With courses opening again this week and active posting season beginning back in March for Alberta, we have some important reminders about your handicap to keep in mind when you play those first few rounds!
Active Season
The Active Season is the period during which course conditions are suitable for generating acceptable scores for handicapping purposes. Any score recorded within a specific province during its Active Season will be included in your Handicap Index.
In Alberta, our active posting season is already underway. It begins March 1 and goes until October 31.
Most Likely Score
The most likely score is used when a golfer begins a hole but doesn’t finish it. This is especially common during cold weather rounds when players pick up more often.
To determine your most likely score, take:
- The strokes you have already taken (including penalties), plus
- The estimated number of extra strokes you would likely require to complete the hole from your current position.
The Rules of Handicapping include recommended guidelines. For example, if you’re within 5 feet, add 1 stroke; if you’re between 5 and 20 feet, add 2 or 3 strokes.
Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC)
The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) becomes especially relevant during Canadian winter and shoulder seasons. PCC automatically recalibrates Score Differentials on days when course conditions are notably harder or easier than usual. If the scores posted that day show that players, as a group, performed worse than expected, the PCC may adjust by +1, +2, or +3. Conversely, if scoring was better than anticipated, it may adjust by -1.
The best part? PCC is fully automatic through the Score Centre.
Expected Score
The procedure for calculating a Score Differential using an expected score can be summarized as follows:
1. An expected Score Differential for the hole or holes not played is calculated, based on a given Handicap Index and a course of standard difficulty.
2. A Score Differential for the holes played is calculated using the player’s actual scores and the rating value of the holes played.
3. The Score Differential from the holes played is combined with the expected Score Differential to produce either a 9-hole or 18-hole Score Differential.
*Expected score can only be calculated if the round is entered Hole-by-Hole in the system*