Metro St. Louis
Seniors Golf
Association
For the purpose of golf
and good fellowship
Metro St. Louis
Seniors Golf
Association
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Handicap

Q:  I've played 5 rounds but my Handicap Index hasn't changed?  Why not?
 

A:  Each score is individually run against the USGA formula. Then the 10
best of 20 are used. But with under 20 scores, there are heavier weights
applied to your better scores:
1 to 6 rounds (use best score ONLY)
7 to 8 (2 best)
9 to 10 (3 best)
11 to 12 (4 best)
13 to 14 (5 best)
15 to 16 (6 best)
17 (7 best)
18 (8 best)
19 (9 best)

So it is reasonable to see little change until you post more rounds.  Click
here for full details of the USGA Handicap Manual.
Equitable Stroke Control

Q:  I understand Equitable Stroke Control is used on our scores.  What is
that?  

A: Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) keeps an exceptionally bad hole from
changing your Handicap Index too much and sets a maximum number that a
player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap.
For handicap purposes, after the round our handicap system will adjust
your hole scores when they are higher than the maximum ESC number you
can post.  Scores are adjusted as follows:

Course Handicap   Maximum Score per Hole  
up to 9                 Double Bogey
10 through 19                 7
20 through 29                 8
30 through 39                 9
40 or higher                   10

All scores, are adjusted for ESC. There is no limit to the number of holes on
your score that can be adjusted for ESC.
Courses We Play

Q:  Why don't we play at _______________ golf course?  

A: We have a committee that sets the courses we play and negotiates
rates, about a year in advance.  The committee receives input from
members on which course(s) to drop and which to pick up.  The committee
tries to take into account a diverse set of greens fees (not all more
expensive, not all cheaper), a diverse geographic area (good mix of East,
West, North, South and Central), plus other factors.  Your input is
considered, so contact the member from your Division who is on the
Tournament Committee.  Click on this link to the Board of Directors page to
see the members of the Tournament Committee.
Tie Breaker

Q.  How does the tiebreaker work in determining results in our weekly
tournaments?

A.  The Tie Breaker is based upon where each player falls in their handicap
index range for the course played.  This is best shown in an example.

Playing at Clinton Hill, both Player A and Player B shoot a net 69.  Player A
has a Handicap Index of 11.4 while Player B has a Handicap Index of 6.7.  
Player A is in the range of 11.7 - 10.7.  Subtract the bottom of the range
(10.7) from the person's handicap (11.4 - 10.7 = 0.7).  Subtract the 0.7
from the person's net score (69 - 0.7 = 68.3) resulting in the Tie Breaker
Net.

Player B is in the range 7.6 - 6.7.  Subtracting the bottom of the range from
Player B's Handicap Index (6.7 - 6.7 = 0) and subtracting 0 from the net 69,
results in a Tie Breaker Net of 69.0.

Player A wins on the tie breaker.

Should this process end in a tie, then the person with the lowest Handicap
Index would win.  In this example, that would be Player B.

Q:  What do these ratings of a course really mean?

A;  The USGA Course Rating™ is the USGA® mark that indicates the
evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers. It is based
on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring
difficulty of the scratch golfer. Example: 68.5

The Slope Rating® is the USGA mark that indicates the measurement of
the relative difficulty for the bogey golfer compared to the Course Rating.
Slope Rating is computed from the difference between the bogey rating and
the Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155.
Example: 125

The Bogey Rating is the one number every golfer worse than a scratch
should check before deciding which tees to play. This rating is the
evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for the bogey golfer. It is
based on yardage, effective playing length and other obstacles to the
extent that affect the scoring ability of the bogey golfer. To figure out this
number, other than from looking at this database, the bogey golfer should
take the Slope Rating®, divide it by the set factor (5.381 for men, and 4.24
for women) and add that to the Course Rating. The result is a target score
for the bogey golfer, and is a truer yardstick of the challenge that lies
ahead for the particular set of tees. Example: 96.3 - which predicts the
bogey golfer's average of his ten best (out of twenty) scores would be
approximately 96.3 from this particular set of tees.