Any singles strokeplay competition can be returned in the handicap system. The onus is on clubs and county boards to decide which of their competitions they return in the system. The more competitions entered into the system the more opportunity club members have to arrive at the correct handicap for their playing ability.
It is mandatory for all Open Singles Strokeplay events to be returned in the handicap system, this includes Scratch Cups, Singles Strokeplay Opens and County/Provincial/National Singles Strokeplay Championship qualifiers and finals.
From the 2017 season, any matchplay competition or team event can be returned in the handicap systen. This follows the same rules as the singles strokeplay system and the onus is on clubs and county boards to decide which of their competitions they return in the system. The more competitions entered into the system the more opportunity club members have to arrive at the correct handicap for their playing ability.
It is mandatory for all Open Matchplay and Team events to be returned in the handicap system, this includes Club Championships, Scotch Foursomes or Fourball Opens, Scramble Events and County/Provincial/National Singles Matchplay Championship finals.
One major change in the new handicap system is the transition to global classes of member based on handicap rather than any grades based on gender. For handicapping, all members will be compared only by playing ability. As a result, we have three classes: Class 1 for members with a real handicap of -2.4 or higher, Class 2 for members with a real handicap of -8.4 or higher and Class 3 for members with a handicap lower than -8.4
The reason for this is to allow all members to compete directly with their fellow members in competitions that are not necessarily based upon any criteria except handicap. This will allow the handicap system to achieve one of it's core goals to create a level playing field that allows all PPUI members to compete on a fair and equitable basis.
In terms of entering PPUI championships and competitions, the old grading system will remain in place at least for the first year while the new system establishes correct handicaps for members. We will revisit the handicap ranges in each competition entry grade quite regularly to ensure that it is fair and equal.
The short answer is no, there are no maximium handicaps or minimum handicaps within the handicap system. The system will calculate the handicap that a players performances require in order for them to compete on a level playing field with their fellow members. There are no fixed limits on how many shots back a member can gain in a single year or a limit on the number of shots that a member can be cut in a year.
Matchplay cuts are applied on a scale depending upon the level of the competition. In a club matchplay event the cut will be 0.2 for the Winner and 0.1 for the Runner Up. At county level the cuts are 0.5/0.2 while at Provincial level the cuts are 0.8 and 0.4 respectively. Finally at National level the winner will be cut 1.0 shots while the runner up will receive a cut of 0.5 shots.
For any team event entered into the system, all prize winners should be entered when returning the competition. This includes the overall winners as well as the graded winners.
The score that a player off a scratch handicap should score on the course in normal summer playing conditions in order to remain a scratch player. You can also think of it as the score a -12 handicapper should shoot + 12 shots in order to stay as -12 handicapper if that helps. If your SSS is 47, a scratch player will stay a scratch player if they shoot 47 gross (up to 47 + 2 since we use a 2 shot buffer before giving -0.1).
The minimum Standard Scratch Score allowed within the PPUI Handicap System is 46.
Competition Standard Scratch is equal to Standard Scratch Score + (-1 or 0 or 1 or 2 or 3) depending on the difficulty of the conditions on the day of play.
We take four pieces of info. which are the number of players who beat SSS + 2, the number of Senior players in the field, the number of Inter players in the field and the number of Junior players in the field.
As an example, if 90% of the field are Seniors and nobody gets within 2 of SSS then it was obviously a difficult day and CSS = SSS + 2 or 3. If 90% of the field are Seniors and everybody beats the SSS then it was an easy day and CSS = SSS - 1.
All PPUI members will need to use their registration number to enter competitions from now on, so that their scores can be recorded in the National Handicap System and they can be eligible for handicap adjustments. It's much easier to identify someone by a unique number for the system, so we have not included any way to find people by name.
All PPUI members will have two handicaps under the new PPUI handicap system, a real handicap and a playing handicap. Members can use their profile in the handicap system to view their current handicap values. When actually entering a competition, players should use their current playing handicap which is always a whole number. For example, -7
When the system works out handicap adjustments those will be applied to the players real handicap which is correct to one decimal place. For example, -6.7
All members will be required to return a minimum of ten rounds in the handicap system in order to remain eligible for shots back. They will remain eligible for handicap cuts at all times. Ten rounds in the handicap system is ten single 18 hole scores returned, so a 36 hole club major will contribute two of the member's minimum returns.
Scratch Cups generally follow a standard format, a 36 hole open qualifying section for all participants and then a final 18 hole playoff for a reduced number of qualifiers. Clubs offer prizes based on grades and gender which do not factor into the new handicap system and can remain in place as the organising committee wish. For handicapping purposes, we are interested only in the 36 hole open qualifying section.
To return a Scratch Cup in the handicap system, create a single competition for all entrants and enter the 36 hole open qualifying section of the event only. You should not create separate competitions for each grade or gender since every entrants performance is relevant to each other.
Scratch Cup playoff rounds or any round of a competition which requires qualification will not be entered into the system. Some examples include the final round of an All Ireland Strokeplay or if you have a final round section of a Club Major which requires players to qualify. Only the qualification section will be entered into the handicap system as a competition, this is to prevent players receiving multiple handicap adjustments from a single event and also to reduce the impact of temporary form on player handicaps.
Singles Strokeplay Opens can be returned in the handicap system to generate handicap adjustments, while there are a vast array of formats for Singles Strokeplay Opens, almost all contain a 36 hole section for each entrant to enter and this is where the vast majority of entrants will complete enough rounds to be considered eligible for handicapping.
Within the handicap system you should create Singles Strokeplay Opens as a single 36 hole competition and return all entrants in that competition regardless of their grade or gender. If you offer prizes for 54 hole scores then choose the players two best rounds to be entered into the handicap system. If you have entrants who do not return two scores in the competition for any reason, they should be entered and their first round should be recorded. Since they won't have a second round returned, they will be recorded by the system as an NR.
Where a competition runs over a Bank Holiday weekend, the system will not allow you to set the end date of the competition to a date in a future handicap period. Instead, you should set the competition end date to the Sunday and return all scores posted on the Bank Holiday Monday as though they were returned on the Sunday. This will not have a negative impact on the adjustments produced by the competition as the CSS will remain the same.
Separate competitions should not be generated for Ladies and Gents, for handicapping purposes only one competition should be created and all players entered into that single event. Prizes and leaderboards are separate to the handicap system and remain the responsibility of the organising committee and separate Ladies and Gents competitions can be run for those purposes in reality.
A general decision was taken to award all members registered with the PPUI before the introduction of the new handicap system, who didn't yet have a handicap on the final day of the old system, a -9.0 handicap (-13.0 for female members) in the new handicap system. This is equal to the treatment of all members who were registered with the PPUI before the introduction of the new handicap system and had a provisional -6 handicap (-10 for female members). These members were adjusted by -3 shots as part of the migration to the new system. Members who were registered with the PPUI before the introduction of the new handicap system and had a provisional -3 handicap were also adjusted by -3 shots and were awarded a -6.0 handicap.
To explain this, let's look at some scenarios:
Scenario 1. No SSS, CSS is 47 for every competition on Course A. On the first weekend Player X shoots 47 in really easy conditions when everybody else also played well. His handicap doesn't change because 47 = CSS. The following week, it's abysmal weather and everybody really struggles. Player A shoots 51 and since he is 4 shots above CSS he gets -0.1 even though his ability hasn't changed. This handicap adjustment was created simply because the weather was bad and everybody scored badly, not because Player A needs additional shots to compete.
Scenario 2. SSS is 47, CSS is calculated for every competition on Course A based on performances. On the first weekend Player X shoots 47 in really easy conditions when everybody else played well. The system recognises that it was an easy day and CSS = SSS -1 which is 46. Player A's handicap doesn't change, just like in Scenario 1 because he was within 2 shots of CSS. The following week, it's abysmal weather and everybody really struggles. The system recognises this fact because it uses the scores returned and decides that CSS = SSS + 3 which is 50. Player A shoots 51 and since he is within 2 shots of the CSS his handicap is not adjusted. His ability hasn't changed, only the conditions, he doesn't need a handicap change to compete.