General

Macreddin Golf Club uses Handicap Master to manage handicaps for members competitions.  We have a three person handicap commitee that meets to discuss new member handicap allocation and to review any exceptional scoring by members.

Members

Members are required to ensure that their handicap for each competition is correct and on the card before they submit their card.  The following applies to members playing in qualifying competitons

1. Members are obliged to return their card after every compeition regardless of the score
2. Members should ensure that away scores are correctly reflected on their handicap record. This should happen automatically under WHS, but members should check their handicap records to ensure the score has been included. The definitive place to check your handicap is on the Golf Ireland website or app. Details on how to do this are outlined below.
3. Changes to handicap index will apply automatically the following day from score entry
4. Your course handicap is required on your card. Your course handicap can be found by looking up your handicap index on the table for the tees played. Tables are displayed on the clubhouse noticeboard. Playing handicap and handicap index on the scorecard are not obligatory, but are advised. The tees used should be circled on the card.

New Members

New members without a current handicap must submit 3 cards for handicap before an official handicap can be allocated.  The following applies to any cards submitted for handicap allocation.

1. The member must play the course from the fixed white or red distance marker rather than from the tees as set by the green-keepers
2. The cards submitted can be a combination of 9 or 18-hole rounds
3. The card must be signed by a member of the club who played the round with you, or if none is available then a Golf Ireland affiliated golfer who played the round with you
4. Cards should be placed in the letterbox outside the clubhouse
5. Once sufficient cards have been submitted they will be reviewed and an appropriate handicap awarded

WHS (World Handicap System) Handicaps

The WHS came into force on 2nd November 2020. All club handicaps are calculated usiing the WHS.The WHS uses an average of your best scores to calculate your handicap index.

1. WHS introduces three new handicap terms and a system of rating of golf courses. 
2. Your handicap index is based on your performance over your last 20 counting rounds and is an average of your best eight.
3. If you have less than 20 rounds on your record, your index is based on the following table:.
   

   Number of rounds	Scores used*	Adjustment
   3	Lowest 1	-2
   4	Lowest 1	-1
   5	Lowest 1	0
   6	Average of Lowest 2	-1
   7 or 8	Average of Lowest 2	0
   9 to 11	Average of Lowest 3	0
   12 to 14	Average of Lowest 4	0
   15 or 16	Average of Lowest 5	0
   17 or 18	Average of Lowest 6	0
   19	Average of Lowest 7	0
   20	Average of Lowest 8	0

4. Once you reach 20 rounds, the oldest drops from your counting rounds as each new round is added.
5. Golf courses (for each set of tees) have a course rating and a slope rating. Course rating is used to claculate score differentials for your handicap index. Slope rating is used to determine your course handicap for a given set of tees.
6. Your course handicap (CH) is calculated by multiplying your handicap index by the slope rating divided by 113 (113 is a notional slope rating for an average course). Course handicap is expressed as an integer value. Your course handicap is what should appear on your scorecard in the handicap box.
7. Your playing handicap (PH) is a percentage of your course handicap depending on the format of play. Below is a table of some of the more popular formats:.
   

   Competition format	Playing handicap
   Singles (Stroke play, Stableford, V-Par etc.)	95% of CH
   Singles matchplay	100% of CH
   Fourball (Stroke play, Stableford, V-Par etc.)	85% of CH
   Fourball matchplay	90% of CH
   Foursomes	50% of combined team CH
   2 person scramble	35% low 15% high
   3 person scramble	Lowest handicap 25% of CH 2nd lowest handicap 20% of CH 3rd lowest handicap 15% of CH
   4 person scramble	Lowest handicap 25% of CH 2nd lowest handicap 20% of CH 3rd lowest handicap 15% of CH highest handicap 10% of CH
   4 person champagne scramble 1 score	75% of CH
   4 person champagne scramble 2 scores	85% of CH
   4 person champagne scramble 3 or 4 scores	100% of CH

8. There are many helpful instructional videos and documents on the WHS on the Golf Ireland website. Members are advised to register on Golf Ireland and download the Golf Ireland app to their phones. To register on Golf Ireland, you will need your Golf Ireland number and PIN, both of which can be found on your Golf Ireland or GUI/ILGU card. If you have lost your card, please apply to the committee for a new one.

* 'Scores used' is shorthand for a calculation called score differential. Score differential is the difference between your adjusted gross score ( AGS - all scores above nett double bogey reduced to nett double bogey) and the course rating of the tees used +/- the playing conditions calculation (PCC - similar to the old CSS) multiplied by the reversal of the calculation that produced your course handicap from your handicap index. In simple terms, it is the difference between your adjusted gross score and the course rating, weighted for the difficulty of the course played. Even more simply: how much you were over par with the course difficulty taken into account.