Arnold Palmer Golf Management Handicap Guidelines

Welcome to the APGM Handicap service!  We are very pleased to have earned your business and look forward to providing you with the best possible service each day of the year.  Please take a few minutes and read through this document to ensure you get the most out of Palmer Golf’s handicap service. 

Be sure to visit us on line at www.palmergolf.com under the USGA Handicap Service.  You can access your home course’s website and handicap section from the Palmer site.  Once online you can post scores, view other player’s posted rounds, view and register for Fun and Affordable events and much more. 

 To ensure that your USGA Handicap Index remains valid all players must:

• Play and post a minimum of 2 rounds each year with another member of your handicap club.
• Play in at least one handicap club hosted tournament each year.
• Post all scores (complete or not complete) made at home or away courses.
• Use the USGA procedures (ESC) to adjust hole scores before posting scores.
• Nine-hole scores must be combined and posted for handicap purposes.
• Follow the principles of The Rules of Golf.
• For a complete list of USGA Handicap Guidelines visit www.usga.org. 
  
  *Please keep in mind, failure to comply with the above USGA guidelines will result in your handicap index not being approved by the USGA.  .

  Posting a score

You are able to post a score anywhere you have internet access.  Go to http://www.palmergolf.com/public/handicap/post/ and follow these steps:

• Click Affordable USGA Handicap Service Button
• Click Post Scores
• Click on your Course’s Handicap Club
• Select Your Club in the upper right corner
• Enter your local handicap number.  During your first log-in you’ll be asked to enter a password.  Please remember your password and do not give out your information to others.  
• Enter your *ESC score and click the Enter Score and Continue Button
  (*Remember – you must adjust your score per USGA guidelines to accommodate for abnormally high score per hole)
• Review your score on the posting page and make any necessary modifications:  If you need to change the date (click on the date icon), you can search for a course (click the course look up button) and you can manually insert course rating and slope if you do not find the course you played listed in our system.
• When you are finished click Post Score

  Peer Review

What is peer review?  The USGA requires that all members of a handicap club be able to view what other players in the club are posting.  Online peer review is also available on your home course’s website or on the APGM handicap page.    

  FAQ:

  Establishing an equitable handicap – Why is my handicap so low?
Please keep in mind, once the system has a history of 20 scores for your handicap it will provide the most equitable handicap for your game.  If you only have 5 scores entered the system will compute your handicap using your lowest score and 10 rounds uses 3 scores.  When you have posted 20 rounds the system uses 10 scores providing the most fair and equitable handicap.  So remember the sooner you get to 20 scores the better!

  Revision dates for handicap indexes

Your handicap index will be revised as per the local golf association’s rules and guidelines.  If you are a new member and input a minimum of 5 scores your handicap index will be provided on the next revision date.  Likewise, if you have a current handicap index, as you continue to post scores in the system your index will not change until the revision date.  We will be adding a revision date schedule to each website soon.

 Contact and Help Information
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your USGA handicap Index or the USGA guidelines please contract a team member at your home course or Mike Shoelen at mshoelen@palmergolf.com  or 281-540-1818 x 19

EQUITABLE STROKE CONTROL

 
“There is no limit to the number of individual hole scores on which an ESC reduction may be made.”

 
“In consulting the ESC table, a player uses the Course Handicap derived from that player’s actual Handicap Index, disregarding any strokes added or subtracted because of a condition of competition, a handicap allowance, players competing from different tees, or men and women from the same tees.”

 
“Under no circumstances must the procedures of ESC be used by a player to manipulate a Handicap Index.  The Handicap Index of a player who uses this section for such a purpose must be adjusted or withdrawn by the Handicap Committee.”

 
Posting a score when a complete round or hole is not played

“The game of golf is based on the premise that a player will play as well as the player can play.  Under the USGA Handicap System, each player is required to recorded a hole score for a hole not finished, not played, or not played under The Rules of Golf, and to reduce any hole score when it is higher than the maximum number allowed under Equitable Stroke Control.” 

 “If 13 or more holes are played, the player must post an 18-hole score.  If 7 to 12 holes are played, the player must post an 18-hole score.  In either case, score for unplayed holes must be recorded as par plus any handicap strokes that the player is entitled to receive on the unplayed holes.” 

The following terms are trademarks and service marks of the United States Golf Association: “Bogey Rating™,” “Course Handicap™,” “Course Rating™,” “Course Rating and Slope Database™,” “Equitable Stroke Control™,” “ESC™,” “Handicap Differential™,” “Handicap Index®,” “Hole-by-Hole Stroke Allocation Analysis Program™,” “Home Course Handicap™,” “Short Course Handicap™,” “USGA Short Course Rating™,” “SLOPE®,” “Slope Rating®,” “Slope System®,” “Trend Handicap™,” “Trend Handicap Index™,” “Trend Differential™,” “United States Golf Association®,” “USGA®,” “USGA Course Rating Software Program™,” “USGA Course Rating System™,” and “USGA Handicap System™.”

Information on this page has been provided from the 2006 - 2007 USGA Handicap System Manual