Handicap Factors and Course Handicaps
Process
Two basic premises underlie the Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player’s Handicap Committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises.
The System provides a fair Course Handicap for each player, regardless of ability, and adjusts a player’s Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor up or down as the player’s game changes. At the same time, the System disregards high scores that bear little relation to the player’s potential ability and promotes continuity by making an Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor continuous from one playing season or year to the next. An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor is useful for all forms of play, and is issued only to individuals who are members of an Alberta Golf and Golf Canada Member golf club.
An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor, issued by a Member golf club or Alberta Golf (through its member clubs), indicates a player’s skill and is a number taken to one decimal place, e.g., 10.4. An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor is issued only to individuals who are members of an Alberta Golf and Golf Canada Member golf club.
An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor compares a player’s scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty. A player posts scores along with the appropriate Alberta Golf and Golf Canada Course Rating and Slope Rating to make up the scoring record. An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor is computed from no more than 20 scores plus any eligible tournament scores. It reflects the player’s potential because it is based upon the best handicap differentials posted for a given number of rounds, ideally the best 10 of the last 20 rounds.
An Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor is portable from course to course, as well as from one set of tees to another set of tees on the same course. A player converts their Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor to an Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Course Handicap based on the Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Slope Rating of the tees played. Each player locates the Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Handicap Factor on the appropriate Course Handicap Table and finds the corresponding Alberta Golf / Golf Canada Course Handicap. A Course Handicap Table can be found in the clubhouse or near the first tee of a Member golf club. There will be a Course Handicap Table for each set of tees used by men and by women. The number of strokes a player receives (Course Handicap) is based upon the relative difficulty (Slope Rating) of the course.
