The purpose of the Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis. Your handicap will be used in club tournaments. If you have not been able to establish a valid handicap, you are still eligible to enter our club tournaments because we are just happy to see you come out. Contact Gord Gitzel and he will help you come up with a reasonable handicap.

Two basic premises underlie the Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review.

HANDICAP FACTOR
A Handicap Factor indicates a player’s skill and compares a player’s scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty. A Handicap Factor is portable from course to course. A player converts a Handicap Factor to a Course Handicap based on the Slope Rating (difficulty) of the tees on the course being played.

COURSE HANDICAP
The Handicap Factor is adjusted based on the difficulty of the course and the tees being played to arrive at a Course Handicap. Determine the number of handicap strokes that you will receive by looking up your Handicap Factor on the Course Handicap Table for the course you are playing. There will be a Course Handicap Table for each set of tees used by men and by women.

OBTAINING A HANDICAP FACTOR
In order to obtain a Handicap Factor, a player must post adjusted gross scores. These scores are subject to peer review. After at least five scores have been posted, the club will be eligible to issue a Handicap Factor to the player in accordance with the Handicap System. Use the Quick Link to the right visit the Golf Canada web site where your scores can be posted.

EQUITABLE STROKE CONTROL (ESC)
All scores for handicap purposes, including tournament scores, are subject to the application of Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). This mandatory procedure reduces high hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability.
As of 2020, the maximum that you can score on any hole is a net double bogey.
Your total course handicap is allocated on a hole by hole basis. For example, if you have a course handicap of 15, you will receive 1 handicap stroke on the 15 hardest holes as indicated on the scorecard and no strokes on the 3 easiest holes. If you have a course handicap of 27 you will get 2 strokes per hole on the 9 hardest holes and 1 stroke per hole on the 9 easiest holes.
A net double bogey is equal to the hole par plus 2 plus the number of handicap strokes allocated to you for that hole. For example, your maximum score on a par 5 with 1 handicap stroke allocated would be 8 (5+2+1 )
When you fill in your scorecard, you enter your actual score. When you post your score to Golf Canada, you enter the reduced hole score.
You can enter your score to Golf Canada on a hole by hole basis and they will automatically reduce your hole score where warranted.

For more information on handicaps, click here: