Do you wonder how your handicap is adjusted after each competition?
Here’s the current process that Andy’s been using for the last decade or so.
Max handicap: 28 (men)
To get a Society Handicap
- You need to play 3 games with us.
- Your handicap will be the lower of
- the handicap calculated from those 3 games
- your current England Golf / WHS handicap
- The Society Handicap is shown to one decimal place.
Your society handicap is calculated as follows:
- Adjust the score on each card so that no score is more than 2 over par. Blobs are 2 over par.
- Calculate the adjusted gross score for each of the 3 cards.
- Sum the scores.
- Take the average. ie Divide by 3
- Calculate 90% of the average. ie Multiply by 0.9
Competition handicaps
- We don’t follow the World Handicapping System (WHS).
- Therefore your Course Handicap and Playing Handicap is the same as your Society Handicap, rounded to an integer: 19.4 rounds down to 19, 19.5 rounds up to 20.
- There is no adjustment for the relative course difficulty ( slope index ).
Individual stableford competitions
- Played off 100% of your latest society handicap.
- Played from the Yellow tees.
Knockout matches
- Played off your starting handicap from the first round of the knockout.
Pairs and team competitions
Depends on the format. Normally 100%, unless it’s a Texas Scramble.
Handicap Adjusment
Performed by the Handicap Secretary after a monthly (Saturday) individual stableford.
| Result | Scratch to 11.5 | 11.6 to 18.5 | 18.6+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Down 1 | Down 1 | Down 1 |
| 36 and above | Down 0.3 per point above 36. | Down 0.3 per point above 36. | Down 0.3 per point above 36. |
| 30 – 36 points | No move | No move | No move |
| Under 30 points | Up 0.4 | Up 0.3 | Up 0.2 |
| Each 5 point hole | Down 1 | Down 1 | Down 1 |
| Each 4 point hole | Down 0.2 | Down 0.3 | Down 0.4 |
There’s no adjustment for games played at Captain’s Day, the weekend away, or knockout matches not played at the TAGS event.
You need to advise the handicap secretary if your WHS Handicap Index (aka England Golf Handicap ) ever drops below your Society Handicap. Your Society Handicap will be adjusted accordingly.
Conversely, if your WHS is higher than your Society Handicap – that’s tough.
The handicap table is published by Andy Banting in the TAGS Scorecard Group WhatsApp group.
If you’re a TAGS Member request access from Andy or Herb.