Handicap Recalculation Schedule

    Handicaps will be re-calculated after the third and sixth weeks of each half of league play. The handicaps at the beginning of the year will be used to place players in flights; players will stay in the same flight during the first half, no matter how the handicaps change. After the end of the first half, handicaps will be recalculated and players will be placed in flights based on the handicaps at that time. So it is possible for a player to be in different flights in the two halves of the season.

How Handicaps are Calculated

    You don't have to understand this section to enjoy playing in the league, but if you are curious about how handicaps are calculated, read on...!

    When handicaps are revised, the number of strokes over par for all rounds played since the last revision are averaged, and then multiplied by 80%. If that number is within 0.5 of the old handicap, the handicap doesn't change. If the calculated value is between 0.5 and 1.5 away from the old handicap, then the new handicap is one higher or lower than the old handicap; between 1.5 and 2.5 means that the new handicap is two higher or lower than the old handicap, etc.

    At any one revision point, no player's handicap may go up by more than 2 strokes, nor go down by more than 3 strokes.

    As an example, say that a male player has a 19 handicap, and his three scores since the last revision are 63, 65 and 62.  That would mean that the scores were 27, 29 and 26 over par, respectively, and that adds up to 82 strokes over par, for an average of 27.3333.  Mulitplying by 80% gives a calculated value of 21.867.  Since this is 2.867 greater than the old handicap, we round up to 3 and so the new handicap should be 3 strokes higher.  But no handicap may increase by more than 2 strokes at any one revision, so the new handicap for this player would be 21.

Handicaps for the Start of the Year

    We start a new year using the ending handicap from last season as half of the value, and 80% of the average strokes over par from the practice rounds in April as the other half.  If a player is new to the league, then the starting handicap is based on the practice rounds (so be sure to play the practice rounds and turn in your scores!).  For example, a player that ended last year with a 13 handicap and has an 80%-of-avg.-over-par-from-practice-rounds figure of 17 would start the year with a 15 handicap.