Handicap Chairpersons
1. JohnnyGK
2. TheBigDog
You are encourage to please review this extensive page of information but should you have any questions or thoughts please contact us at our "Greenskeeper.org" Mail Boxes.

GK Golf Club FAQ

  1. How do I establish a Handicap Index?
  2. What is an Adjusted Gross Score?
  3. If I don't already have a Handicap Index, how do I know how to "adjust" my scores per ESC?
  4. What if I'm already a member of a Public Links or SCGA golf club?
  5. If I decide to quit my current PLGA or SCGA club and join Greenskeeper.org Golf Club, what happens to my PLGA or SCGA number? Do I lose my playing history and current Handicap Index?
  6. Greenskeeper.org is a PLGA member golf club; does that mean that I cannot post at SCGA courses?
  7. What is an "affiliate" golf club?
  8. Are there differences in the benefits provided Type 1 and Affiliate Golf Clubs in the Public Links Golf Association of Southern California (PLGA)?
  9. Can dual affiliation cause members to receive two different Handicap Indexes?
  10. I had a previous PLGA or SCGA index that expired. Any way to recover it?
  11. What is unique about the PLGA Tournament Program?
  12. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for PLGA golf tournaments on the same basis as members of Type 1 clubs?
  13. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for selection and PLGA subsidy for the Pacific Coast Amateur Championships, Southwest Team Championships, and Lima International?
  14. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for service on PLGA Committees, including the Board of Directors?
  15. Are members of PLGA affiliate clubs eligible to participate in events sponsored by the California Golf Association (CGA)?
  16. Are there any differences between Type 1 clubs and Affiliate clubs when it comes to governing and representational rights?
  17. What does a Course Handicap represent?
  18. I have posted all of my rounds. When will I receive an index?
  19. How long does it take to get my member number if I don't already have one from a previous club?
  20. How and When can I post scores online?
  21. Do I get a PLGA/Greenskeeper.org Membership Card?
  22. How can I find out what my Handicap Index is?
  23. What is Slope?
  24. Who rates a course?
  25. How is a course rated? (The rating procedure)
  26. How do the course rating and slope numbers affect my handicap?
  27. Do you offer refunds?

1. How do I establish a Handicap Index?

You must be a member of a golf club. The USGA defines a golf club as an organization of at least ten individual members that operates under bylaws with committees (including a Handicap Committee, the only specifically required committee) to supervise golf activities, provide peer review, and maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. A golf club must be licensed by the USGA to utilize the USGA Handicap System. A club can obtain a license agreement directly from the USGA or through membership in an authorized golf association that is already licensed by the USGA that has jurisdiction in the geographic area that includes the principal location of the club.

Greenskeeper.org Golf Club obtains its USGA license through membership in the Public Links Golf Association of California (PLGA).

Once a player joins a golf club, the player should post adjusted gross scores. When the player has posted five (5) adjusted gross scores, and a revision date passes, the club will issue the player a Handicap Index, a process handled by Greenskeeper.org Golf Club through its membership in the PLGA.

2. What is an Adjusted Gross Score?

All scores made following the principles of the Rules of Golf (excludes scrambles, rounds played where fewer than 14 clubs are mandated, etc.), 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.

ESC is used when a player's actual or most likely score exceeds a maximum number based on the table below, for the player's Course Handicap from the tees played.

Equitable Stroke Control

Course Handicap

Maximum Number on any Hole

9 or less

Double Bogey

10 through 19

7

20 through 29

8

30 through 39

9

40 or more

10


There is no limit to the number of individual hole scores on which an Equitable Stroke Control adjustment may be made.

3. If I don't already have a Handicap Index, how do I know how to "adjust" my scores per ESC?

A player without an established Handicap Index must use the Maximum Handicap Index of 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women, converted to a Course Handicap, to determine a maximum ESC number.

4. What if I'm already a member of a Public Links or SCGA golf club?

No problem. You can retain those memberships and add a Greenskeeper.org membership, and you will retain the exact same 7-digit membership number you already have in PLGA or SCGA. You will retain the exact same playing history, and when you post, either via Internet or course computer, you will post to that number, and those scores will be routed to ALL clubs of which you are a member. You may have as many club memberships as you desire, but you will never have more than one 7-digit number GHIN USGA number.

5. If I decide to quit my current PLGA or SCGA club and join Greenskeeper.org Golf Club, what happens to my PLGA or SCGA number? Do I lose my playing history and current Handicap Index?

No. Simply make sure that when you fill out your membership information for Greenskeeper.org Golf Club, you fill in the space that asks for a current GHIN number.

6. Greenskeeper.org is a PLGA member golf club; does that mean that I cannot post at SCGA courses?

No. You will be able to post at any golf course in Southern California with 100% confidence that the score will be routed back to Greenskeeper.org for inclusion in the next Handicap revision. Whether one is a member of PLGA, SCGA or any of the local USGA licensed women's exclusive associations, the system is seamless from that perspective - 100% integrated for the integrity of the USGA Handicap System and the convenience of the golfer.

7. What is an "affiliate" golf club?

The USGA defines three (3) categories of golf clubs:
  1. Type 1 - clubs whose members are located at a single specific golf course with a valid USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating where a majority of the club's events are played and where the club's scoring records reside;
  2. Type 2 - clubs whose members are affiliated, or known to one another via a business, fraternal, ethnic, or social organization; and
  3. Type 3 - clubs whose members had no prior affiliation and a majority of the recruiting and sign up of the membership is done by solicitation to the public (e.g., newspaper, Internet).
Southern California's golf associations use the term "affiliate" club to define "Type 2" golf clubs.

8. Are there differences in the benefits provided Type 1 and Affiliate Golf Clubs in the Public Links Golf Association of Southern California (PLGA)?

With respect to all membership, handicapping, tournament, committee, educational, promotional, informational and governing functions save two, there are no differences. Because they are not attached to a single golf course, traditional affiliate clubs have no need for Course Rating services and no need for posting computers. PLGA provides both of these functions free to its member Type 1 clubs. Because affiliate clubs that are also Type 1 clubs in another association (dual members) receive Course Rating and GHIN services from another association, they have no need to duplicate such services with PLGA.

9. Can dual affiliation cause members to receive two different Handicap Indexes?

No. A dual member's PLGA and SCGA Handicap Index, scoring file, performance report, etc. will always be IDENTICAL. Why? Again, because both associations subscribe to the same third party vendor for provision of the GHIN.

10. I had a previous PLGA or SCGA index that expired. Any way to recover it?

Yes. Your old GHIN number or six digit IDC number remains in their systems for 24 months from non-renewal. In fact before you sign-up for the Greenskeeper.org Golf Club, contact the PLGA or SCGA to recover the number. If you sign-up for the Greenskeeper.org Golf Club and your old number is still in their system, then the PLGA will use your old number for your new membership.

11. What is unique about the PLGA Tournament Program?

PLGA has a two-track tournament program. In deference to the fact that the vast majority of the golfing population belongs to the "recreational golfer" category, i.e., the proverbial 16 Handicapper, PLGA conducts an extensive competitive program for such "recreational golfers" - both a team play program and one containing a number of individual, four-ball, and 4-man team events.

The second track of the program is the Championship program. PLGA puts on the Southern California Amateur Public Links Championship, the City of LA / PLGA Match Play Championship and the Southern California Senior Amateur Public Links Championship as well as a couple of other championship caliber events. For those players who distinguish themselves in these events, PLGA sponsors players in the following major individual and team events:
Pacific Coast Amateur Championships - the West's only major amateur championship that awards USGA Walker Cup points. PLGA has three exemptions into this annual event, which in 2008 will be played at Royal Collwood Golf Club in British Columbia. Under the new USGA Rules of Amateur Status, PLGA picks up expenses for its three (3) exempt players.

Southwest Team Championships - an 8-man team competition (4 mid amateurs & 4 seniors [50]) conducted annually among a number of southwestern golf associations, including the state associations of Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Southern Nevada and Colorado. PLGA picks up the expenses for its 8-man team. The 2007 event was just completed and hosted by PLGA at the PGA Section Golf Facility in Beaumont. The 2008 event is scheduled to be hosted by the Utah Golf Association in St. George, Utah.

Lima International Championship - a two-man event composed of teams from South America, North America and Europe. It is a World Cup type format - both players play an Individual Stroke Play competition with the team competition determined by the combined aggregate 72-hole scores of both players. PLGA underwrites expenses for its annual team.
Because PLGA caters exclusively to the public sector and because public sector golf is disproportionately made up of persons who work for a living, both tracks of the Association's tournament program are conducted disproportionately on weekends. That includes the Senior Amateur Championship.

12. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for PLGA golf tournaments on the same basis as members of Type 1 clubs?

Yes, including the Team Play program, which supports a format that allows affiliates to compete on a level playing field with green grass clubs.

13. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for selection and PLGA subsidy for the Pacific Coast Amateur Championships, Southwest Team Championships, and Lima International?

Yes.

14. Are members of affiliate clubs eligible for service on PLGA Committees, including the Board of Directors?

Yes. While PLGA categorizes clubs per USGA definition, it does not distinguish them for any other purpose. Members of affiliate clubs are eligible for service on all committees - Directors, Course Rating, Tournament, Rules, Public Affairs, Communications, etc.

15. Are members of PLGA affiliate clubs eligible to participate in events sponsored by the California Golf Association (CGA)?

Yes. Membership in any kind of PLGA golf club allows one to play in the California State Amateur Championship, the California Senior Amateur Championship, and the California Net Amateur Championships. In addition, it allows one to represent the State of California on the biannual USGA State Team Championships.

16. Are there any differences between Type 1 clubs and Affiliate clubs when it comes to governing and representational rights?

No. There are no "classes" of membership for the purposes of governing the Association. Governing authority of the PLGA is vested in a "Board of Delegates," which is composed of the designated Delegate of each member golf club. This Board meets once-per-month January through November at a member course to conduct the business of the Association. Between such meetings, the governing authority is reposed in an eleven (11) member Executive Committee, nine (9) of whose members are elected annually by that same Board. PLGA Staff is hired by and answerable to the Board of Directors. It is charged with carrying out the policies and directives as fashioned by the interactive dynamic of the Delegates and their elected handmaiden Board of Directors.

Per Capita dues are the sole province of the Board of Delegates. Changes to the dues structure require a 2/3 vote of the Members Clubs present at any monthly Association business, but only upon 30-day notice of such consideration.

17. What does a Course Handicap represent?

A Course Handicap represents the number of strokes needed to play to the level of a scratch golfer, or the Course Rating of a particular set of tees. A Course Handicap is expressed as a whole number (e.g., 12).

Course Handicap is determined by using charts located at the golf course where the round is to be played. In addition, a Course Handicap can be calculated by the following method:
Handicap Index multiplied by Slope Rating of tees played, divided by Standard Slope Rating (113) = Answer (rounded to nearest whole number - .4 rounds down and .5 rounds up).

Example: 10.4 Handicap Index X 125 Slope Rating / 113 Standard Slope Rating = 11.5 = 12 Course Handicap.

18. I have posted all of my rounds. When will I receive an index?

A Handicap Index will be calculated for a golfer at the next revision period once the player has posted a minimum of five scores.

19. How long does it take to get my member number if I don't already have one from a previous club?

You will receive your 7-digit membership number the first week of the month after you purchased you index via Greenskeeper.org Inbox - or sooner per your request to golf@greenskeeper.org.

20. How and When can I start posting scores online?

The day after purchasing your USGA GHIN membership with Greenskeeper.org. To post online simply go to www.GHIN.com, register on the site and begin posting scores.

21. Do I get a PLGA/Greenskeeper.org Membership Card?

No. What you get is USGA GHIN card sent electronically the 1st and 15th day of every month as part of the e-revision provided that you contact the PLGA with your e-mail address. Contact the PLGA at: (714) 994-4747

E-mail: Larry (lcloud@covad.net)

E-mail: Nate (nateswanner@yahoo.com)

 

22. How can I find out what my Handicap Index is?

There are two ways to find your Handicap Index each month:
  • Register at GHIN.com.
  • Call the PLGA toll free phone number (800) 272-7542.

23. What is Slope?

Most golfers believe that the higher the slope number, the more difficult the golf course. This may or may not be true depending on the level of golfer you are. The Slope number for a golf course actually tells you how difficult the golf course is for a bogey player (17.5 - 22.4 handicap index for a male golfer) compared to a scratch player. The higher the slope number, the harder the course is for the bogey golfer relative to the difficulty of the course for the scratch golfer. Slope numbers can range anywhere between 55 and 155 with the average slope in the United States being 120.

The important thing to remember is that "Slope" is a relational number. It means nothing in and of itself. It means nothing more than the relative difference in difficulty of the subject course for a Scratch as opposed to Bogey player.

The slope number is used to convert your Handicap Index into a Course Handicap. This allows the player to receive enough strokes from a particular set of tees, to play at an equal level of a scratch golfer from the same set of tees.

The Slope number is derived from the following mathematical formula:
(Bogey Rating - Course Rating) x 5.381 = Slope

When your course is rated, a scratch rating and bogey rating are both determined from each set of tees. (The scratch rating is the same as the course rating). From both the bogey rating and the scratch rating, we can then use the formula above to achieve our slope number.

The system was developed to provide for a measure of portability in the USGA Handicap System - to allow a player to take his / her Handicap Index to almost any course in the world and be able to compete on an equal level with other golfers.

24. Who rates a course?

PLGA's course rating team is led by USGA trained, experienced persons. Virtually every golf association in the national USGA family has been trained to use the exact system that is used here in Southern California.

There are approximately 30 volunteer committeemen who serve on the "Team," all of whom have attended PLGA training sessions and many of whom have attended USGA calibration seminars.

25. How is a course rated? (The rating procedure)

All courses rated under the USGA Course Rating System are rated using the same parameters that have been established by the USGA. A male scratch player is defined by the USGA as an amateur golfer who has reached the stroke play portion of the US Amateur Championship. On average, he hits his tee shot 225 yards in the air with 25 yards of roll. His second shot travels 200 yards in the air with 20 yards of role. The male bogey golfer is defined as having a USGA handicap index of 17.5 - 22.4. By definition, he can hit his tee shot 180 yards in the air with 20 yards of roll. His second shot travels 150 yards in the air plus 20 yards of roll for a total distance of 170 yards. Therefore, the bogey golfer can reach a 370-yard hole in 2 shots and a scratch golfer can reach a 470-yard hole in 2 shots.

There are 5 playing length factors that are considered for each hole. (Roll, elevation, wind, dogleg/forced lay-ups, and altitude). Between these 5 factors, or a combination of them, the overall playing length of a golf course is either lengthened or shortened from the physical yardage of a golf course.

In addition to the effective playing length of a course, there are 10 obstacles that are evaluated on each hole. (9 of the obstacles are physical and 1 psychological). The nine obstacles are as follows: topography, fairway, green target, rough and recoverability, bunkers, out-of-bounds/extreme rough, water, trees, and green surface. If that weren't enough, the hole is given an extra boost of difficulty under the obstacle of psychology if the rating numbers determine that the hole plays more difficult.

Each obstacle is given a numerical value ranging from 0 to 10 (0 being non-existent, 10 being extreme). To avoid subjectivity, the values assigned are taken from a table in the USGA Course Rating Guide. These values are based off of the distances the obstacle is from the center of the landing zone or target.

For example: assuming there are no effective playing length corrections, the team of course raters would first evaluate the landing area for the bogey golfer 200 yards off the tee. In this area, the team would measure the width of the fairway, the distance from the center of the fairway to the nearest boundary line, trees, hazard line, and whether there are any bunkers nearby. The same procedure would be done for the scratch player's landing area 250 yards off the tee. This evaluation process is repeated until the group reaches the green. The green width and depth are then measured as well as the amount of water and/or bunkers surrounding the green as well as how far it is to the nearest boundary line.

This process is repeated on every hole and for every tee. Through this data, a scratch and bogey rating are achieved. We are then able to use these 2 numbers to calculate the slope number.

26. How do the course rating and slope numbers affect my handicap?

To fully understand how course rating and slope numbers ultimately affect your handicap index, you must first understand how a handicap index is derived.

Using equitable stroke control (the maximum score you can take on a hole for posting purposes), a player takes his adjusted gross score and subtracts the course rating. Multiply that number by 113 (slope rating of a course of standard difficulty), and divide by the slope rating of the tees played. (Round to the nearest 10th).

Handicap differential= (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating

A player's index is based on the best handicap differentials in a player's scoring record. For example; if a player had 20 scores in his file, the best 10 handicap differentials would be used to calculate his USGA/SCGA handicap index. These 10 differentials would be totaled and divided by the number of differentials used (10), multiplied by .96 and rounded to the nearest tenth.

It is important to remember that the course rating affects a player's index much more than the slope number. Often, players focus too much on what the slope number is when it is the course rating number that drives the system.

For Example:
Course A

69.3/125

Player shoots 85

Handicap differential = 14.2 [(85-69.3) x 113/ 125]



Course B

71.1/117

Player shoots 85

Handicap differential = 13.4 [(85-71.1) x 113/117]
Some players feel that if their golf course's slope number is too high, they will not be competitive when visiting another club. This is not necessarily true. As you can see from the example above, it is the Course Rating number that is the far more important number in the calculation.

27. Do you offer refunds?

All sales of GK Golf Club memberships are final. We do not offer refunds.




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