Posting Scores Guidelines

Posting season in the Pacific Northwest is March 1^st thru November 14^th. I want to remind everyone of a few things about establishing and maintaining a handicap.

If you ever have a score that was input wrong, whether the score, course, tees, duplicate score or anything else, I can easily correct it for you. Just email me at sdecoy@wavecable.com with your info, the date, course, score and what action you need and I will correct it for you. Below is some information that will assist you in posting your rounds correctly and in a timely manner.

Posting of rounds played in the Northwest by the rules of golf and with at least one other person present starts on March 1st. There were a few changes implemented with the World Handicapping System (WHS) a few years ago that allows for the posting of incomplete rounds.

 I suggest that you become familiar with these changes, it is the direction that GHIN and the WHS (World Handicapping System) has gone for maintaining our handicaps and it is important to understand them to have an accurate handicap.

To post your score regardless of your handicap, you are now to only post a maximum of a double bogey plus any handicap strokes that you are given for that hole. See this sheet for a more detailed explanation:  Net Double Bogey is the new Max Hole Score.pdf

This change was implemented a few years ago now, but is a good reminder to us. You must either identify your stroke holes prior to calculating your postable score, or the easier method is to just enter your gross scores in the hole-by-hole format and GHIN will do the adjustments for you to calculate your postable score. Once logged in, select post score, select course, select tees, select total score (which is your adjusted score per above) or select the easier hole by hole method and enter your score.

Either method to post can be accomplish by:

1.  Using the GHIN computer provided at the course where you just played your round.

2. Using your home or work computer and going to GHIN.COM | USGA's Golf Handicap Information Network , logging in with your name and GHIN number.

3. Downloading the GHIN app on your phone or tablet, logging in with your GHIN number and name, and selecting “Post Score”. Here you have a third option to even track your stats like fairways or greens hit.

 It is very important that you post every round that you play that fits within these guidelines, and you need to get into the habit of posting them on the day that you play. This is important since our handicaps now update nightly and to assist GHIN in case there is a playing conditions calculation (PCC) done by GHIN for the play of that day. 

 PCC only comes into play if eight or more players post a score for the same course on the day of play and those eight scores fall outside a normal range, see this short video for a simple overview: World Handicap System: Playing Conditions Calculation .

 GHIN will only do this evaluation if at least eight scores are posted on the day of play, so if seven players post on an adverse day, and an eighth player that played that day waits until the next day to post, then GHIN will not be triggered to do an evaluation and possible correction. If eight or more players did post and GHIN does do an adjustment, a score posted at a later date for the same day as the others will be adjusted.

 Here is a more detailed explanation: Breaking down the PCC.pdf

To post a 9-hole score, you must have played or started all holes on the same side, either front or back nine. For example, if you are playing the front 9 and it is getting dark, and you teed off on the 9th hole but do not finish that hole, you are then to determine your most likely score for that unfinished hole from the point that you picked up. Say you are next to the green in two, you would add a stroke for the chip plus one or two strokes for putts, for a total score on the hole of 4 or 5.

To post a score of more than 9 holes played but less than 18 holes, there is a new last year method and feature in GHIN. If you play more than nine holes but less than 18 holes, you would select post score, select the course, select Hole-By-Hole, then select 10-17 holes, then post the score for all holes played and enter post score. GHIN will then give you a message stating that you have not entered a score for every hole, are you sure that you want to post anyway, select “Post Score”. GHIN will then fill in the remaining holes with your expected scores based on how you did on the holes that you did play. For more information, go to this link: FAQS - 10 to 17 holes (usga.org) 

If there is a temporary green on the second nine, then it gets a little less clear. The bottom line is either not post that hole, so you post 10-17 holes, or you take a net par on that hole. A net par means if it’s a stroke hole for you and if it’s a par 4 for example, you’d record a 5. This would be applicable whether you’re posting 10-17 holes, or 18 holes.

There are a lot of great links that provide more details here: https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping.html as well as here: Rules of Handicapping (usga.org)

 This is a lot to take in, again I suggest you save this for future reference and if after reviewing this and the links you have any questions, please contact me at sdecoy@wavecable.com .

 Steve DeCoy

GMMC Handicap & Membership Chairman