If I only play 9 holes, will it count towards calculating my handicap?

Is there a minimum number of holes I need to play for the handicap to show up?

Thanks,

Sebastian

9 hole rounds absolutely count towards a handicap. That said- I am not sure of the exact rules. I know two 9 hole scores are put together.. or something like that.

Kevin- can you answer this correctly?



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Andrew
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Kickntrue-
Duffing since 1993

Yes, based on USGA standards 9 holes are calculated towards a handciap. Two nine holes are combined by added the 9 hole rating and the average slope. This means that you have to have at least 2 9 hole scores to see one effect your handicap index. That answer your question?

Almost all of my rounds are 9 holes and while I see the logic in adding two nine hole rounds to make one 18 hole round for the purpose of calculating the handicap, I have a question. Are the best 9 hole rounds being chosen first THEN added together to make up 18 hole rounds or are the 9 hole rounds being added together first as they are entered into the system and THEN the best 18 hole rounds chosen to compute the handicap?

I am curious as I would hate my better rounds to be negated simply because I may have followed them up with a lousy round. I am hoping my best 9 hole rounds are chosen first, THEN added to make the 18 hole rounds. It seems a fairer method. Make sense?

Keep up the great work, the site is fantastic.

How do you figure a par 3 course into the handicap?

merlin2driver wrote:

How do you figure a par 3 course into the handicap?

i don't know how it's handled in the software, but in theory, par 3 courses have lower course rating, so they will still count towards the handicap but their effect is more marginal than regular courses.

please correct me if this is wrong.

Thats correct. As long as it is a course rated by the USGA it will work like any other just have a real low rating slope (ex: 54/70).

Courses not rated by USGA should not be included for handicap.

michaelchadwell wrote:

Almost all of my rounds are 9 holes and while I see the logic in adding two nine hole rounds to make one 18 hole round for the purpose of calculating the handicap, I have a question. Are the best 9 hole rounds being chosen first THEN added together to make up 18 hole rounds or are the 9 hole rounds being added together first as they are entered into the system and THEN the best 18 hole rounds chosen to compute the handicap? I am curious as I would hate my better rounds to be negated simply because I may have followed them up with a lousy round. I am hoping my best 9 hole rounds are chosen first, THEN added to make the 18 hole rounds. It seems a fairer method. Make sense? Keep up the great work, the site is fantastic.

i read the handicap section and to me it seems that the 9 holes are added in chronological order. so unfortuneatly if you shot a really low 9 then a stinky 9 it becomes a so so 18. instead of having your 2 best 9's combinded to make your best 18. so next time you step on the tee and you rememberd you shot well last time you played 9 then you better keep up the solid play as it's like starting on hole number 10!

that new handicap calculation feature helps you know if you are playing the front or back 9 when you start a new 9 hole round.

Last edited by chipotle mg on Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:20 pm; edited 2 times in total

klangdon wrote:

Thats correct. As long as it is a course rated by the USGA it will work like any other just have a real low rating slope (ex: 54/70). Courses not rated by USGA should not be included for handicap.

there was an issue with one of the courses i play that has a slope rating on oob but was not acutally usga rated. make sure you check the usga website to see if the courses you play are in fact rated correctly on oob if you care to have your handicap "usga approved".

in my experience most regulation length golf courses are rated by the usga, and most of the dinky par 3's arn't. that is not always the case though.

How do you input the rating and slope for 9 holes? Is it half the published rating and the entire 18-hole slope?

For example:

I played 9 one day and tried to input half of each. Oob let me do that for the rating, but not the slope because it said it had to be a minimum of 70, so I just put the entire slope of 136 for the 9 holes. Didn't seem right, but I didn't know what else to do.

I then played 9 on a different course the next day, so I need to know exactly how to put the rating/slope in correctly so the two 9's from two different courses are correctly calculated into my handicap.

Thanks for the help!

Quote:

Thats correct. As long as it is a course rated by the USGA it will work like any other just have a real low rating slope (ex: 54/70).

The USGA rates short courses (par 3's) but uses a different formula called a short course formula and can not be used to calculate a USGA handicap index (for anything other than the home par 3 course). The USGA does not provide a slope rating for SL formulas because the slope rating is what allows for portablility, and par 3's are not portable.

A Short Course Handicap is expressed as a whole number, not a decimal number like a Handicap Index. A Short Course Handicap is not portable and not valid at any golf course other than the player's home (par 3) golf club. Such handicaps may not be termed a "Handicap Index" and must be identified by an "SL" to indicate that they are Short Course Handicaps.

Reference Appendix A of the USGA Short Course Handicap Computation Procedure http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/manual.html

One problem i have notice. Not sure if it takes one nine hole and doubles it but im getting double the number in pars or birdies and such when i only had half as many on the development app.

that is correct with a 9 hole score you can cut the rating in half and use the full slope. If you want to be more accurate you can get that 9 hole's exact rating and slope. the usga usually rates and slopes each 9 seperatly even though courses only display the total on cards.