate a 9-hole Course Handicap using the appropriate 9-hole Course Rating and Slope. For instance, if all 9-holes being counted fall on holes 1 thru 9, then use the Front 9 Slope and Rating (if included in the Course Details).
If the 9-holes being counted do not have an applicable 9-hole Course Rating and Slope, proceed to apply a 50% reduction to the 18-hole Course Handicap calculated above, as shown in the table below.
Calculation Table (shown below)
Total the gross scores for the player for only the holes being counted
Subtract the Course Handicap from the gross total score to determine the net score
Example:
Player A is playing in a 4-hole tournament (holes 1 thru 4).
Player A has an unrounded 18-hole Course Handicap of 23.42 (no allowances or par difference adjustments are applied).
Unrounded Course Handicap of 23.42 multiplied by .222 = 5.199 (rounded to 5).
Player A's Playing Handicap for the 4-hole tournament is 5.
Player A's gross score: 20
Player A's net score: 15
This method can also be used for Alternate Shot and Scramble tournaments using a subset of holes. Instead of using each player's unrounded Course Handicap, use the unrounded Team Course Handicap.
When setting up this type of tournament, check out the Handicap Analysis to view the full details.
(Note: If you are not using WHS handicapping, the Course Handicap is rounded in the beginning of the process.)
Allocate Strokes Based on the Full Card Stroke Allocation Table:
When using this option, the full stroke allocation table is used. In other words, the strokes fall where they lie on an 18 hole card (for the subset of holes).
Example (using the table below):
Player A is playing in a 4-hole tournament (holes 1 thru 4).
Player A has a full 18-hole Course Handicap of 12 (no allowances or par different adjustments are made).
Using the full stroke allocation table, Player A has a 2 Playing Handicap for the 4-hole tournament (Strokes on holes 1 and 2).
When setting up this type of tournament, check out the Handicap Analysis to view the full details.