by Claudia Terry – Club Correspondent & Handicap Chair
Just because four holes are closed to play on the Stanley Dollar course does not relieve golfers of their responsibility to post their scores. The World Handicap System states that if a player plays 13 holes, they shall post a nine-hole score, but if they play 14 holes, they shall post a full 18-hole score. Dollar Course is temporarily a 14-hole round, but players must post 18-hole scores regardless.
The way to handle this is simple. For any holes not played, the player will post par plus any strokes or “pops” they are allowed for the respective unplayed holes. For instance, if a player has course handicap of 18, giving them one stroke per hole, then for Holes 3 through 6, which are currently closed due to the storm damage, that player would post a 5 for the par-4 Hole 3, a 4 for the par-3 Hole 4, a 6 for the par-5 Hole 5, and another 5 for the par-4 Hole 6. Basically, any unplayed hole is posted as net par.
The rule is slightly different on a hole that is partially played. In that situation, the golfer should post what they think they most likely would have scored on the hole if they continued to play until the ball was in the cup. If while playing the par-5 18th hole, for instance, a player realized they did not have time to finish the round and had to rush off to an appointment after only two shots, they would pick up their ball and then determine the number of shots it most likely would have taken them to reach the green and to putt the ball into the hole. Adding those extra shots to the two shots already taken would result in the score to be posted for that unfinished hole.
The course is lush and green after all the rain and the weather is becoming more inviting, so please enjoy the beautiful holes that are available for play, but post an 18-hole score every time you play 14 holes. If you have questions about posting or other handicap matters, contact Claudia Terry, 18ers handicap chair, at claterry@yahoo.com.