Handicap Posting Rules

Handicap Posting Guidelines as of 1/4/2020. Your handicap reflects your ability to play golf. Thus you must post a score every time you play – not just Lea Lea days. Click Here to see detailed information on handicapping from USGA.

Please post your score on the day you play at www.ghin.com or on the GHIN mobile app. Each time you enter a score your Handicap Index will be adjusted the following day. The system will also determine and adjust for particularly difficult, or easy, course conditions based on all players who post a score that day on the same course. If you post your scores later, they will not take advantage of the ‘course conditions’ feature.

Acceptable Scores for Handicap Purposes:

  • Post scores for all games played on any course with a valid WHS Course Rating and Slope Rating.
  • Post scores from all forms of competition: match play, stroke play and team competitions where players play their own ball.
  • Post scores whenever 14 or more holes are played.
  • Post scores even under the Local Rule of ‘preferred lies’.
  • Post 9 holes whenever 7 or more holes are played. The system will combine 9’s played at different times.

Scores for Handicap Purposes on Incomplete Holes or Conceded Strokes

  • If a player picks up or is conceded a stroke, record the Most Likely score that would have been made. That would be the number of strokes taken thus far plus the number Most Likely needed to complete the hole. ie if you pick up a 2 foot putt add 1 stroke. If you pick up a ‘long’ putt add 2 strokes, if you went into a penalty area and you pick up, assume you dropped (1) would have hit your next stroke over (1) plus however many more it would Most Likely take to complete the hole….
  • Put an X on the scorecard for an Incomplete Hole.

Scores for Handicap Purposes on Holes Not Played

If a hole is not played the score entered for handicap purposes is Net Par. That is ‘par plus the number of strokes the player is entitled to on that hole’. ie par if you get 0 strokes, bogie if you get 1 stroke, double bogie if you get 2 strokes.

Adjusting to Net Double Bogey ( AKA Double Bogey plus your handicap strokes)

Now that you have your score card filled in with 18 holes there is one more step. Adjusting is used to keep exceptionally bad hole score(s) from changing a Handicap Index too much. The maximum number of strokes you can Post is ‘Net Double Bogey’. The new WHS/GHIN system will adjust your scores. Input your actual gross hole-by-hole score and let the system do the adjustment.

FYI Net Double Bogey = Double Bogey + the handicap strokes you would receive on that hole.

  • If you get 1 stroke on a par 3 your max is 6. If you get 2 strokes on a par 3 max is 7.
  • If you get 1 stroke on a par 4 your max is 7. If you get 2 strokes on a par 4 max is 8.
  • If you get 1 stroke on a par 5 your max is 8. If you get 2 strokes on a par 5 max is 9.