by Claudia Terry – Club Correspondent/Handicap Chair
Now that the mudslide-damaged area of the Stanley Dollar course has been reopened and golfers are able to play all 18 holes again, care must be taken to post scores correctly for those holes which are still partially closed. Further repair work is being done to the green and its surrounding area on Hole 3 and to the fairway on Hole 5, and both holes have been shortened considerably. Because these holes have been altered from their original design and they have not, in their current condition, been rated by official course raters, they cannot be treated like normal holes when posting scores.
Instead, players should proceed as if they did not play those holes at all, ignoring whatever score they actually got on the shortened hole, and marking the scorecard with a par plus any strokes or “pops” they would be allowed on the normal, pre-damaged Hole 3 and Hole 5. For instance, if a player is able to get a score of 3 on the newly configured Hole 3, with its green just at the top of the hill to the left of the golf cart path, still they should post a 4 plus whatever extra strokes they are allowed on Hole 3. A player with an 18 handicap would be allowed one stroke there so would post a 5 for that hole. A player with a 23 handicap would be allowed two strokes on Hole 3 and would therefore post a 6.
On Hole 5, which plays more like a par 4 now than a par 5, most players are going to score better than they normally would but still they should post par plus pops, meaning that a 18 handicap player will post a 6 on that hole even if they manage to get a better score since it is so much shorter now.
Happy golfing, everyone! If you have questions about posting or other handicap matters, contact Claudia Terry, 18ers handicap chair, at claterry@yahoo.com.